THE LONG-AWAITED summer months are finally here, and kiddos are ready for fun in the sun. While it’s essential to enjoy the time off, it’s important to encourage them to keep reading over the summer.
Summer reading is critical for helping kids maintain learning while school is out. It helps to foster social and emotional development, discover the joy of stories, and elevate the importance of lifelong learning.
The Coffee County Manchester Public Library will host its annual summer reading program from May 31-June 28. The four-week program will feature several events that will excite students about reading.
According to the library’s Youth Services Librarian, Daphanie Gragg, the theme for the summer reading program is “All Together Now.”
“It’s about bringing community awareness of all ethnicities and backgrounds and just working together,” she explained. “For our kick off to the program, we will have a small get-together at the library. Our first performance will be The Science Guys from Nashville and will get the kids excited about electromagnetism, which plays into our theme of bringing people together. We will also have a local author, local Emergency Management Services members, and more.”
Gragg is also organizing a carnival party to round out the program’s events. She has recruited several local government officials to appear at the event. They will be the willing and very wet participants in the dunking booth set up at the carnival.
“We have the county mayor, Judd Matheny, on board, along with several other city officials,” she said.
She is also looking for additional support and donations from the community. She welcomes the public and local businesses to participate in a program that local kiddos get excited about. Gragg strives to make their time in the program special and memorable.
“For events attended, they can put in for prizes,” she said. “We also have bead necklaces. After they’ve read for so many minutes, they get a bead and can keep adding to the necklace. We have some children that have necklaces from five and six years ago that they are still adding beads to. The kids love the beads, and they can even trade [them up] from simple beads to more fancy [ones]. It’s great to see how excited they get about it.”
Reading is something that Gragg loves and enjoys sharing with readers of all ages.
“I feel like the job was made for me because I love working with children,” she said. “I love event planning, being creative, and working alongside great people. We have a great team, and we’re constantly adding to the programs we offer, such as the summer reading program.”
This is Gragg’s second year with the Summer Reading Program. She said she hopes to help emphasize the importance of reading year-round while making it fun and memorable for her young patrons.
“Programs such as these are critical because, during the summer, they lose a lot of the knowledge they retain during the school year,” said Gragg. “To keep their brains working, reading is a great stimulant. We encourage as much reading as [possible] during the summer, so they have their best foot forward the next school year.” GN
