A generous gift to the Calgary Public Library from local philanthropists is helping the organization keep students learning during the summer.
It’s a time of year officials say youth can often struggle with a backslide in their academic capabilities due to months of inactivity, but the library is hoping to remedy that with its summer programs.
“Summer can be a real challenge for all school-aged kids where they’re away from their regular structured learning experience,” customer service manager Carolyn Reicher said in an interview with Global News Radio 770 CHQR.
“We have studies that show kids can lose up to two months worth of their reading skills or their literacy skills and up to two-and-a-half months worth of their math skills, so it’s quite significant.
“So when they come back in September, there’s a lot of relearning that has to happen.”
The summer programming was made possible by a donation from Linda and Mike Shaikh, who believe continued education for youth — especially amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic — is vital.
“Education is deeply important to our family,” Mike said.
“We want to ensure Calgary’s children have the tools they need to continue their life-long learning journey, whether they’re learning remotely or out of school during the summer.”
This isn’t the first time Mike and Linda have donated to the library. In 2015, the couple made a $1-million leadership donation to the Calgary Public Library Foundation, which was recognized with the naming of the Shaikh Family Welcome Gallery in the Central Library location.
The amount donated by the couple for this year’s summer programs has not been disclosed.
The programming includes online challenges and creative projects, including Beanstack, a free app that encourages children to read with customized reading lists.
The Ultimate Summer Challenge program will also be offered again this year, with a variety of “fun learning activities” for children up to the age of 17, including reading, math and even astronomy.
All participants will also be entered into the grand prize draw for goodies, including iPads, Chromebooks and customized picture books.
“Anything that can help kids continue to learn, read and do math in a fun way, that’s what we’re doing with the Ultimate Summer Challenge,” Reicher said.
“They can do a lot of challenges online and earn some virtual badges which is always fun for kids and for our teens.”
Reicher added that last year, the library logged more than 300,000 reading hours by kids and teens during their summer programming.
And while this year will be slightly different than last, with strictly virtual activities, officials noted the additional funding has created an opportunity for the creation of advanced digital fun.
“This funding allows us to create more online engagement opportunities and provide students with fun, curriculum-connected resources to prepare them for school success and help families navigate this challenging time,” said Kate Schutz, the service design lead for school-age programming at the Calgary Public Library.
The summer programming is available for free through the library’s website.
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