Education

California Summer Learning Initiative Launched Today

By Nora Fleming — April 17, 2012 1 min read
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California is officially launching a statewide summer learning initiative today, spearheaded by the Partnership for Children and Youth, a Bay-area-based nonprofit, and with the support of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

The initiative, or the Summer Matters campaign will support summer programs that focus on combating summer learning loss for low-income children. As part of the campaign, the best summer programs will be highlighted with a map of “hot spots,” and new efforts will be encouraged across the state, particularly through work with education and policy leaders and community organizations.

The Packard Foundation is supporting the five-year initiative, which aims to have state programs serve 50,000 low-income children each summer. These programs will focus on enrichment and academics through active learning, literacy, nutrition, and outdoor space, according to the partnership.

As you may remember, the summer learning slide more significantly affects underserved children who lack access to enriching experiences when they aren’t in school.

According to statements from the partnership, “This new vision for summer is what California should embrace when funding returns to schools and summer learning programs are restored. The new vision does not involve a choice between remediation and enrichment, or a conflict between family time and summer school. The new vision for summer in California brings together the best elements of what schools, communities, and families have to keep kids safe, engaged, and learning when school is out.”

State schools Superintendent Tom Torlakson, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, and San Francisco schools Superintendent Carlos Garcia will kick off the launch of the campaign today at San Francisco City Hall.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Beyond School blog.