U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) was impressed with what he saw when he visited a summer learning program in New Haven run by the nonprofit, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services. The program, which is supported through private funding, provides a safe environment for about 100 preschool to high school-aged immigrant students each day. The goal is to prepare them for entry to American schools. Staff say the program is particularly important because many of the children don’t have experience with formal school environments. Sen. Blumenthal told NBC Connecticut, “These programs should be expanded and provided wherever there are children. I’m here to take this picture back to Washington with me and convince my colleagues we should be nurturing and supporting these kinds of programs.”
This Afterschool Partnership Teaches Students Self-Reliance in 5 States + D.C. (Efficient Gov)
Founded by Camila and Matthew McConaughey, the just keep livin’ Foundation uses a fitness-oriented approach to empower thousands of teenagers and teach them a variety of life skills. Thanks to partnerships with various nonprofits and corporations, j.k. livin’ runs 32 programs serving 2,500+ teens during the hours they are most vulnerable to drug use and involvement in crime: after school. Whether students are learning surf positions in Los Angeles or serving dinner at a homeless shelter in D.C., the program emphasizes exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition and community service. As teacher Missy Shepherd told Efficient Gov, “These kids have all progressed in their own way … Overall the program has been a huge success and brought a lot of growth and happiness to all involved including myself!”
This Indiana summer program is fighting summer learning loss. Here’s how (Chalkbeat)
In Indianapolis, the Horizons summer camp is fighting summer learning loss so successfully that some are touting it as a model that can be replicated statewide. While low-income students often lose two to three months of reading skills each summer, students at Horizons, which serves 150 low-income children entering kindergarten through ninth grade, actually gain an average of two to three months in reading and math. Horizons accomplishes this and aims to inspire a love of learning through a project-based curriculum; for example, this year its eighth graders designed nonprofits and presented their proposals to a panel. The tuition-free program is supported by 25 funders. As Horizon’s at St. Richards Executive Director Shanna Martin told Chalkbeat, the waitlist “is helping us know there really is a lot of need out there as we think and plan for the future and other opportunities to expand and grow.”
In Auburn, Alabama, an afterschool program uses jewelry to inspire civic engagement among its students. Perch Jewelry owner Barbara Birdsong operates the Perch Afterschool Program free of charge for any child age 8 or older who wants to participate. Students collaborate to craft unique jewelry pieces using materials provided by the store, but they do not take their creations home. Instead, they sell their pieces at semi-annual events where all proceeds are donated to the BigHouse Foundation, a nonprofit that provides resources to foster families. “I think it’s fun for them to be empowered, to learn something,” Birdsong told The Auburn Plainsman. “The whole intent was to teach a skill and also talk about ways that we can give back to the community.