Registration for the Westfield Memorial Library Summer Reading Program \u201cAdventure Begins at Your Library\u201d for kids ages 0 through 17 began Monday, June 17. Westfield library cardholders can register at http:\/\/wmlnj.readsquared.com,\u00a0 through the READsquared app, or come to the library. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cSummer reading is critical to help students avoid the summer slide, which is the tendency of students to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year,\u201d said director Allen McGinley. \u201cReading throughout the summer also fosters social-emotional development, helps students discover the joy of stories, and elevates the importance of lifelong learning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is especially critical for younger children, as developing early childhood literacy skills can have a tremendous impact on success in school and future careers,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
Children who register for the program track their reading throughout the summer and earn fun prizes. The program is designed to include children of all ages and reading abilities and includes recommended booklists for each grade. For those children not yet reading on their own, the library has the Little Listeners Program. For independent readers, requirements to earn prizes depend on the child\u2019s grade level.<\/p>\n
To join the program designed specifically for tweens and teens, participants must have a Westfield Library card and be entering grades 6-12.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur summer reading program uses games, activities, prizes, and events to encourage students to keep reading over the summer,\u201d explained McGinley. \u201cIn fact, more than 3,400 Westfield children participated last summer!\u201d<\/p>\n
For every two hours participants read after earning their book, they are entered in a raffle for a grand prize.<\/p>\n