Summer Learning
Help children maintain or improve their school readiness during the summer.
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Summer reading programs are designed to help children maintain or improve the reading skills they developed during the school year, so that when school resumes in the fall, they are ready to continue moving forward. There is no statewide summer reading program in Idaho; rather, Idaho libraries host programs that are implemented and funded locally. The Idaho Commission for Libraries provides the following support for Idaho summer reading programs:
ICfL Resources
CSLP Membership
The Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP) contains many feature-rich summer reading resources for members. Idaho is a member state, which means that all publicly-funded libraries in Idaho have been included in our membership, giving library staff access to copyrighted annual themes, artwork, program manuals, and more.
State Parks Passes
Through a partnership with the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation, Idaho libraries can request Youth Explorer Passes to use as summer reading prizes or for outreach events. The passes allow one-time entrance to any of Idaho’s State Parks for one vehicle. Public libraries, community libraries, and volunteer libraries that host an official summer reading program are eligible to request passes. School libraries or schools are not eligible to request passes– please partner with your local library for summer reading programming.
Regional Summer Learning Workshops
The ICfL hosts six regional Summer Learning Workshops around the state in the fall of and winter to foster connections and communication between libraries that are geographically close (including both public and school libraries), share regional resources, provide training on research-based best practices for summer learning, and engaging in planning activities for the summer.
Summer STEM Grant
The Idaho STEM Action Center has provided funds to the Idaho Commission for Libraries (ICfL) to award up to 65 public, school, or academic libraries $500 each to help pay for materials or presenters to support STEM outreach efforts during the summer. ICfL will also help provide a toolkit for learning activities, a branded yard sign and other resources.
Outreach
Children who attend summer library programs can curb summer learning loss and maintain reading achievement levels. However, in many Idaho cities and towns, the children who most need library summer reading programs are not able to get to the library. Libraries that can get out into the community where children and families are likely to gather during the summer can have great impact on children’s access to print materials. The ICfL supports libraries’ outreach efforts during the summer by providing books that can be distributed to children birth to age 18.
Summer Learning Timeline
Evaluating Your Summer Reading Program
If you are an Idaho library planning to offer a children’s and/or teen summer reading program, please prepare to collect participation statistics this summer and submit them to the ICfL by September 15. (Link to report is at below.)
Summer reading program materials, such as CSLP program manuals, are LSTA-funded. Every public library is required to submit a report, which includes participation numbers (if your library is not hosting a summer reading program, simply indicate this on the report). These statistics are used by the ICfL to fulfill reporting requirements issued by the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services), which administers LSTA funding at the federal level. Failure to report your data will jeopardize your library’s eligibility for future summer reading books and materials.
This preview will allow you to design data collection instruments and procedures at the beginning of your summer reading program. You can even download the Word doc and work on it in increments throughout the summer, then transfer the information to the online report below.
Thank you in advance for helping us collect this important data! Questions can be directed to jennifer.redford@libraries.idaho.gov.
2024 SUMMER READING PROGRAM REPORT
DUE SEPT. 15
