Dare County Library Announces Upcoming “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program

The Dare County Library has announced that registration for its 2023 Summer Reading Program, “All Together Now,” will begin this month. Registration for the program begins on Tuesday, June 20, 2023, at the Kill Devil Hills Library and on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at the Hatteras Library and the Manteo Library.

About the Summer Reading Program

The Dare County Library’s Summer Reading Program—which is free for participants and designed to be flexible and fun for children of all ages—helps area children maintain the reading skills they developed throughout the school year so they will be better prepared to enter the classroom once again in the fall.

According to the Dare County Library, when children are out of school and not reading on a regular basis, they lose an average of one month’s worth of instruction—a phenomenon often referred to as “the summer slide.” The Dare County Library encourages local parents to help their children avoid experiencing "the summer slide" by participating in the free, fun and educational Summer Reading Program.

The program will reward children who read a total of 40 days during the program by providing them with a brand-new free book to keep, courtesy of the Dare County Library Foundation. The days that children spend reading throughout the summer are tracked at each Dare County Library location, and the books that each child reads as part of the program can either be Dare County Library books that they have checked out or books from home.   

The Dare County Library’s Summer Reading Program also encourages children to participate in a variety of weekly programs that are scheduled to take place at each library location, but it is flexible in order to allow children to participate in the events and activities of their choosing. Children and their parents can stop by the Dare County Library branch in their area during business hours to report and record their reading achievements.

DareNC.gov/SummerReading

“Summer is a particularly busy time on the Outer Banks for parents; however, it's extremely important to take the time to encourage your children to participate in the Dare County Library's Summer Reading Program,” said East Albemarle Library System Director Jonathan Wark. “When children are out of school and not reading on a regular basis, they lose on average one month's worth of instruction. Researchers call this phenomenon ‘the summer slide.’ Imagine your child starting the school year in late August a full month behind. You can help your child avoid the summer slide by having them participate in our free and fun Summer Reading Program.”

2023 Summer Reading Program Details:

The theme of the 2023 Summer Reading Program is “All Together Now,” and Dare County Children’s Librarians Donna Roark and Tammy Batschelet have many fun, engaging and educational programs planned around this theme. Children can register beginning Tuesday, June 20, 2022, at the Kill Devil Hills Library and Thursday, June 22, 2022 at the Hatteras Library and Manteo Library.

The program rewards children who read a total of 40 days out of the 50-plus days of the program with a brand-new book to keep, courtesy of the Dare County Library Foundation. Days spent reading over the summer are tracked at each library, and books that your child reads can be library books or books from home. Children will receive a sticker for each day they read or are read to on their reading log.

Preschool age children are invited to enroll in a special “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program just for them, which is designed to improve their reading and listening skills. Parents can track the books they read with their preschoolers. Preschool Story hours continue over the summer, but the schedule changes, so be sure to check the Dare County Library's online calendar or stop by the library location in your area to pick up an “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program calendar of events.

Collage featuring images from last year's summer reading program. Text overlay reads, "All Together Now"
Registration Kickoff Events for the 2023 Summer Reading Program:
To celebrate the launch of the 2023 “All Together Now” Summer Reading Program, the Dare County Library will host a series of free kickoff

registration events at each of its three branches. All programs are free and open to children of all ages.

Kill Devil Hills Library: The Kill Devil Hills Library has two exciting kickoff events planned, the first of which will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20, 2023. This program will be repeated along with a second signup event at the Kill Devil Hills Library from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Hatteras Library: The Hatteras Library’s programming will kick off at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 22, 2023 with OBX Lizard Land, who will showcase their amazing live creatures.

Manteo Library: The Manteo Library’s kickoff program will be held at 3 p.m. on Thursday, June 22, 2023 and will also feature the incredible live creatures from OBX Lizard Land.  

If you are unable to attend one of the above kickoff events, you can still register your child at any time throughout the summer at the front desk of your local library branch beginning Tuesday, June 20, 2023.

July and August Summer Reading Program Events and Activities

In addition to the kickoff events listed above, several other Summer Reading Program events are scheduled to take place throughout July and August, including visits from the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, Dare County Scallywags baseball team and Windy Farms Petting Zoo, as well as a Lego-building contest, Dare County Community Day, animal tracks scavenger hunt, family art night, escape rooms, Nature Outloud interactive music and Sensi Ron Collins Taiko Japanese Drums.

For more information about the Dare County Library’s 2023 Summer Reading Program, “All Together Now,” please click the button below or contact the Dare County Library branch in your area at the following numbers.

Kill Devil Hills Library: 252-441-4331
Manteo Library: 252-473-2372
Hatteras Library: 252-986-2385

DareNC.gov/SummerReading

Funding for the Summer Reading Program

Major funding for the Dare County Library’s 2023 Summer Reading Program comes from the Dare County Library Foundation, which was established in 2002 to enhance library services and collections.

The mission of the Dare County Library Foundation is to improve the quality of services that the Dare County Library provides to the community. By securing resources to support library programs and projects not normally met by public funding, the library can grow and better meet the needs of the community.