Summer in Kansas City may be a time for barbecues and ball games. But summer also offers an opportunity for free reading. When the school year ends, the need for literacy support does not.
According to Lead To Read KC’s website, only 21% of third graders in Kansas City-area public and charter schools are reading at grade level.
In Kansas City Public Schools, 36.6% of third graders are reading at or above grade level, based on assessments like iReady and the Missouri Assessment Program.
During the Kansas 2023–2024 academic year, 33.6% of students scored at Levels 3 and 4 on the English language arts state assessment, indicating they are reading at or above grade level.
The Kansas City area’s summer reading scene is driven by a coalition of public libraries and nonprofit organizations.
Here’s how the Kansas City metro is turning the page this summer
Public libraries across the area are launching this year’s theme, “Color Our World,” which encourages readers to explore diverse ideas and experiences through leisure reading.
The program advances a yearly theme as a means of inspiring children, teens and adults to discover new or different ideas, experiences or viewpoints through reading and other activities supported and suggested by the library. You also get a free book just for signing up.
Here’s a closer look at local programs:
- Kansas City Public Library: Starting May 30 you can register yourself or your entire family through Beanstack, an online tool. Alternatively, you can register at any public library location.
- Mid-Continent Public Library: The library has rolled out its Summer at MCPL series, inviting kids and adults to read daily for prizes and brainpower. By participating in the summer reading challenge, kids, teens and adults can earn rewards and win prizes for daily reading and attending library programs. Summer at MCPL begins June 1 and runs through Aug. 24.
- Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library: The summer reading challenge runs from June 1 to July 31. You can register online via Beanstack or pick up a paper log at your local library branch. The challenge is available for both youth and adults with different prizes. Click here to view the prizes.
- Johnson County Libraries: The library’s book giveaway is happening at all locations from June 2 until June 30. You can access the reading log here. There is an official kickoff celebration on June 7. For more information about the celebration click here.
- Olathe Public Libraries: The summer reading program runs from May 19 until Aug. 3. You can register online through Beanstack or pick up the reading packet in person at any branch of the library.
- Wayside Waifs: “Once U-PAW-n A Time” offers reading for pets and people off-site, on-site or virtually. This program consists of several reading options for children in kindergarten through sixth grade and for adults. There are two orientations you can sign up for, on June 3 from 4 to 5 p.m., or July 16 from 11 a.m. to noon. To register click here.
Earn freebies while encouraging summer reading at home
Several other area organizations are offering free books and other products to encourage reading this summer.
Here are some examples:
- The Kansas City Royals make Crown Libraries available year round to pick up books for kids and families to take and add their favorite books. The Royals partner with Turn the Page KC and host book drives to restock the books monthly. Families can pick up books at the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy.
- Barnes & Noble is offering a free book for reading books and writing about them in their reading journal. Your child will need to write about their favorite part of the book they read in their reading journal and bring the completed journal to a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Children then choose their free book from the books listed on the reading journal and collect their free book from a store near them during July and August.
- Imagination Library is offering free books for ages 1 through 5 no matter their family’s income from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Each month, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails a high-quality, age-appropriate book to all registered children, addressed to them, at no cost to the child’s family. To register your child click here, click on the big red “Can I Register My Child?” button and follow the steps.
- Pizza Hut is offering a free personal-sized pizza through Book It, a free reading incentive program for children in pre-K through sixth grade. During June, July and August, any child who meets their parent-set reading goals can earn a free Pizza Hut single-topping personal pan pizza from participating locations. To learn more click here.
This story was originally published by The Beacon, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
