NORWICH – Once children are out of school for the summer, educating them throughout their time off is an important goal to keep children learning all year long.

The New York State Board of Regents is encouraging all children to participate in “Get a Clue,” a free New York State Summer Reading Program. Locally, Guernsey Memorial Library is participating and so far Librarian Melanie Battoe says the program and children involved seem to be off to a great start.

More than 1.2 million children participated in last year’s program through 1,000 public libraries. The numbers are up 1 million from 2006. The new goal is to reach 1.5 million children by 2010.

Regents Chancellor Robert M. Bennett says reading helps children keep and even improve the reading skills they’ve developed during the school year. Some studies show children who don’t read during the summer loose skills by fall.

“We are all working hard to raise the achievement levels of New York’s students, and libraries are an important part of this strategy,” Acting State Education Commissioner Kathy Ahearn said. “Children who keep reading through the summer don’t suffer learning losses that can compound over the years and leave them behind in school.”