Read to Succeed: Summer Challenge
Encouraging Literacy, Confidence, and Positive Family Engagement Throughout the Summer
Family Life Project is excited to launch the Read to Succeed: Summer Challenge, a fun and engaging summer reading competition designed to encourage youth to continue learning, build confidence, and strengthen literacy skills during the summer months.
Hosted in partnership with Whitney Apartments and community supporters, the challenge is designed to make reading exciting, interactive, and rewarding for youth entering 2nd–8th grade living at Whitney Apartments and throughout the Claymont and North Wilmington communities.
This summer initiative was created to help students stay academically engaged while school is out by encouraging consistent reading habits, creativity, imagination, and positive educational growth in a supportive community environment.
📌Program Timeline
Challenge Dates:
July 1 – July 22, 2026
Winners Announced:
Friday, July 24, 2026
Awards Celebration:
Sunday, July 26, 2026, at 4:00 PM
Whitney Apartments
Registration information and sign-ups will be available beginning in late May and early June, with registration officially closing on June 30.
Families may register for the challenge here:
➡️ https://tinyurl.com/FLPSummerReading
Once registered, participating families will receive:
The official Reading Log
Parent orientation materials
A welcome video explaining how the challenge works
Instructions for tracking books and participation
Why Summer Reading Matters
Summer break provides children with time to relax and enjoy new experiences, but it is also an important opportunity to continue learning outside of the classroom.
Without continued educational engagement during the summer months, many students experience learning loss that can impact reading comprehension, confidence, communication skills, and academic progress when returning to school.
The Read to Succeed: Summer Challenge was created to help prevent summer learning loss while making reading enjoyable and motivating for students of different age groups and reading levels.
Reading helps youth:
Strengthen literacy and comprehension skills
Improve communication and vocabulary
Build confidence and self-expression
Expand creativity and imagination
Develop focus and critical thinking skills
Create healthy educational habits
At Family Life Project, we believe literacy creates opportunity, and every book completed helps youth continue building a stronger foundation for future success.
Who Can Participate?
The program is open to:
Elementary School Group: Students entering 2nd–5th Grade
Middle School Group: Students entering 6th–8th Grade
Participants should live at Whitney Apartments or within the surrounding Claymont and North Wilmington communities.
The challenge is completely free for participants.
How the Challenge Works
Students participating in the challenge will receive an official Reading Log to track completed books throughout the summer.
Each time a student finishes reading a book, they must record their reading progress and receive a parent or guardian signature for accountability and encouragement.
Elementary School Students (2nd–5th Grade) will:
Record the title of the completed book
Write two sentences describing what they liked about the story
Receive a parent or guardian signature for each completed book
Middle School Students (6th–8th Grade) will:
Record the title of the completed book
Write a one-paragraph summary of the book
Receive a parent or guardian signature for each completed book
The challenge encourages honesty, accountability, and positive family involvement while helping students continue practicing reading and comprehension skills throughout the summer.
Exciting Prizes and Incentives
To make the challenge even more exciting, participants will have opportunities to earn prizes and incentives throughout the program.
Possible prizes include:
Movie passes
Bath & Body Works gift cards
GameStop gift cards
Amazon gift cards
Delaware Children’s Museum gift cards
Cash prizes
Additional surprise giveaways and fun incentives
One lucky participant will also receive a special grand cash prize during the awards celebration.
Winners will be selected based on:
Number of books completed
Completion and accuracy of Reading Logs
Quality of summaries and written responses
Consistent participation throughout the challenge
Supporting Families Through Reading
Family engagement plays an important role in helping youth succeed academically and emotionally.
The Read to Succeed: Summer Challenge was intentionally designed to encourage parents and guardians to stay involved in their child’s educational journey throughout the summer.
Simple activities like:
Reading together
Visiting the library
Discussing favorite stories
Encouraging daily reading goals
Helping students track reading progress
can create meaningful learning experiences that strengthen both literacy skills and family connection.
At Family Life Project, we believe educational growth happens not only in schools, but also within homes and communities where children feel encouraged, supported, and empowered to learn.
Delaware Library Resources Available
Families participating in the challenge are encouraged to take advantage of Delaware library resources available throughout the summer.
Students may use:
Public library books
School summer reading books
Books from home
Digital books and audiobooks (with approval)
Delaware Libraries also provide:
Educational resources
Technology access
Digital reading materials
Family-friendly library programs
Free community learning opportunities
Families may apply for a free Delaware Library Card here:
https://guides.lib.de.us/librarycard
Families may also explore additional Delaware library resources and services through:
https://libraries.delaware.gov
For questions regarding library access or educational resources, families may contact:
Christinette Dixon, MS
Health & Wellness Navigator
chris.familylifeproj@gmail.com
Building Stronger Readers and Stronger Futures
At Family Life Project, we believe programs like the Read to Succeed: Summer Challenge help empower youth, strengthen families, and create positive community impact through education and literacy.
By making reading fun, rewarding, and community-centered, we hope to inspire children to continue learning, growing, and discovering the joy of reading throughout the summer.
We are excited to encourage youth and families throughout Whitney Apartments, Claymont, and North Wilmington to join us this summer as we continue Building Stronger Families Every Day — one book at a time.
