Connecticut College Corps seeks summer teachers

Five hundred college-age students will be eligible for stipends of $4,500 if they join the summer-enrichment programs that Gov. Ned Lamont has planned for at least 24,000 Connecticut school kids.

Lamont on Monday announced that applications are being accepted for the Connecticut College Corps, which will begin training in early June to help kids throughout the state continue learning, socializing and having fun this summer.

“We’re providing resources for 24,000 kids and if towns and superintendents match us on that we will be able to get the overwhelming majority of people who haven’t been in school for much of the last year summer learning experiences, and that allows their parents to get back to work,” Lamont said.

During a news conference with the governor, Charlene Russell-Tucker, acting state education commissioner, said that applications from organizations that want to run the innovative summer programs will be announced in two weeks. Eligible organizations include local parks and recreation centers, YMCAs, YWCAs and other community-based locations.

“If we built it we want them to come,” RussellTucker said.

Fairfield University President Mark Nemec said that since the recent announcement of the Corps, 50 applications have been filed with the university’s Graduate School of Education and Allied Professions. Graduating high school seniors are also eligible to join the Corps as summer mentors.

Nemec said that training will focus on social and emotional learning and academics. Children will be kept in small groups throughout the summer.

When asked to speculate what the response to the program might be, Lamont said that a sizable portion of the state’s students have essentially disappeared over the last year.

“I care deeply about the fact that while our schools were open, we have close to 100,000 kids that haven’t been in school,” Lamont said. “I hear the stress. I hear the need for socialization. So yeah, there’s some learning loss and we got to help people get back up to speed so they’re ready to learn in the fall. But there are also some social and emotional need.”

“Success for us would be every child that needs it, has access,” Russell-Tucker said.

While the funding details remain under negotiation between Lamont’s staff and the General Assembly, it seems likely that $1.5 million in federal money from the American Rescue Plan will be supplemented by another $1.5 million in state funding.

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, co-chairman of the legislative Appropriations Committee, said Monday she will meet with Lamont’s financial team on Wednesday to review the ARP proposals. “We want to find out where they’re targeting kids,” Osten said in a late-afternoon phone interview..