
The Summer Reading Program consists of weekly public library activities for children and teens during June and July and covers new books on the annual theme, crafts and ways to have fun at the library. Many children and teens set a goal such as reading a book a week or for 20 minutes each day. Young children participate by being read to by parents or siblings. Adults also join in and set their own goals for reading. In 2010, a total of 213,905 Colorado residents participated in summer reading programs in public libraries. Of these readers, 155,563 were children, 42,690 teens and 15,652 adults.
Public libraries in the U.S have been promoting summer library programs since 1898. Reading regularly during the summer helps students prevent “summer set-back” where students can lose reading gains of the previous school year.
The State Library has been distributing the grants since 2004. Library sites receive $200 to support their summer library programming and provide a local match of 25 percent of the grant.
Libraries receiving the grant money:
Akron Public Library
Alamosa/Southern Peaks Public Library
Aurora Public Library
Cañon City Public Library
Conejos County Library District – Antonito
Conejos County Library District – La Jara
Delta County Public Library District – Cedaredge
Delta County Public Library District – Crawford
Delta County Public Library District – Delta
Delta County Public Library District – Hotchkiss
Delta County Public Library District – Paonia
Dolores County School/Public Library – Dove Creek
Dolores County School/Public Library – Rico
Dolores Library District/Montezuma County
East Cheyenne County Library District
East Morgan County Library District / Brush
Elbert County Library District – Elbert School
Elbert County Library District -- Elizabeth
Elbert County Library District -- Kiowa
Elbert County Library District – Simla
Fleming Community Library
Fort Morgan Public Library
Fowler Public Library
Garfield County Public Library District – Glenwood Springs
Garfield County Public Library District – Gordon Cooper /Carbondale
Garfield County Public Library District – New Castle
Garfield County Public Library District – Parachute
Garfield County Public Library District -- Rifle
Garfield County Public Library District – Silt
Grand County Library District – Fraser Valley
Grand County Library District – Granby
Grand County Library District – Hot Sulphur Springs
Grand County Library District – Juniper Library/Grand Lake
Grand County Library District – Kremmling
Gunnison County Library District – Crested Butte
Gunnison County Library District – Gunnison
Haxtun Public Library
Ignacio Library District
Jackson County Public Library -- Walden
John C. Fremont Library District
Kiowa County Public Library District
Lafayette Public Library
Lake County Public Library
Las Animas/Bent County Library District
Louisville Public Library
Mancos Public Library District
Montrose Regional Library District – Naturita
Nederland Community Library District
Northern Chaffee County Library District / Buena Vista
Nucla Public Library
Ordway/Combined Community Library
Ouray Library District
Park County Library District – Bailey
Park County Library District – Fairplay
Penrose Community Library District
Rampart Library District – Florissant
Rampart Library District -- Woodland Park
Rangely Regional Library District
Red Feather Mountain Library District
Rio Grande Library District – Monte Vista
Saguache County Public Library – Center
San Miguel Library District #2/Norwood
Security Public Library
Summit County Public Library – Main/Frisco
Trinidad/Carnegie Public Library
Upper San Juan Library District – Pagosa Springs
Vail Public Library
Wellington Public Library
West Routt Library District -- Hayden
Wray Public Library
Yuma Public Library
A map of the mini-grant libraries may be found at: http://tinyurl.com/2011MiniGrants
For more information on summer reading programs, visit www.ColoradoStateLibrary.org/summerreading or contact Patricia Froehlich, youth services senior consultant at the Colorado State Library at froehlich_p@cde.state.co.us or 303-866-6908.
For more information, contact Mark Stevens, 303-866-3898, or Megan McDermott, 303-866-2334, in the CDE Office of Communications. To sign up for the CDE e-mail news service, please visit http://www.cde.state.co.us/Communications/index.html.