Boys & Girls Club staff implemented a new summer reading incentive program across all locations to encourage youth to continue building literacy skills even when school isn’t in session.
“Recent studies show that youth lose upwards of 17 percent of what they learned in the past school year during the summer,” said Vice President of Operations Geri Bechtold. “So Boys & Girls Club offers a program called Summer Brain Gain to reduce summer learning loss – that brain drain that typically occurs over the summer.”
Summer Brain Gain is designed to build academic and social-emotional skills through project-based learning, and it is organized into themed, week-long modules. Tested and proven by Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Summer Brain Gain has 37 modules with a focus on literacy, STEM and math-based hands-on activities that keep kids learning throughout the summer in a way that’s fun and entertaining.
This year, Boys & Girls Club built on the Summer Brain Gain concept with the summer reading incentive program. Youth at all Boys & Girls Club and KIDSTOP sites were challenged to read either individually or as a group during down time, rather than sit in front of a screen. As a result, Boys & Girls Club is proud to announce that a total of 205,146 minutes or 3,419 hours of reading were recorded by youth across the organization this summer!
The winning site with the most summer reading minutes recorded was rewarded with an ice cream social. Prizes were also awarded to individuals who recorded the most minutes. Per age group, 1st place received a $100 Target gift card, 2nd place received a $50 gift card and 3rd place received a $25 gift card.
- 1st place – Boys & Girls Club’s Clearview KIDSTOP – a total of 45,180 minutes
- 2nd place – Boys & Girls Club’s Westwood KIDSTOP – a total of 43,650 minutes
- 3rd place – Boys & Girls Club’s Talahi KIDSTOP – a total of 36,900 minutes
Individual Recognition:
K-2nd grade
- 1st place –3,000 minutes
- 2nd place –2,820 minutes
- 3rd place –2,700 minutes
3rd – 5th grade
- 1st place – 2,700 minutes
- 2nd place –1,425 minutes
- 3rd place –1,275 minutes
6th – 12th grade
- 1st place – 656 minutes
- 2nd place – 598 minutes
- 3rd place – 390 minutes
Congratulations to these amazing youth for their dedication to reading and literacy!
Boys & Girls Club staff plan to continue to build on this success with the Super Readers program throughout the school year. For more information about becoming a Super Readers volunteer, please visit Boys & Girls Club’s website: www.bgcmn.org or contact the Club at 320-252-7616.