Hazlet Cop Is The Mom Behind The '500 Minutes' Reading Challenge

HAZLET, NJ — The Police Department's first “500 Minutes of Summer” reading initiative is the work of a Hazlet mom who also happens to be a sergeant on the force.

Sgt. Tara Theis has two sons, in fourth and fifth grades, and she always encourages them to curl up with their favorite books - be they fiction or nonfiction.

So she worked on an idea the department adopted: Starting Monday, when kids are home from school, the "500 Minutes of Summer" Reading Initiative begins. (Check out the program by scrolling to the bottom of the Police Department website home page).

The program is geared for children entering Grades 1 through 6, and is a clever way to get them to read at least 10 minutes a day while they are on summer vacation.

"It's hard for some kids to get into reading," says Theis, and it's a challenge for parents "to find something that works," she adds.

So she customized the concept, which exists in other forms elsewhere, to make it unique to the Hazlet Police Department.

Plus, Theis and the school district's language arts professionals collaborated on the program.

The initiative makes reading a bit of a game with a reward for kids at the end. Here's how it works:

There are over 10 weeks of summer vacation starting June 26, so reading for 10 minutes a day, five days a week, Monday through Friday (or however the child breaks it up) equals 500 minutes by the last week of August.

Every time a child reads for 10 minutes, they get to color in a picture of a police badge (there are 50 small pictures) on a page parents can download - or that the child may have already received from their teacher at school.

When all of the badges are colored in — equaling 500 minutes — the family can bring the coloring page to the Hazlet Police Station at 255 Middle Road to meet with one of the officers.

The reader will be rewarded with a small prize - many donated by local businesses - and maybe even get a tour of the police station to celebrate their hard work.

The kids can read any age- or level-appropriate book for the program. And Theis asks that kids list the books read on the back of the coloring sheet to feel a sense of accomplishment.

"They can write down the books they read for school," Theis said, looking ahead to next term.

Parents can even help their children coordinate their book choices to correspond to the school district's summer reading lists, which you can access here:

• Grades 1-4 Summer Reading 2023
• Grades 5-6 Summer Reading Letter 2023

This program starts soon, so get your books ready. But kids do have until Aug. 28 to complete the 500 minutes. And here is the link to download your badge-coloring page if you need one: 500 Minutes of Summer Coloring Page.

"It's something different," Theis said of the idea. "And if it goes well there can be more aspects added next summer."