MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – As summer gets closer, a nonprofit organization on the Grand Strand is working to make sure kids don’t lose information they’ve learned during the school year through a program called Freedom Readers.
Dr. Tracy Bailey is the founder and executive director of Freedom Readers, and she started this program to give students something to supplement what they learn during the school year. “When kids take reading tests at the end of the school year, and come back and take another test at the beginning of the school year, it’s been found that they typically lose some of the growth they’ve made during the school year if they are not practicing what they had learned,” sad Bailey. “So we want to offer them an opportunity to maintain what they learned in their reading skills and even takes steps forward.”
The summer reading program lasts for eight weeks, and students get to take home a new book each week to build their own library. They also work on public speaking and writing skills. The theme for this summer is “The Art of Storytelling” and Dr. Bailey said students will create their own book by the end of the summer. Students who have perfect attendance in the program will be rewarded as well.
Shawnta Wallace has an eight-year old and a 10-year old in the Freedom Readers program. She said it’s made her kids more excited about reading, and it’s helped them stay on the honor roll. “Now that they’ve been in the program more and more, they love it,” said Wallace. “I just love the fact that they interact with my kids so much, teach them along the way, and teach them how important reading is.”
There are 15 places between Horry and Georgetown County you can visit to be apart of Freedom Readers, and the locations are listed on their website. Bailey said Freedom Readers will also be working with the Racepath Community Center, the Horry County Schools Summer Enrichment Program, and they’re looking to possibly expand into Dillon County.
The Freedom Readers summer program is free, and it’s for Kindergarten through Fifth Grade students. If you want to sign your kids up or be a tutor, you can find out how on their website. The summer program runs from June 11-Aug. 6.
