June 24 – August 17, 2023
Dates to remember:
June 24 You can register for our Summer Reading Club starting on June 24. Sign up at the Children’s Desk.
June 27 between 5:30-7:00 pm. Enjoy the Summer Reading Club Kickoff Party. No registration, just drop in between 5:30-7:00 pm
July 1 starting at 9:30 am, sign up for in-person July programs. Register at the library, online, or by phone at 631-286-0818 x2. And keep an eye out throughout July for craft kits you can register for.
August 1 starting at 9:30 am, sign-up for in-person August programs. Register at the library, online, or by phone at 631-286-0818 x2. And keep an eye out throughout August for craft kits you can register for.
How Does the Summer Reading Club work?
We have designed it so it’s easy for both parents/caregivers and children. It’s a simple way to keep kids engaged with reading during the summer. Children can earn a weekly prize by reading or listening for 20 minutes AND visiting the library each week during the club.
- Register at the Children’s Desk starting Monday, June 24 or any time after that. Registration is free, and open to children newborn – going into 5th grade in the South Country district.
- Children read/listen to books. They can read, or someone can read to them, or they can listen to audiobooks. They can choose the books they want.
- Mark the reading record for every 20 minutes spent reading/listening. You don’t have to write down the titles.
- Return to the Children’s Desk with the reading record each prize week (see reading record for the dates of the six prize weeks). As long as children have read or listened for at least 20 minutes, they can choose a prize and get a sticker.
- If they read/listen extra, for every hour beyond the 20 minute minimum, we will enter them into a weekly raffle. They can earn up to 3 weekly raffle tickets per week.
- In addition to the weekly raffle, when the club ends we have a big Summer Finale Raffle on August 16, 17, and 19. Every participant in the Summer Reading Club is invited to it. Each child will get 3 free tickets to try to win great prizes! You can also eEarn a bonus ticket for the Summer Finale Raffle by visiting the Brookhaven Free Library and asking a Brookhaven librarian to sign or stamp your reading record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Do I have to pay for the summer reading club, raffles or programs? A. No, there’s no fee.
Q. Does a child have to have to have a library card to join. A. No, they don’t.
Q. Can my baby join? A. Yes, children newborn through going into 5th grade are welcome to join.
Q. My child can’t read yet. Can we still join? A. Yes! Reading to a child is very important, and it counts for the reading club.
Q. Can we also join the reading program at Brookhaven Free Library? A. Sure! South Country residents are lucky – they have two great libraries and are welcome to use and go to programs at both libraries.
Q. Our home library is Mastic Moriches Shirley Community Library. Can we join the South Country Library’s reading club? A. Each district has their own reading club, so we ask that you join your home library’s reading program. South Country’s programs are for the taxpayers within the South Country school district area.
Q. My grandchildren are visiting from out of state for the summer. Can they participate? A. Yes, as long as someone is a resident of the South County Library district, that’s fine.
Q. I’m a nanny. I live in the district, but the kids I babysit live in another district. Can we join? A. Yes, as long as someone is a resident of the South County Library district, that’s fine.
Q. I’m a babysitter. The children I watch are in the district, but I live elsewhere. Can we join? A. Yes, as long as someone is a resident of the South County Library district, that’s fine.
Q. What if we forget the reading record at home? A. You do have to bring back the reading record to get a prize. But you can return any day during the prize week with the reading record.
Q. What if we miss a prize week? A. A child cannot get two prizes during a prize week. A prize is for reading/listening AND visiting the library each week. However, we have a make-up week from August 14-19 when you can make-up for one week that a child missed.
Q. We can only come back to the library 3 of the weeks. Is that a problem? A. Not a problem. Your child will pick a prize each of the weeks you can visit. They will miss out on the weeks when you cannot attend, although there is a make-up week at the end. And they will still be eligible for the Summer Finale Raffle.
Q. What if we lose the reading record? A. No problem! We’ll give you a new one.
Q. Do we have to check off all the spaces before returning for a prize? A. No. Whatever a child reads/listens to each week is fine, as long as they’ve done at least 20 minutes. So please return each week.
Q. When are the prize weeks? A. Prize weeks are listed on the reading record, but they are: Week 1 :July 1- 6 ; Week 2: July 8-13 ; Week 3: July 15-20 ; Week 4: July 22- 27 ; Week 5: July 29- August 3 ; Week 6: August 5-10 ; Make-up week: August 12-17. You can visit any time the library is open. Please note we are closed on Sundays during the summer.
Q. We will be away during the Summer Finale Raffle. Do we miss out? A. You can still participate! Email childrens@sctylib.org and we’ll send a form so you can still participate by selecting the prizes your child might want to win.
Q. How do we earn an extra ticket for the Summer Finale Raffle? A. Take your reading record and visit the Brookhaven Free Library. Ask a Brookhaven librarian to stamp or sign in the box on the reading record. When you come back to South Country Library, point it out and we’ll mark you down for an extra ticket for the Summer Finale Raffle.
Q. Why is there only a 20 minute minimum for reading? That’s so low. A. Reading is an important skill for life, but some kids are reluctant or struggling readers. Making a low minimum allows them to participate too. And for busy families, the low minimum also encourages them to join. By setting an attainable weekly goal, more children join, and often end up reading beyond the 20 minute minimum anyway. Our goal is to keep the kids reading during the summer.
Q. Wouldn’t it be easier to just count the number of books we read? A. We chose to track minutes over tracking the number of books because a long chapter book shouldn’t count the same as a short board book. And some kids can’t finish a whole chapter book in a week, but they can still participate when we count the minutes.
If you have additional questions, feel free to ask a Children’s librarian, or email childrens@sctylib.org