Summer Challenge FAQs

  • General Questions

    Beanstack, the system we use for Summer Challenge tracking allows you to use the same account year after year. We all know how difficult it is to remember which email we used, what our password is or whether we created an account at all, but we strongly encourage you to try to find your existing account instead of creating a duplicate account. Here are the options we suggest:

    1. Try logging in. Enter your email and password here. Any luck?
    2. Try "Forgot Your Password?" Enter your email address here.
      • A red error message means you did not register last year with that email address. Try another email address if you have one, or move on to step #3.
      • A green bar means you can check your email for password reset instructions and continue.
    3. We would be happy to look you up on the staff side of the software. Just call 303-235-5275 or email ask@jeffcolibrary.org.
    4. Is this your first time participating in the Summer Challenge? You can register for the first time here.

    Once you are logged back into the Summer Challenge system, you will be asked to update each "Reader Profile" (member of your family) and prompted to enroll in this year's Library Summer Challenge programs.

    Let us know if you have questions. 

    Yes, we do! In the app store on your device, search for and install the "Beanstack tracker" app. Tap "Find your school or library." If you already registered on a computer, just sign in and start logging. Or select Sign Up and get the whole family registered.

    When you are ready to begin logging, tap the plus sign.

    • To log reading minutes, select Reading, then select a Reader, and then select a logging method for reading (Log Without a Title is the quickest).
    • To log an activity, select Activity, then select a Reader, tap on Activities and Challenges, and then tap on the green plus sign next to the activity that you accomplished.

    Your logging will be tracked whether you use the website or the app.

    Android Tutorial, opens a new window | Apple Tutorial, opens a new window

    Children ages 0 - 5 are eligible for our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and children ages 5 - 12 are eligible for our 500 Books Before Middle School in addition to the Library Summer Challenge. All three programs are run in Beanstack. Be sure to count any reading you do with your children in their respective programs!

    After you log into your account, click on the box in the top right with your name on it, and you will see an option to Add a Reader.

    Click Sign In and click on Forgot Your Password. The system will send an email to you with instructions for resetting your password.

    To edit any of your reading minutes entries:

    • log into your account
    • click on Reading Log
    • click on a date in the calendar
    • click on a book jacket, or the red rectangle
    • click Edit or Remove next to the erroneous entry, then Save.

    It isn't possible to edit any logged activities, so just don't worry about those!

    Click on the name in the top right corner, select your child from the drop-down, or click on Change Readers and then select your child. Click again on their name in the top corner, and then click on the pencil icon next to their name. Make any changes needed there, and click Save.

    If you need to edit something in the main account, click the gear button at the top right, then click on Edit Account.

    We will post a leaderboard on the School Contest page each week after the program kicks off on June 1.

    Sometimes an account creator may want to share one of their readers with another account creator. For example, a parent may want to share a reader's profile with a teacher or another caregiver. In these cases, the reader is shared, meaning both account creators may take actions on the reader's profile, and are able to edit/update it collaboratively.

    To share a reader, log in and toggle to the reader you want to share. Click on that reader's name and select Edit Reader. Scroll down to Share This Reader, enter the email address of the person you want to share with, then click Send. The person with whom the reader was shared will receive a message that the account creator wants to share this reader with them. They will be prompted to add their own account (if they do not have one), or enter a code to add this reader to an existing account.

    You can expect an email from the system each time you earn a prize. If you opted in to JCPL emails, you will hear from us occasionally with information about events and services. You can always manage your email preferences by clicking Unsubscribe at the bottom of the JCPL emails.

    Children ages 0 - 5 are eligible for our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program, and children ages 5 - 12 are eligible for our 500 Books Before Middle School program in addition to our Library Summer Challenge program. All three use Beanstack. Be sure to count any reading you do with your children in their respective programs: reading and activities for the Summer Challenge, books for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten and 500 Books Before Middle School.

    No, those fields are optional, but if you want to use them, it is a great way to keep track of what you have read over the summer.