Amid Uncertainty and Hardship, Communities and Families Across the Country Step Up to Save Summer Learning Opportunities for America’s Youth

Baltimore, July 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- America’s children and their families continue to face many challenges this summer amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is using their annual awareness and advocacy celebration, National Summer Learning Week (July 6 – 11), to highlight how summer learning and enrichment opportunities are essential to the nation’s recovery and ongoing education reform efforts.

As school districts across the country prepare for the fall and the return of students, many summer programs right now are adapting in new, virtual, and creative ways to ensure children and their families can access quality summer learning opportunities and critical support services to mitigate unfinished learning and to address the growing food insecurities facing millions of students.   

Recent research published by NWEA predicts significant learning loss from COVID-19 school closures, especially in math, with projections indicating students may return in the fall with about 70% of the learning gains in reading, less than 50% of the learning gains in math, and in some grades, nearly a full year behind, as compared with a normal school year. Without critical interventions, this COVID-19-related learning loss combined with the usual summer slide may have a ripple effect for years to come. 

“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the economy struggles, and the racial justice movement grows, the inequities experienced by America’s children in communities of color and other vulnerable communities continue to multiply,” said Aaron Philip Dworkin, CEO of NSLA. “The summer months matter and will require communities to be hyper-collaborative and hyper-creative in finding solutions to  in help our most vulnerable students heal, access essential health and nutrition services, and catch up on unfinished learning so all kids can succeed in the school year ahead.”    

Each day of NSLA’s National Summer Learning Week focuses on a different summer issue, from literacy, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the arts, to the importance of nutrition and wellness and programs that introduce young people to career possibilities and civic engagement.

National Summer Learning Week also provides opportunities for parents, caregivers, and community members to take action to protect funding for summer and afterschool learning programs. A survey conducted in early June 2020 by the National League of Cities (NLC) of more than 1,100 cities, towns and villages from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico found that two-thirds of cities report that they are making cuts to summer-specific programming, including summer youth employment programs, summer camps, municipal pools, and festivals and events.

This points to the urgent need for parents, educators, advocates, business leaders and policymakers to each to take a stand to save and expand summer learning opportunities in communities across the country. Specifically, policymakers must implement legislation that improves the accessibility and availability of summer programs, addresses the unmet demand that families have for quality summer experiences and summer childcare and improves access to critical summer nutrition programs as food insecurity needs rise.

“While summer may look different this year, the need for high-quality summer learning opportunities is more important than ever,” said Aaron Philip Dworkin, CEO of NSLA. “In a time when hope and optimism can sometimes feel out of reach, it’s inspiring to see the creative ways educators and advocates are finding ways to help meet the academic and social needs of our nation’s children and families, especially in our most vulnerable communities.” 

National Summer Learning Week highlights (see full schedule): 

• Numerous meaningful participation opportunities, like the #SummerMatters social media challenge where families can share memories, photos or other moments capturing the joy of summer learning and fun.
• Resources to help parents navigate summer like the Summer Stride Tip Sheet and NSLA founder Dr. Matthew Boulay’s new e-book: When Schools  Are Closed: Tips to Help Parents Discover the Power of Summer Learning in the Era of Covid-19 – available for free on Amazon from July 6-11.
• Applegate®, the nation's leading natural and organic meat brand, joins as the official sponsor of the Eat Healthy and Grow Strong theme day and host on July 9 at 3pm ET, a virtual cooking event featuring Applegate chef and food stylist, Kate Winslow - author of Onions Etcetera: The Essential Allium Cookbook and former editor at Gourmet magazine.
• Khan Academy’s live virtual demo of Pixar in a Box and Camp Khan, featuring a presentation by Khan Academy’s Pamela Fox on their free virtual summer camp that and ways students can explore fun learning experiences like Pixar in a Box designed to spark curiosity and creativity this summer. 
• Dax-Devlon Ross, an award-winning investigative journalist who covers social and criminal justice, will moderate a discussion on July 10, 3pm ET on nonprofit leadership and how we can we think collectively about moving communities forward in this moment of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement. 
• Launch of a summer public service campaign featuring national digital billboards donated by Clear Channel Outdoor and radio PSA’s by iHeartRadio

National Summer Learning Week offers parents, children and program providers free summer learning tools and academic readiness checks. For more information on National Summer Learning Week and opportunities to participate, visit www.summerlearning.org/summer-learning-week.

National Summer Learning Week is supported in part by the following corporate, media and program partners: Afterschool Alliance, Applegate®, Natural and Organic Meats, Association for Library Service to Children, Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, Food Research & Action Center, Khan Academy, Learning Heroes, Charles Stuart Mott Foundation, National Center for Afterschool and Summer Enrichment, New York Life Foundation, Scholastic, No Kid Hungry, and The Wallace Foundation.  

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About the National Summer Learning Association

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is the only national nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement and opportunity gaps by increasing access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. NSLA recognizes and disseminates what works in summer learning, develops and delivers community capacity-building offerings and convenes and empowers key actors to embrace summer learning as a solution for equity and excellence in education. For more information, visit summerlearning.org.

Attachment

• NSLW General

Laura Johnson
NSLA
410-300-6468
[email protected]

Irene Serrano
Vanguard Communications
202-248-5491
[email protected]