Summer Reading Program

The Living Faith Community Development Corporation launched a seven-week, pilot virtual summer reading buddies program which took place from July 13 th through August 28 th , 2020. Media alerts put out through local NYC newspapers and tv stations connected us with families from Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Twenty-four children, spanning kindergarten through fifth grade, were paired up with our 31 volunteers weekly (some with a 1:2 ratio). Each week, they lit up their reading buddies’ screens with their eager and happy faces, connecting via Zoom calls. The thirty to forty minutes spent chatting over ice breakers, reading out loud together using Raz Kids, and having book talks, flew by. Connecting with caregivers virtually was not always easy, as many families have diverse technology and scheduling needs. Yet, through it all, volunteers and students persevered. Grace was extended on both ends; reading engagement, comprehension and vocabulary was lifted; and volunteers had a chance to be agents of change in preventing COVID-19 and summer slide for families across the city.