Book Bank Aims To Keep Kids Learning All Summer Long

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--The school year will be in ending in a couple of months and parents and teachers are already working to make sure that students do not forget what they learned when vacation starts.

Mike Schuh explains that means stopping the so-called "summer slide".

"Summer Slide just acknowledges that low income kids are more likely to lose reading proficiency over the summer time, so they're on average likely to lose two to three months of reading proficiency over the summer time," said Kim Manns, with B'More Reads.

So that's where tens of thousands of free books, local institutions and kids program operators like Malika Jones come in.

On Thursday, B'More, Read More partnered with Family League of Baltimore to sponsor a Book Distribution and Summer Resource Fair for summer providers at the Maryland Book Bank.

B'More, Read believes that an important element to ensuring children read well by the third grade is that all children and families have access to books to read at home, in school and in the community.

Malika Jones came to the Maryland Book Bank because of the spontaneous gatherings that would happen when she read to her 4-year-old on Fridays on her porch in Cherry Hill.

"We just sit and read outside, and it gains attention from other kids and they're like, 'Oh what are you reading' and they come over and it's like a big storytelling stoop reading on my porch," said Jones. "I  tell the older kids to get a book and read to the younger ones and it goes full circle."

She like, a hundred others who run summer programs now have the opportunity to join the Book Bank.

"And if they want to become a member of the book bank they can do that and come back and get thousands of books," said Mark Feiring, with the Maryland Book Bank.

Books to keep the "summer slide" away from Baltimore kids.

The slogan for B'More Reads is, "Reading is Everywhere."

With a hundred different summer  programs scattered all over the city getting books from here, that slogan will become a reality.

The Maryland Book Bank gives out 150 thousand books a year and are trying to double that figure.