Read with Children: The Facts Children who are not engaged in
learning between school years suffer from “summer learning
loss.” Many of the achievement gaps that continue to exist for
disadvantaged students today result not from students falling
behind during the school year but rather losing out on chances
to learn over the summer. Did you know that if a young person
reads only five books over the summer, the effect “is
potentially large enough to prevent a decline in reading
achievement scores from the spring to the fall?” footnote 1 Did
you know that if a young person is read to at least three times
a week, that person is twice as likely to score in the top 25%
of reading? footnote 2 Commit yourself and a team of your
friends, family, and neighbors to help young people close the
summer learning gap by joining United We Serve. This tool kit
will give you the basics to start a reading program from
scratch, recruit a team, organize your group, and make an
impact. 1. Kim, Jimmy; (2004): 'Summer Reading and the