We applaud all that educators and families have done for students to keep them engaged and learning during today’s unprecedented school closings. As we enter the summer months, we all continue to adjust to this new reality together.
Now, more than ever, it is critically important to keep kids engaged in summer reading to ensure their academic success in the fall.
A new research brief from NWEA highlights this urgency. The nonprofit’s study projects that students who lack steady instruction during the coronavirus school shutdowns might retain only 70% of their annual reading gains as compared to a normal year. The study also points to how school closures caused by the pandemic create a greater loss of resources and learning opportunities beyond the traditional summer vacation kids experience annually.
Scholastic is committed to supporting literacy at home during this pressing time with the reimagined Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza program. This year, we are excited to share a brand-new kids experience in Scholastic Home Base, a free digital destination which offers full books, live events, and games in a moderated and safe online community! Within the Home Base summer zone kids will be able to:
- Read free digital books. Exclusive to the summer zone, kids will have access to select full ebooks in their entirety.
- Unlock book donations for home libraries. For every two consecutive days a child checks into the zone, they will create a Reading Streak which will unlock a new free print book for another child with limited or no access to books. Reading Streaks are earned when kids check in to the Read-a-Palooza zone to confirm they have read that day. With the goal of unlocking all 100,000 books by July, United Way Worldwide—the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit—will distribute the books across the country to locations where access to more high-quality books is needed most.
- Share reading progress. Kids will be able to create and print individualized reading reports summarizing their reading progress. These easy-to-download and printable reports can be shared with teachers or parents to show reading accomplishments.
- Earn personal reading milestones. Kids will be able to earn accolades ranging from bronze, silver, gold, and diamond levels for their reading streak progress while collecting summer-specific accessories to dress up their avatar.
- Join a community of readers. The summer zone offers kids a safe social platform to interact with friends and make new companions along the way. Through this summer reading community kids will share and discover the joy of stories and help provide books to their peers with limited or no access.
The program runs from Monday, May 4 through Friday, September 4, 2020. To learn more about Scholastic Summer Read-a-Palooza and access free summer reading resources, visit: www.scholastic.com/summer.
