With summer around the corner, the Allen County Public Library is inviting Allen County families and individuals to kick off their summer reading with JumpSPARK this May. The month-long promotion acts as a prelude to the Library’s largest community program – the SPARK Summer Learning Program during which tens of thousands of Allen County youth, adults, and families will complete reading challenges.
SPARK stands for science, play, art, reading, and knowledge and uses reading challenges and prizes to incentivize reading for all ages. As a part of JumpSPARK, readers can complete themed activities and track their reading time to earn a new book of their choice.
“JumpSPARK acts as a bridge from the end of the school year into a summer dedicated to fun and reading,” said ACPL Youth Services Manager Marra Honeywell. “This is the perfect way to maintain critical reading skills while also giving kids the freedom to explore the world of books and learning on their own terms.”
All ACPL locations experience an uptick in traffic during the summer months, especially with youth and teens. Furthermore, many ACPL locations act as distribution sites for Fort Wayne Community Schools’ free summer lunches. This makes summer the ideal time to foster a lifelong love of reading and libraries in our youth, while also promoting programs and services for adults.
“Librarians connect with students in every school in our county through April and May to get them excited about learning at the library during the summer. We created the JumpSPARK program to tap into that energy and celebrate the curiosity of engaged learners,” said Honeywell.
JumpSPARK and the SPARK Summer Learning Program are funded by The Foellinger Foundation, The Friends of the ACPL, and The ACPL Foundation.
To get involved, patrons can sign up, track reading, and earn prizes in two ways:
For more information on the JumpSPARK program, contact the Allen County Public Library at www.acpl.info/spark, 260) 421-1200, or Ask@acpl.info.