PAKRAT Bringing the Library to Kids to Fight ‘Summer Slide’ [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD -- If your kids can't get to the library over the summer, there's a bus that'll bring the library to them.

The PAKRAT Roll and Read book bus, a partnership between District 742 and LEAF travels around during the summer bringing a mobile library to students and kids in the district. The bus heads to different schools, apartment buildings and neighborhoods throughout the summer.

Sara Martini is the District 742 PAKRAT Coordinator. She says, the 'summer slide' can really put kids behind, and they're doing what they can to make sure it doesn't happen.

"Research shows that kids who do not read all summer, regress up to three months in their reading achievement levels."

She adds that kids who read during the summer end up gaining a month of reading proficiency. Martini says the reaction to the bus has been great everywhere it goes.

"They love the bus. we have kids who come running up to the bus. We check out books to between 500 - 600 kids a week."

Martini says they'll check out anywhere from 1500 -1800 books a week, letting each kid check out three. PAKRAT's target audience is usually from infant to about sixth-grade. However, they do have a few books for kids up through high school.

They have one full week of PAKRAT left for this summer. The PAKRAT bus operates almost entirely on donations.