As students return to classrooms across New York, educators and library leaders are emphasizing the importance of keeping children engaged with books and learning outside the school day.
At Henry Johnson Charter School in Albany, third-grader Kennedy said her summer included time with family, trips to the park and academic work.
“I did multiplication, and I had a workbook, and I would read over the summer,” Kennedy said.
She said she read “The Girl Who Drank the Moon,” a fantasy novel about a girl trying to reach the moon.
“It was very fun to read because it was a girl,” Kennedy said. “It was a girl that was a witch. And she was trying to get to the moon and, well, I want to get to the moon one day.”
Educators say routines such as reading at home can help students return to school ready to build on what they learned the year before.
New York State’s preliminary results for the 2025-26 Grades 3-8 English language arts assessments showed 48% of students scored proficient, according to the State Education Department. The department has said district-level results are expected later this fall.
Kate Morales, principal of Henry Johnson Charter School, said the school uses the online I-Ready program to help students continue practicing skills during the summer and to help staff identify where students may need added support once they return.
“We give the kids an end-of-year assessment,” Morales said. “They are able to work on those programs all throughout summer. And then we give them the assessment again in the fall to notice if there’s any gaps.”
Libraries also provide reading opportunities during the summer and throughout the year.
Tom Lawrence, director of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District, said the district participates in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which mails free, age-appropriate books each month to enrolled children from birth until their 5th birthday. The program is available to eligible children who live in the city or town of Poughkeepsie.
“The participants get a book delivered to their home every month until they are 5 years old,” Lawrence said. “And the goal is to have those books be read routinely, and kids start to absorb what literacy is all about and enjoy reading, reading as an individual and reading as a family.”
The state Office of Children and Family Services is administering $1 million in grants this year to help organizations statewide enroll children and distribute books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The state’s program description says local partners can use support to increase enrollment or expand into additional areas.
At Henry Johnson, educators say summer reading and early-year assessments are part of a broader effort to make sure students receive help before learning gaps become more difficult to address.
Kennedy said she already understands why regular reading matters.
“Reading is helpful for your brain so you can learn to read, write in all those different things,” she said.
Families can check with local libraries, school districts and community organizations about reading programs, story hours, library-card registration and other literacy resources available during the school year.