Kids Read Now Comes To North Side Primary

On May 16, North Side Primary held a Kids Read Now reading night to kick off their newly adopted summer reading program.

This program helps kids avoid losing their reading skills they gained during the school year, so when they return in the fall teachers will not have to play catch-up for as long.

“[Kids Read Now was] designed to eliminate the ‘summer slide’,” Principal Christine Gibson said. “[The program is] new and exciting for the kids.”

The children who participate are chosen by their teachers. During the spring, these students and teachers sat down and created a list of nine books for the kids to read with their parents during the summer vacation. The kids had received their first three books at the reading night, along with participating in literary-themed activities. They were also asked to complete one of their books during the event.

Teachers hosted these activities, from kindergarten Ms. Magnani and Ms. Hamilton, and from second-grade Mrs. Byers and Mrs. Hand. A special thanks go to Audrey Huddleson and Abby Konyak who are AmeriCorps Service Members in this new summer event.

The way the program works is that once your child completes one book, they can ‘track’ their progress through call, text, or by emailing Kids Read Now of the completion of the book. They are then mailed another book and process starts all over. If their child completes all nine books they will be gifted a surprise once school starts back up in the fall.

Along with the three books, parents are given a Parent Guide explaining the process and how to help their children become readers without forcing them. The booklet explains how to decide if a book is too hard for their age group, how to report your child’s progress, and how to check the progress.