Chadron State supports elementary reading

Tena L. Cook, CSC director of admissions, said she came up with the idea about four years ago while attending a meeting in Lincoln about preschool through college reading in Nebraska.

She said the gap between the senior year of high school and the first year of college was of serious concern to educators in the room.

“I thought seriously about that gap and the fact that it does not develop overnight. I spoke to several elementary teachers in Chadron and they confirmed my theory that summer reading is a vital bridge over that gap between school years.” Cook said. “Some teachers said that their fourth-grade students who left school in the spring were sometimes back to almost a third-grade level reading in the fall if the family did not read over the summer. On the other hand, fourth-grade children of families who participated in summer reading were often ready for nearly fifth-grade reading when school started.

“Summer reading was important to me as a youth and my mother worked in libraries in Nebraska and Wyoming, conducting story time and driving the Bookmobile to remote small towns. I realize that the valuable tool of summer reading programs for youth had not been visibly supported in the past CSC, and I made the decision to change that. I received support from my supervisor Terie Dawson in beginning this initiative,” she said.

The bookmarks are printed with the CSC logo and Web site. They have been printed in shapes or included graphics that coincide the Panhandle Library System’s theme for the summer reading program each year.

“The members of the system have sent notes of thanks every year for our participation. They are grateful for our support,” Cook said.