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OP-ED: What Kids Do in Summer Has a Huge Impact on Their Success in School & Life

5/13/2010

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By John Brandon

As the last few days of the school year trickle past, many young people are beginning to hear summer calling them. For many, especially those with financial resources, it will mean the chance to make new friends at camp; have the opportunity to visit interesting places and enjoy new experiences; and expand their horizons so that they can return to school in the fall renewed, refreshed, and re-energized. Yet for their peers in lower income homes, summer is not such a wonderful time; in fact, it is downright dangerous to their chances of academic success.

According to research conducted by the National Summer Learning Association:

• All young people—regardless of income—experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during summer vacation
• Low income students lose more than two months in reading achievement
• Most students lose about two months in math skills while away from school
• About two thirds of the ninth grade achievement gap between upper and lower income students can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities during elementary school years. As a result, low income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.

Local teachers and educators would be quick to testify to the truth of this research each autumn when school begins and they work hard to wake up the brains of students that have gone without stimulation and challenge for three months. Just think about what kind of shape you’d be in if you didn’t eat for twelve weeks!

Fortunately, our community has a group of funding partners called the Summer Youth Program Fund (SYPF) that recognizes the importance of summer enrichment and learning activities. This year, SYPF partners will provide more than $2.8 million in funding to over 180 summer programs that will provide positive experiences, safe places, and learning activities to more than 40,000 youth. With that substantial investment, plus the gifts of countless other donors who support the many youth development programs in our city, young people will have the chance:

• to learn such things as photography, public speaking, reading, math, geography, science, U.S. history, computer programming, and rocket science
• build skills in leadership, decision-making, goal setting, problem solving, career planning, interpersonal communication, and financial literacy.

And on top of all that, they will many chances just to have fun with swimming, canoeing, basketball, dancing, camping, skating and visits to just about every cultural institution in Indianapolis!

Summer Learning encompasses all those things; it’s about young people gaining knowledge, building skills, and having horizon expanding experiences. The time they spend in summer programs is equally as valuable as the hours they spend in the classroom from August through May. High quality summer programs keep young people engaged with caring adults, help them stay healthy and active, provide nutritious foods, and foster creativity and personal growth.

Thanks to the generous support of our philanthropic community and the dedicated work of thousands of professional youth workers and volunteers, learning won’t stop in our community when the doors of our school buildings close.

John Brandon is the president of MCCOY (Marion County Commission on Youth), the youth services intermediary for central Indiana. MCCOY’s mission is to champion the positive development of youth through leadership on key issues and support of the youth worker community. MCCOY’s vision is that every young person in central Indiana has opportunities to thrive, learn, engage and contribute.



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