(Pictured: Valerie, a student at Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary, Brunswick School Department.)

Summer vacation is a welcome break from the daily school routine for children and parents alike, but the summer months can be detrimental to students’ learning if young minds are not kept active. Summer learning loss is a well-documented phenomenon, particularly for reading achievement.  Students can lose up to three months of reading progress during the summer if they don’t keep reading.  Combined across a child’s PK-8 school career, this can result in 1-2 years of lost reading progress.

Fortunately, the summer slide can be prevented or greatly reduced when students continue to read regularly. By encouraging children to read from a variety of resources for fun and to explore topics of interest, they continue to practice applying the skills they have learned, build their vocabulary, and widen their knowledge of the world. Reading to and with parents is equally beneficial for students who are not yet reading independently or just beginning to read.

Again, this year, the Maine Department of Education is collaborating with the Freemasons of Maine to sponsor the Read to Ride Summer Reading Challenge for students in grades PK-8. The Maine Freemasons have generously agreed to continue supporting the Read to Ride Challenge. In 2023, 36 students were awarded bikes and helmets; it is hoped that this number will grow even higher during the summer of 2024.

Any school with students in the PK-8 grade span may register to participate. Participating schools will collect documentation from students who have completed the challenge. They will hold school-level drawings to select two students whose names will be entered into the state-level drawing held in October.  Schools are encouraged to participate in this challenge, coordinate it with any other summer reading challenges/programs they offer, and consider soliciting local-level prizes for students who complete the challenge.  Additional details, supporting documents, and a registration link are on the Maine Department of Education Read to Ride landing page.

Questions may be directed to Dee Saucier, danielle.m.saucier@maine.gov.