National Summer Learning Week: A Call to Celebrate and Protect

National Summer Learning Week is a powerful reminder of the critical role summer programs play in supporting continued learning, growth and opportunity for young people across the country. These programs are more than just seasonal activities; they are vital pillars of our communities. 

As members of the out-of-school time (OST) field, we know how fundamental these programs are to not just the children and youth we serve but to their families and the wider community they surround. Prime Time toured some of Palm Beach County’s summer camps all week documenting these high-quality programs to showcase what is being offered not only in our own backyard but across the United States.

Children and youth in summer programs are introduced to new learning concepts from arts, sports, technology and so much more. The knowledge they gained during the school year is reinforced and built upon, preventing the “summer slide.”

The summer slide, the proven phenomenon of students losing reading and math skills over summer break if these skills aren’t reinforced, is a compounding issue. Beyond them starting the school year behind their peers, these gaps in their skills will only continue to widen (i). 

“You can tell the students who’ve worked all through the summer versus the students who didn’t when they come back in the school year,” said David Brown, the director of operations & production at Orthodox Zion Child Development Center, “You can see how much more they have retained over the summer because they’ve had continuous learning.” 

Youth also participate in new experiences during the summer that are not available to them during regular school hours. Through Prime Time’s expanded learning opportunities (ELOs) local content experts provide unique offerings that allow children to discover new things and spark lifelong passions.  

For example, we offer a variety of South Florida-specific activities like the Loggerhead Marine Life Center and Florida Fishing Academy, where children learn about marine biology and the animals that live right off our shoreline. Also available are visual and physical arts programs like Resource Depot’s Creativity through Conservation program, where youth create art pieces using salvaged and recycled items while learning about pollution and how to create a better environment, or the Lake Worth Playhouse’s Multicultural Arts Program, where children learn singing, dancing and acting skills before putting on a full performance.

Our STEAM programs like Green Mouse Academy’s HADO, a virtual reality dodgeball experience, or Cox Science Center and Aquarium’s Passport to STEAM, where youth learn engineering, chemistry, programming and more, introduce youth to scientific fields they can explore later in life. These specialized experiences are offered at no cost to afterschool and summer camps so that children, regardless of any financial factors, have access to these unique learning opportunities. 

Another summer provider, Sonja Kelly from Divinity Dance shared with us that, “it’s vital that we give our students safe, engaging and fun activities during the out-of-school time [and] during the summer.” 

Knowing your child is in a safe, supportive and productive environment during the summer gives parents and guardians peace-of-mind while at work. High-quality summer programs are shown to increase the productivity and focus of youth caregivers while in the workplace. This increase in productivity also supports the economic development of the wider community surrounding these programs. 

(i) How to Prevent Your Kids From Losing What They Learned in School During Summer Vacation. Ashley Austrew. Scholastic Parents. August 2, 2022  Available at https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/raise-a-reader-blog/summer-slide.html

(ii) Kids in Every State Stand to Lose Afterschool and Summer Programs. Afterschool Works for America. Available at https://afterschoolworksforamerica.org/proposed-budget-cuts/