AROOSTOOK COUNTY, Maine — United Way of Aroostook will once again partner with Katahdin Trust Company to offer all first-graders throughout Aroostook County a backpack with free books to read over the summer.
Known as “The Summer Slide,” the program encourages early readers to continue reading throughout the summer to keep their reading skills sharp and to strengthen their reading fluency. This is the fourth year United Way of Aroostook has coordinated the program and the third year working with Katahdin Trust.
Summer Slide works with schools to provide first-graders with some tools to prevent the loss of reading skills over the summer months. School administrators throughout Aroostook have already received and responded positively to a letter of invitation to participate in the program.
Bank volunteers will help United Way to deliver the backpacks to each participating school in late May/early June, which they provide to the children at no cost to them or their family. Each pack will contain three books, some activities, and other materials. Activities enclosed in the backpack will help children to engage with the books they receive.
This year all backpacks will include a book about saving money to encourage young people to begin the good habit of saving money for the things they want and need. A money-related activity will accompany the book to ensure that math skills will be practiced along with reading.
“We are proud to partner with United Way of Aroostook again on the Summer Slide program,” said Krista Putnam, Katahdin Trust Senior Vice President, Marketing. “Literacy, and in particular, financial literacy, is a priority for the bank. We are pleased that this year each backpack will include a book and an activity about saving money.”
Putnam added, “Our employees truly enjoy volunteering for this program and based on the feedback from teachers, parents and children we know that Summer Slide is making a difference in our communities.”
In July and August, United Way and the bank will hold summer reading celebration events in all three regions of The County so children can come celebrate the end of summer and the start of a new school year.
The goals of the Summer Slide Program and Reading Celebrations are for the children to learn the love of reading, enjoy some fun activities geared around the books they have received, and to maintain skills learned throughout the school year.
For more information, contact the United Way office at 764-5197.
