COVID Slide and Summer Slide Meet
There are no definitives in this article. I’m sorry. Some split infinitives assuredly, though.
So, 2020 and summer reading was new for us. Most of our library systems are going to continue circling the in-person programming wagons in 2021 in favor of going online. The system I work for, in fact, is purchasing online programming, which was actually pretty well received. But, as in the past, I wanna light a fire under you. You’ve already met summer slide. And we’re pretty sure there’s a COVID Slide. So, what happens when they start dating? What do their children look like?
Wallflower No More
I understand why you may have sidelined yourself last summer. It was chilly water. We stood back and watched, waited, hoped, and tried to remain optimistic. We waited largely to see what other systems would do. But we didn’t do much else.
I would propose to you to stop being a wallflower – and get out there again. But first, here’s why. There’s a dire need for your intervention. Your community needs you.
Some hard facts
Before we get into the how-to, here’s the how come. NWEA put together some projections. Here’s one chart:

Source: NWEA, April 2020: https://www.nwea.org/content/uploads/2020/05/Collaborative-Brief_Covid19-Slide-APR20.pdf
Though most school systems have gone back to face-to-face lessons, not all have. There’s still going to be a downward trend. So, there’s more reason than ever to put in the extra effort in your programming to address summer slide — it’s being compounded with COVID Slide; it’s a thing now.
You don’t have to read all of NWEA’s research to get the gist. And luckily for you, there’s some Cliff’s Notes:
Some more facts for those who need them:
Summer Learning Loss:
- National Summer Learning Association–The national organization that promotes enriching summer learning programs can provide resources to help launch programs.
- Horizons National–This national network uses partnerships with private school and college campuses to provide summer programs for low-income children at no cost to the school district or city.
- Summer Advantage USA–The summer program provides thousands of elementary and middle school students with research-based learning focused on academic gains.
Socioeconomics, too
Socioeconomics or, basically, the zipcode lottery has a huge impact, too on both summer slide and now COVID slide.
Where You Come In
So, this is where you come in. If you haven’t done so already, start an online storytime. Pick a platform and make it happen. Here’s a really nice set up they have in Idaho:
Storytimes Online – The Idaho Commission for Libraries offers a DayByDayID.org website with daily messages to parents about literacy-building activities and daily featured e-books from Tumblebooks, a subscription service free to library users. Virginia and South Carolina, the origin of the idea, have built similar programs.
You can make storytime really meaningful, too. Need ideas? Try these!

Resources are available in English and Spanish and designed for three age groups, infants and toddlers, preschoolers and school-age.
Set up daily communication with parents: if practicable, send daily texts to parents chock full of ideas for literacy activities. Partner with your local Head Start or early learning centers if you want to tap into their network.
It needn’t just be all you. Push these great resources at your patrons:
Wonderopolis – Daily tweets, Facebook posts and links to videos about the “wonder of the day” designed to inspire conversation, vocabulary building and further exploration. From the National Center for Family Literacy, which has published more than 700 wonders so far.
General Resources:
- Scholastic Family and Community Engagement – What research has shown about early literacy
- Scholastic Classroom & Community Group Research Compendium – Offers methods to ensure student achievement and teacher effectiveness through proven research.
- Harvard Literacy Memo Series – Revisits assumptions that guide current policies and practices, outlines common pitfalls, and presents feasible solutions to pressing literacy issues.
- FAQ on Dyslexia and Learning Disabilities: This handout offer information, advice and support for families and students
For Families
Academics and Literacy
- Khan Academy: Daily schedule for school closures
- 5 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning at Home
- Learning Heroes: Making Learning Fun
- Great Schools Home Learning Guide
- Author Lauren Tarshis Reads I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
- Virtual BookFest
- Dav Pilkey at Home
- Scholastic Grab and Go Take-Home Book Packs
- Scholastic Learn at Home: Free Resources for School Closures
- Springboard Collaborative Family Resources
- 5 Ways to Keep Kids Engaged and Learning at Home
- Baltimore City Public Schools: Learning Packets
- Free Online Educational Resources
- TIME for Kids – Authentic journalism to motivate curious minds (K-6th grade)
- Daily Learning Activities for Kids (Pre-K – High School) – WideOpenSchool
- “Mondays with Michelle Obama!” weekly read-along series, one book every Monday through 5/11!) Watch on the @PenguinRandomHouse & @pbskids Facebook pages at 12 pm ET!
- Random House: Resources for Educators, Librarians, and Parents
- Random House: Read Together be Together
- Harvard Graduate School of Education: READS Lab
Arts
Wellness
- Healthier Generation Resources for Parents & Caregivers
- Jr. NBA at Home
- Aspen Institute Suggestions to Promote Physical Activity
- The Aspen Institute: Project Play
- Talking with Your Children about COVID 19
- A Kids’ Guide to Coronavirus – The New York Times
- Choosing the right people to watch your children during coronavirus school lockout
- The kid-grit Pandemic Crisis Guide
- BOKS: FREE at-home physical activity resources
STEM
- Khan Academy: Weekly learning plans in math for grade 3 through Algebra 2
- NATGEO@HOME
- National Geographic Learn at Home Courses (K-12th grade)
- Guidance for Supporting Science Learning During COVID-19
- Teachers In the Parks Live! Live, 15 minute Reading and Math lessons
- MLB baseball-themed online learning course for at-home students
- The Quantile® Summer Math Challenge
- The Future Starts Here: Coding Resources for Girls and Women at Every Age and Stage – Columbia Engineering, The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science
College and Career Readiness/Mentoring
- Updates for AP Students Affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- Staying on track for college during the pandemic
- How to explore colleges when you can’t visit
- Icouldbe.org
- https://www.mentoring.org/coronavirus-resources/
- Access to student leadership course for 220 Partners
General/Parents
- Khan Academy: Keep Everyone Learning
- BellXcel Remote – BellXcelremoteprovides all of the tools and resources to design, organize, implement, and assess a remote classroom environment with a strong social-emotional learning approach.
- COVID-19 Resources for Parents – American Camp Association (ACA)
- PBS KIDS Video App – Stream the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel for FREE
- COVID-19 Resources from Every Hour Counts
- National PTA: Tackling COVID-19 Together
- Comcast Internet Essentials: Free Internet During Public Health Crisis
- Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- 4 practices for anyone parenting quarantined kids – greatschools.org
- COVID-19 Education Resources – Johns Hopkins School of Education – Johns Hopkins School of Education
Parent Engagement:
- Reading Rockets has a great set of Reading Tip Sheets for Parents that are used by many GLR communities. The reading tip sheets are available in English and Spanish. There are seven individual one page tip sheets for parents of babies, toddlers, PreK, K, Grade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 3. These are also available in Arabic, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Hmong, Korean, Navajo, Russian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Reading Rockets has one page tip sheets for parents of children in Grades K-3
For Programs
- Attendance Playbook: Smart Strategies for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism in the COVID Era (FutureEd and Attendance Works)
- Summer Activity Guide – Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN)
- Camp Operations Guide Summer 2020 – American Camp Association (ACA)
- COVID-19 guidance today for youth programs and camps – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Summer Learning Programs – Grantmakers for Education
- 5 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Donors When Your Event is Cancelled or Postponed
- Afterschool Alliance Resource Page
- Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) Commends the House for Passing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201)
- Ensuring Access to the Child Nutrition Programs In the Event of School Closures
- Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE): COVID-19 Resources
- New Professional Learning Opportunities to Support School Systems’ and Educators’ Efforts to Maintain Continuity of Learning (Discovery Education)
- Information about COVID-19 for CCDF Lead Agencies: Relevant Flexibilities in CCDF Law
- Office of Child Care COVID-19 Resources
- CCDF Frequently Asked Questions in Response to COVID-19
- Free Tech for Learning
- No Kid Hungry has 5 million to give in grant funding
- COVID-19 Resources from Every Hour Counts
- Food Banks in your community
- Healthier Generation Resources for Educators & OST Staff
- Skype a Scientist
- OREO (Objectives, Responsibility, Expectations, Organizations) Online Learning Guidelines
- Don’t teach digital citizenship — embed it!
- Limiting Learning Loss While Schools Are Closed
- https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/national-youth-sport-survey/2
- Springboard Collaborative Teacher Resources
- OST Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Toolkit
- COVID-19 Response for Students Who are Homeless or With Experience in Foster Care
- Supplemental Disaster Relief Funds for Child Care
- FREE! Virtual Engagement: How to Create Participatory Virtual Experiences that Keep your Donors Engaged in Times of Crisis
- Best Practices for Keeping Your Online/Virtual Programming Safe for Campers
- VIRTUAL NIH ACTIVITIES FOR TRAINEES OUTSIDE THE NIH
- NIH CAREER DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES/RESOURCES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
- NYC Community Schools COVID-19 Resource Center
For Communities
- Reach out to Congress in support of afterschool and summer
- Using federal stimulus to get schools through the coronavirus crisis: The case for summer school and summer teacher pay
- Comcast Internet Essentials: Free Internet During Public Health Crisis
- USDA-Food and Nutrition Service: Congregate Meal Waivers forSummer Food Service Program (SFSP) and National School Lunch Program Seamless Summer Option (SSO) sponsors
- Protecting Your Well-being During the Coronavirus Outbreak
- State testing at a crossroads
- After coronavirus school closings, will states need to hold kids back, institute summer school?
- Policy Innovators in Education (PIE) Network
- Coronavirus and Schools: A State-by-State Guide