How Accessible Are SLP Coupon Prizes?

 

Chelsey Roos

A recent ALSC blog post by Chelsey Roos raises some important questions about the types of prizes that we give away for summer reading program. While recognizing why many libraries rely on coupons or passes from business and organizations for SLP prizes, she also brings up valid issues about how these can also be problematic for kids who lack access or parental support.

She writes about her own personal experience as a child: "As a huge reader, I was absolutely over the moon that I was able to show off my reading to a librarian. I cannot describe to you my immense excitement when I got my little prize pack. And then my crushing disappointment, when I found I wasn’t able to use any of my prizes. While many of my peers had loving grown-ups who could take them to use the free museum passes in the packet, I did not. While many of the families in my area could use the coupons for money off ice cream and pizza, I could not."

Chelsey goes on to invite us to ask questions of our prize decisions to understand questions of accessibility and usability of these incentives in a thoughtful post that you can read here. (Summer Reading Prizes and Accessibility. ALSC Blog. February 10, 2022)