Regional YMCA Summer Learning Programs show significant positive impact on addressing Summer Learning Loss

Regional YMCA Summer Learning Programs show significant positive impact on addressing Summer Learning Loss

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 5, 2012

The YMCA’s cause of strengthening community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility compels us to do all that we can to nurture the potential of every child.

Research spanning 100 years shows that youth experience learning loss when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer and that they score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation. Research by the Reading is Fundamental organization also shows that this learning loss is cumulative, summer after summer.

To address this significant academic issue, the YMCA Grassy Plain Summer Camp in Bethel transformed its summer offerings to combine recreational camp activities and theme related week-along programs with an intentionally aligned curriculum to help address the reading loss summer slide. The goal was to keep student’s literacy and math skills fresh all summer.

To measure the outcomes of these efforts, with parent’s permission, Bethel Public Schools shared children’s Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) levels in May and again in the early Fall. The data showed that 87% of participating YMCA Camp children’s DRA levels either remained the same or increased over the summer months.

“For many of our children, learning loss over the summer becomes a significant obstacle to staying on track academically. Because of the Y’s strong presence and outreach with children during the summer months through day camps & childcare, the opportunity to do more intentional work in partnership with the schools is a natural and important role that the Y can fill. ” – Marie Miszewski, CEO, Regional YMCA Western Connecticut.

About the Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut

The Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut is a charitable, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) community service organization dedicated to building strong kids, strong families, and strong communities through the development of spirit, mind, and body. The Regional YMCA strives to serve all. It operates two full service facilities in Danbury and Brookfield, and 3 program sites by providing a wide variety of programs and services to the residents in the 22 towns in Greater Danbury and Eastern Putnam County, NY:

• •        Quality all-day, pre and after-school childcare.
• •        Summer day camps at 4 locations.
• •        Wellness and aquatic programs for youth, teens and adults.
• •        Youth leadership programming as well as painting, drama, dance, sculpture, pottery, computer graphics, photography and more at The Center for the Arts and Humanities, home to ESCAPE to the Arts, Danbury. For more information visit us at http://www.regionalymca.org