Over the summer, many libraries introduce reading programs to keep kids interested in books and avoid the so-called "summer reading slump" between school years. In Maricopa County, that sentiment extends to children in juvenile detention.
For the fourth year in a row, Maricopa County’s Juvenile Probation Department is partnering with the county public libraries to bring a summer reading program to kids in detention.
Christina Badilla with Juvenile Probation is in charge of managing the program.
“Last year, we had 83,000 minutes read,” said Badilla. “I was looking at numbers, and we have about 118,000 minutes read, so that's already a huge improvement. [We’re] continuing to improve the amount of minutes read, the amount of youth volunteering to participate in the program.”
Badilla said she looks forward to the kids receiving prizes, like a free book of their choice, when the program ends in about a week.
Within the past year or so, “we have developed our detention library, so that's been one of the exciting aspects,” she added.
Friendly competition, like earning points by reading to make it onto the "top 10 readers" list in the library, has also been a big motivator.
“Sometimes we don't see as much excitement over a book selection,” said Badilla. “But our kids just had so much engagement, and it really pushed other kids who would see the book cart come on unit to really want to continue to engage and work towards that thousand-point goal.”
When the program ends, she said the sense of accomplishment is especially important for kids in detention who aren’t often encouraged to pursue goals like reading.
