Celebrating Summer Learning Week in Durham County

On June 22nd, the Durham Board of County Commissioners proclaimed July 6th-10th Summer Learning Week in Durham County! See the official Proclamation below. We are so grateful to the entire Board of County Commissioners for lifting up the importance of summer learning in this way, and to our partners across the county who have made this possible.

To celebrate, we’re doing what Book Harvest does best: reading! Building fun and consistent summer reading habits over the break can feel daunting, but we’ve summarized a few tried-and-true tips for families and caregivers looking to increase reading in their household. See the attached handout for ideas, in both English and Spanish, to make reading joyful, individualized, and integrated into the busyness of summer schedules.

Beyond tips, a foundational ingredient of summer reading is an abundant home library. Just in time, we’ll be throwing our annual Summer Block Party on July 18th, 2026, from 3:00-6:00 pm at Durham Central Park! We’ll be bringing 15,000 free books for attending children and families -- and when kids choose books they’re excited about, summer reading becomes a lot easier. Not to mention: fairy hair, the Poetry Fox, magic shows, partner organizations, food, music, a scavenger hunt, and lots of community fun!

We are so excited to celebrate Summer Learning Week this week and next at the Summer Block Party -- see you there soon!

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For more reading tips, visit https://www.bookharvest.org/reading-tips.

For more details on the Summer Block party, visit https://www.bookharvest.org/block-party.