Avoid the summer slide

Spring flowers are blooming and the pollen is abundant! This means lots of itchy noses and eyes, runny noses and coughs…and thankfully these are usually NOT Covid this spring!

In clinics, we are gearing up for preschool physicals and sports physicals. We talk to families about preventing the hazards of summer – sun protection, insect repellent (30% DEET), water safety and more. We look forward to hugs from 4-year-olds as they receive their kindergarten book bag – filled with 2 great books to share, and information for families about kindergarten readiness and enrollment. Health care providers would not have these bags and books to give, along with our advice about book sharing, without our generous donors!  

This also begins the time when we think about summer activities, daycare for kids, and hopefully planning those trips to the library for summer reading programs. It is SO important that children keep sharing books/reading books over the summer to avoid the infamous “summer slide”. Kids LOSE so many newly learned skills, that teachers expect the first 1/3 of their year to be “refreshing” those skills that were forgotten over the summer.

So, with that in mind, plan those trips to the library, look into the HOOPLA app mentioned in this edition, and if you need reading suggestions for the children in your life, this website has summer book list for babies through teens!