From little elephants that stomp to medium-sized dogs that run, Santa Monica youngsters had a chance to sing and sign — using American Sign Language — along with storyteller Georgia Frawley at a special storytime at the Santa Monica Library’s Pico Branch last Thursday. Amid giggles, little ones practiced signing along to nursery rhymes and songs about weather, plus what Frawley called “the alphabet of animals,” during the hour-long family event.
Santa Monica school kids have about six weeks left of their summer vacation, and from specialty day camps to educational vacations, there are plenty of ways for parents to ensure their little ones don’t experience the dreaded “summer slide,” forgetting some of what they learned in the previous school year and making it more difficult to get geared back up for learning in the fall. But among the many options for parents, there’s one tried and true activity that’s free, effective and as popular as ever: your local library’s summer reading program.
Last Thursday’s sign language event was part of a suite of free summer learning enrichment activities sponsored by the Santa Monica Public Library. Despite budgetary limitations still affecting services and reducing hours, the local library system has a calendar stacked with activities for kids “ages zero to about 17,” all summer long.
Librarian Jennifer Boyce said funds for the special programming came from the nonprofit Friends of the Library as well as the Kiwanis Club of Santa Monica.
“They have provided continued support for many years now. And so we’re very, very appreciative of that funding,” Boyce said.
Nearly all public library systems in the United States offer some version of a summer reading program, which in its essence exists to promote and incentivize reading during the long summer break. Here in Santa Monica, that basic structure is enhanced with free enrichment programs, optional age-appropriate learning activities and prizes including gift cards for teens and aquarium companion passes for younger kids.
Programs like summer reading are more critical than ever, Boyce said during a recent interview with the Daily Press.
“The purpose of the library’s summer reading program is to help prevent ‘summer slide’ by ensuring that youth retain reading and learning skills over the school break,” Boyce said. “And since COVID, this type of programming has really become critical to student success.”
Boyce went on to quote U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona: “Summer learning programs have always been important for our students but over the last couple of years, they have become essential. Quality, evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs are key to recovering from the pandemic.”
Boyce said this summer marks her 10th year working at the local library, and over the past decade the popularity of the summer reading program was steadily growing each year — right up through 2019. Then came the pandemic, a move to all-virtual programming and a steep drop-off in enrollment. The following summer, the library offered a hybrid version, but pandemic-era staffing reductions and other constraints kept it from taking off. This year, the library is ramping back up, offering lots of activities for all ages, with the majority taking place outdoors.
Parents seem keen on having their kids participate in the program, with enrollment at about 1,600 students so far this summer as of last week. Boyce said she was optimistic she would see last year's registration numbers double.
All kids enrolled in the program receive a tote bag and book upon registration, with the opportunity for two more prizes as reading goals are achieved. Right now, the program is just past its midway point, with plenty of time left for young readers to reach those targets.
When asked why parents and students with so many options for how to spend their summer vacations should consider adding the summer reading program to the list, Boyce said on top of having fun, learning and staying connected with friends and classmates, the program introduces kids to all the resources of their local library, which “opens a whole new world of possibilities.”
“Having a library card is really one of the smartest cards that you can have, because it’s free and it connects you to so many resources,” Boyce said. “I think that beyond connecting children and teens and families to resources, there’s that human connection that people are making when they come into the library, whether that’s with a staff person or with other people from the community … There’s so much more that we are connecting them to through summer reading. And I think it’s really important to give kids an opportunity to really explore things that they might be interested in, you know, whether that’s through our programming or through our collection.”
This year’s program theme is “Oceans of Possibilities,” and Boyce said the library branches are all decorated to inspire kids’ creativity. It runs through Aug. 6, with registration and more information available at smpl.org/srp.
*Editor's note: This story was updated to correct a typo referring to Jennifer Boyce's summer reading enrollment goals.
emily@smdp.com
