Summer reading program prizes are a fun way to spark children’s participation. But those prizes often consist of nonrecyclable plastic items that—once the fun has worn off—end up as trash. Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries recently chose a greener, more community-focused way to get kids excited about books during their summer break.
When school lets out, children gravitate to public libraries. Meanwhile, libraries strive to help those children maintain or improve their reading and critical-thinking skills throughout those school-free months, often by way of summer reading programs. At Montgomery County (Md.) Public Libraries (MCPL), we have redesigned our summer reading challenge in hopes of inspiring our young patrons to give back to the community while they socialize, play, and learn.
For summer 2022, Cassandra Malik, then MCPL’s early literacy and children’s programming manager, envisioned a summer reading model for ages 0–17 that would align with the county’s climate action plan, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions 80% by 2027 and 100% by 2035, as well as with the local government’s vision of a greener county, which emphasizes minimizing our footprint by reducing waste.
A group of dedicated MCPL children’s librarians reimagined our library system’s summer reading challenge to fulfill two objectives: eliminate small, nonbiodegradable prizes—which end up in the waste stream once discarded—and encourage children to make a tangible, positive impact on the local community by reading books and completing learning activities. As we developed this new model, we discovered that a tangible impact could be made for half the cost of previous years’ plastic prizes, making the program even more valuable to the community.
Because the 2022 summer reading theme was “Oceans of Possibilities,” and because MCPL is located in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, it naturally made sense to partner with the nonprofit Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). In lieu of plastic prizes like kazoos or rubber duckies, the Friends of the Library, Montgomery County (FOLMC), made donations to CBF on behalf of summer reading program participants. In return, CBF planted trees along waterways to prevent erosion, seeded oysters to restore the bay’s healthy waters, and restored habitats in wildlife areas such as waterways and feeder streams. That year, summer reading challenge registration soared. From 6,593 in 2021, participation rose to 12,958 in 2022—our highest enrollment in almost a decade.
The following year’s summer reading challenge, “All Together Now,” built on that success. Once again, as the challenge’s participants read and completed activities, FOLMC donated to local nonprofits: Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center, Friends of Montgomery County Animals, Manna Food Center, and the Montgomery Parks Foundation (MPF).
As a result of the program, our community was able to provide 300 families with more than 800 meals, install 460 solar panels in local parks, and help many long-term animal-shelter residents find their forever homes. One child reported proudly that he was reading so that other kids wouldn’t go hungry. Enrollment climbed to 14,128 in response to this theme of kindness, friendship, and unity.
Our community was able to provide 300 families with more than 800 meals and install 460 solar panels in local parks.
While some kids have expressed wishes to plant trees, clean up the bay, adopt animals, and cook and deliver meals themselves over the last two years, we want program participation to be equitable and accessible to all patrons, regardless of any limits they might have on their time, transportation, and resources. That’s why we’ve designed the program so that all participating children can complete it, achieve success, and contribute to the community according to the same requirements—reading books and completing simple, at-home, age-appropriate activities.
The program’s climbing registration numbers aren’t the only indication of its success. On evaluations, participating families have shared comments such as “Thank you! The program helped to keep [my children] motivated and excited about reading” and “It was a fun activity for the summer! The kids were very proud to accomplish it.”
This year’s adventure-themed summer reading challenge will spotlight local historical sites and recreation areas, as MCPL again partners with MPF. The foundation will use the summer reading program donations for three new objectives: preserving, beautifying, and increasing accessibility in the county’s parks.
Each year, educating participants about the crucial work of nonprofits is key to helping them understand and take pride in the program’s goal. This education takes place through many methods. Librarians visit school classrooms each spring to promote summer reading, nonprofits host outreach tables at library events, and library branches distribute bookmarks or collector cards containing fun facts about each agency and highlighting the tangible impact children make by participating.
In addition to earning donations through reading, kids also receive a new book courtesy of FOLMC; experiential rewards such as tickets to a Major League Baseball game provided by our partner, the Washington Nationals; and a voucher for a free used book from the FOLMC bookstore upon completing the program.
Since we’ve revamped our summer reading program, staffers from across our 21 branches have heard from many parents who are grateful for the elimination of small prizes, and who say that their kids truly understand what we are trying to achieve with the new format. As one parent put it, “The kids were inspired to join by the idea that their reading would lead to more money going to good causes in the community.”
