Ever heard of the “summer slide”? As of 2018, 47% of parents with school-age children hadn’t.

This loss of academic skills that can happen over the summer months is often attributed largely to a lack of reading. And this year, the NWEA projects students could return to school nearly a full year behind – a.k.a. the COVID slide.

94% of parents agree that reading over the summer can help children during the school year. Enter: United Way of the Midlands’ Summer Read-a-thon – which starts today.

How it works:

Volunteers from Always United (retirement-age United Way supporters) will be reading books via live stream and YouTube online throughout the summer.
Parents with children in kindergarten through second grade are encouraged to share these videos with their children to keep them engaged in learning activities throughout the summer.
It all starts today at 5 p.m., featuring United Way MRC Program Manager Kimberly House. Big thanks to Scholastic for permission to share their books with local students online.

Learn more + access the live stream here. Ⓟ