Over the long summer break, children who aren’t exposed to books can return to the classroom a lot further behind their peers who are exposed to books.

“When children start out reading, they all progress at the same rate throughout the year,” said Caren Bueshi, a Title I reading specialist at Elephant’s Fork Elementary School.

“As children get older, children of different socio-economic situations don’t progress as much.”

The effect can be exponential, according to Bueshi. By the fourth or fifth grade, she said, there might be a two-year difference in reading ability.

To combat this phenomenon, Bueshi and a former Title I reading specialist at Elephant’s Fork, Jenny Owens, collaborated to write a grant for a summer reading program to operate in the Parker Riddick and Cypress Manor public housing complex.

Administrators of the George H. Irby Incentive Grant liked the idea. They awarded Elephant’s Fork the only grant in Tidewater, according to Bueshi.

The $500 has been used to order a range books. They ordered them from Scholastic, Bueshi said, because the company has a rewards system that will help to replenish the supply later.

“I chose fiction and nonfiction,” Bueshi said. “I think they really enjoy nonfiction more, because they like facts.”

Bueshi said she tried to select topics that the rising third, fourth and fifth graders have been learning about at school and also things that she thought they might enjoy.

The program opened on Monday, when children stopped by a big table of books in a community room for an hour in the afternoon and selected something to read. That’ll be repeated from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. July 27 and Aug. 17.

On Monday, the program coincided with a Suffolk Parks and Recreation summer camp, so students attending the camp in a room next-door could stop by and select something to read.

Suffolk Public Library’s Pop-Up Library also set up at another table in the room, registering families for library cards, showing what the library can offer and checking out books.

Another important aspect of the program is simply maintaining a connection with students and their families over the summer, Bueshi said.

“Relationship-building is huge,” she said. “Parents have to see that you have an investment in their children and are willing to come to their communities.”

Parker Riddick and Cypress Manor are a long way from Elephant’s Fork Elementary, Bueshi said. Parents are rarely able to trek to the school.

When children select books, they are reminded of the five-finger rule — read a page, and if you miss more than five words, an easier book should be selected.

“We’ll track them through the summer,” Bueshi said. “Who comes, and whether they get fiction or nonfiction.”

So eligible students in elementary summer school don’t miss out, Bueshi said, the program is also coordinating with its principal, Catherine Pichon.