Summer Reading Made Inclusive.
The Pages for Perspective Program is a tuition-free summer reading program aimed at closing the summer reading gap and fostering a long-term love of reading and creativity in our Long Island community. We are passionate about equity, reading, and maximizing the potential of our students. The program’s inception was a culmination of a few factors. For one, we are both passionate readers and activists. Nicole Grennan was fortunate enough to grow up in a household that always emphasized the value of reading. She says, “I would stay up after bedtime with a flashlight and read until my eyelids told me that I had had enough. I recognize how much my ability to read and write has impacted my ability to move in the world, and how having a love of that instilled in me so young was a privilege and a gift.” Sarah Tabibzada always had her nose in a book as well. In her words, “There are few experiences so constructive and gratifying as reading a truly good book.”
Secondly, we recognized that, due to the pandemic and quarantine, the achievement gap will likely be worsened this summer. We are inspired by the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools -a full-time, tuition-free summer camp that promotes literacy and aims to bridge the education gap. Considering how remote learning and the absence of traditional summer camps might impact reading achievement, we immediately wondered how we might be able to leverage our love of reading and teaching experience to help the youth in our community stay engaged throughout the summer. Henceforth, the Pages for Perspective Program was born.
-Sarah Tabibzada and Nicole Grennan, co-founders