Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the Children’s Museum has been responding to the needs of our most vulnerable families on the East End. In addition to serving as a food pantry and hosting support groups for parents, the Museum has provided educational support for children. Now that they’ve concluded a school year that was far from ideal, it’s imperative that we prevent our children from experiencing the “summer slide” in their academic skills. Since so many research studies have shown that summer reading programs are effective tools for raising test scores especially for low-income students, the Children’s Museum is launching a virtual “Summer Book Club.”
This summer, 24 local elementary school students will meet weekly via Zoom in groups divided by grade to discuss a book they’re reading together. Facilitated by CMEE educators and volunteers, the program is designed to encourage students from low-income families to read a minimum of 20 minutes every day.
If you’d like to help support our effort by purchasing books for the students to read, please visit CMEE’s “Summer Reading Club” donation page. If you’d like more information on the program, please email info@cmee.org.