Summer Learning 2026

A New Way to Read, Explore, and Grow

Summer means a break from school, longer days, and backyard adventures for thousands of kids and teens across Kitsap County.    Without regular reading however students can lose up to two months of reading progress over summer break, a phenomenon researchers call the "summer slide." Kids from lower-income families are especially vulnerable, often without access to the books, camps, and enriching activities that keep their peers engaged over break. For these families, Summer Learning helps level the playing field, offering free books and free programming so every child has the chance to keep learning. 

Additionally, research shows that having books at home is one of the strongest predictors of a child's long-term literacy and academic success. That's a big part of why the Library has shifted its investment toward putting books directly into kids' hands and homes, not just checked out and returned, but kept and reread. Summer Learning programming stretched well beyond the books. Branches across the county hosted movies in the park, live performances, and free outdoor concerts. Families joined guided beachwalks with local naturalists, space-themed craft sessions, teen makerspace and sewing workshops, and collaborative community art projects, all free and open to everyone.  Kitsap Regional Library's Summer Learning program aims to keep kids reading, curious, and engaged in learning all summer long, so they return to school in the fall ready to pick up where they left off, not further behind. 

A New Approach

For years, Summer Learning tracked reading in hours. This year the Library removed barriers and redefined what success looks like by moving toward personal goal setting. Through the new Read Something, Do Something Challenge, participants of any age picked their own reading or learning goals to achieve by the end of summer. Rather than requiring 100 hours of reading to earn a Summer Learning t-shirt, participants set and completed a personal goal, making the challenge more flexible and accessible to families with different schedules and interests. 

The shift also brought Book Boost, a program built to put more books directly into kids' hands and homes. In past years, a free book was a prize for reading 10 hours. This year, the Library reframed books as an essential tool for literacy development, not a reward to earn. Every child and teen who visited a branch this summer could take home up to three free books of their choosing, no hours logged, no tracking required.   Book Boost also traveled beyond just inside the branches. The Foundation provided free, culturally relevant books to community events across the county, including Juneteenth, Pride, the Pacific Islander Festival, and the Kitsap Fair, meeting families where they already gather and extending Summer Learning's reach into every corner of the community. 

None of this happens without support of generous donors. Programs like Summer Learning exist because Kitsap Regional Library Foundation donors and Friends of the Library groups fund the books, prizes, and events that make Summer Learning possible every year. 

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New Structure, Impressive Outcomes: 

• More than 22,000 books were given out to families and children through the Summer Learning Book Boost and community outreach events—more than triple last year 

• 5,394 people completed the Read Something, Do Something Challenge and earned a t-shirt or pin—up 21% from last year 

• 638 programs held across the county, drawing over 19,000 attendees—up nearly 20% 

• 30+ performer events brought more than 4,500 people together 
  

A major highlight of Read Something, Do Something Challenge was the variety of goals people chose to work toward and their experiences in this new format:

"I really wanted to learn how to play Mahjong. I read books and went to play and learn at the Silverdale Library. It was so fun, and I have new friends I didn't expect." — Cheryl, Silverdale Branch 

"My goal was to explore a new career opportunity. I went to West Sound Tech and took the summer fire science course to try firefighting. I was one of 3 girls in a class of 17." — Gabrielle, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Branch 

“My goal was to train and complete a marathon. I did complete my marathon, but it looked different than I thought. I learned I can do hard things." — Rosemarie, Port Orchard Branch

This summer proved that learning looks different for everyone and each achievement deserves its own celebration. 

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Thank You, Kitsap!

Behind every book handed out, every goal reached, and every program held, there's a community that made it possible. Library staff, Friends groups, and Foundation donors came together to fund the books, prizes, and events that turned this summer into something families will remember. 

If Summer Learning made a difference in your family this year, consider supporting next year's program so even more Kitsap families can take part.