Library Kids are Better Students!

As our summer reading program winds down and we begin to take stock of how many kids benefited, we already know one thing for sure:

• Kids who participated in the program and read over the summer are going to be far better off when they return to school this fall.

Librarians have long known this to be true, and 2 more independent studies provide further confirmation of just how much an advantage library kids have over others.

University of Tennessee researchers will be publishing the results of a 3-year study this fall in Reading Psychology that shows kids have a significantly higher level of reading achievement than those who did not have access to books over the summer at home.

Also a study from Dominican University shows that students who participate in public library summer reading programs score higher on reading achievement tests at the beginning of the next school year than students who did not participate.

Typically, the Cumberland County Library System has about 6000 to 7000 kids participate in the summer reading program each year, covering 8 different public school districts.