Our Summer Learning Toolkit has everything you need as a program provider to leap into summer learning! The toolkit is packed full of resources to help you communicate with families about the importance of summer learning and share valuable activities they can do at home and on the go.
Over the summer, children can lose some of what they learned during the school year, and it can add up over their academic career. Last year, only 30% of NC 4th graders scored at or above proficient in reading. Learning throughout the summer can help alleviate learning loss and provides a great opportunity for students to make learning gains – that’s why we created the Summer Learning Toolkit.
Here’s a look at what’s inside the Toolkit:
- Summer Action Plan Template: Use this to create an Action Plan for the 12 weeks of summer.
- Program Staff Presentation: Give staff an overview of the importance of summer learning.
- Communications Tools: Three newsletter articles and weekly social media posts + text messages will help you share summer learning activities with families all summer long.
- Digital Resources: Share the Linktree and QR code with families to access digital resources easily.
- Resources to Print: Print out the sticker template, summer reading challenge, and resource/activity flyer to share with families when they come to your events.
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All of the communications resources are available in English and Spanish. These tools make it easy for you to share fun summer learning activities, reading tips, and digital resources with parents. At the carpool line, through text messages, social media, and however you communicate with parents, the Toolkit is easy to build into your summer program and you’re ready to go!
Download the Summer Learning Toolkit today.
Call to Action: National Summer Learning Week – July 14-18, 2025
National Summer Learning Week is a great time to educate, inspire, and involve communities in volunteering to help children keep learning throughout the summer. We’ve created a proclamation for mayors, city councilors, county commissioners, county managers, school district superintendents, and other community leaders to champion and declare July 14-18, 2025 Summer Learning Week. You will find the proclamation when you download the Summer Learning Toolkit.
The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Engages NC Communities
This Summer Learning Toolkit was created in collaboration between NCECF and the NC Campaign for Grade-Level Reading communities. Since 2015, the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation has led the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading in North Carolina. This national initiative brings together communities nationwide to ensure that more children from low-income families succeed in school and beyond. It’s a joint effort by foundations, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies to support children’s readiness for school, summer learning, and regular school attendance.
In North Carolina, our goal is to build diverse and inclusive communities where young readers thrive from birth through third grade, setting them up for future success. Currently, 13 community groups are part of our state’s Campaign.
About NCECF
The NC Early Childhood Foundation builds understanding, leads collaboration, and advances policies to ensure each North Carolina child is on track for lifelong success. Subscribe to our newsletter and email updates to learn how you can help transform the lives of North Carolina families.