ELCO’s Bookmobile brings library to students during the summer break

Just because the school year is over doesn’t mean the county’s school districts stop supporting their students.

ELCO School District utilizes its Bookmobile to bring books to kids throughout the summer. The mobile library has been transporting books throughout the district so families can have easier access.

Sara Faust, a reading specialist at Fort Zeller Elementary School, serves as the Bookmobile coordinator. She and a now-retired colleague started the project in the summer of 2021 after taking time to research and discuss what they would want it to look like.

“At the time, it was COVID,” Faust said. “We were experiencing the results of the pandemic in regards to literacy. Our literacy rates were really affected.”

With support from the district’s administration, the ELCO Education Foundation, and the greater ELCO community, they were able to put together the Bookmobile.

She said they receive various grants that allow them to buy new books each year. District families have also stepped up to donate unwanted books that can be added to the shelves.

This continued reading is important for students, who can experience a “summer slide” when they’re out of their educational institutions, Faust said. This is when they lose or forget previously learned skills when they aren’t actively learning.

Many schools, including ELCO’s, have summer reading programs to keep kids engaged and practicing their developing literacy skills. The Bookmobile is one of several options for families, Faust said. Others include the library’s program or the district’s calendar of literacy activities.

But preventing the summer slide and improving literacy doesn’t just happen at the student level.

“Parents play such a crucial role in the development of literacy skills. I send weekly emails to my families, just updating where we’re going to be, but then I also try to include different resources to help families understand how to help their children read during the summer months or throughout the school year,” Faust said. “It’s kind of two parts — help children read during their summer months, but also help our families understand how to help their children at home.”

She said they’ve gotten a lot of community support and involvement throughout the years they’ve offered the Bookmobile. She estimated that around 400 students visit the trailer each summer.

“When I see the families and the community come out, whether they’re students that are going into kindergarten or are upper elementary students, to see that response makes me full of joy and accomplishment,” Faust said. “It’s great support from the community, and that’s what I love about this program. The Bookmobile is about the community connection that it builds.”

Here is the ELCO Bookmobile’s remaining summer 2025 schedule:

• Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Jackson Township’s National Night Out from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Monday, Aug. 11, at ELCO Childcare from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 13, at Schaefferstown Lutheran Church from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 21, at ELCO Middle School’s back-to-school picnic from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.