YMCA bolsters summer programs
Commitment from the Hot Springs Family YMCA and its school partners has enabled the growth of programs designed to decrease the academic achievement gap and “summer slide.”
Almost 300 students in the Hot Springs School District and more than 30 in the Lakeside School District are enrolled in several sixweek summer programs hosted in conjunction with the YMCA. The programs are offered through national models developed by YUSA. The Hot Springs YMCA began its summer programs at Lakeside five years ago.
“YUSA saw the benefits of that program and created this national model,” said Lisa Autry, executive program director for the YMCA. “They put these grants out there and you as an independent YMCA decide whether you want to write for the grant.”
The first three years of the Summer Learning Loss Prevention program at Lakeside were funded by a grant from YUSA. The last two years have been funded through the Arkansas Community Foundation and general operational funds at the YMCA.
“You do have to find sustainability and sustainable money after that,” Autry said. “That is one of the challenges with start-
ing these achievement gap programs, because you do have to find that funding, but Hot Springs School District has just been fabulous on jumping on board and supporting the programs.”
The SLLP program began at Hot Springs this summer. Each site selects 32 rising second-grade students to be taught by two teachers and two paraprofessionals.
The program focuses on phonics, writing and reading to boost literacy skills. The literacy framework included two and a half hours of guided reading, self-selected reading, working with words and writing each day.
Each day includes four and a half hours of enrichment activities to support physical and social emotional growth. Afternoon activities include art, music, character development, physical activity, nutrition education and field trips on Fridays.
The average student loses at least two months of reading skills during the summer break. YUSA reports its SLLP participants gain two to three months of skills.
The largest local achievement gap program is the Summer Literacy Academy, now in its second year at Hot Springs. Sarah Jean Grisham serves as the program director for 180 K-4 students.
“All of these programs address the backward slide in the summer and the achievement gap,” Autry said. “Not only have we been able to show we stopped the slide, they actually gained months of learning.”
The YMCA also introduced the Power Scholars Academy this summer at Hot Springs with
80 students entering grades
5-8. Autry said the YMCA has been able to bolster its offering through strong school partnerships.
“Our cause of the YMCA is to strengthen our community,” Autry said. “We strengthen our community by building relationships. It has been a very intentional relationship building process.”
Power Scholars is designed to address summer learning loss for children in low-income households living in urban communities to enhance their overall development, academic performance and graduation rates. The program is offered in partnership with Building Educated Leaders for Life and its curriculum.
Students participate in 30 minutes of community time, an hour for lunch and recreation,
90 minutes for math, 90 minutes of literacy and two hours of enrichment activities. The schedule includes mentor days, field trips and family engagement events.
YUSA has helped establish achievement gap programs in
46 states with reports of gains made in their content areas and skills. YUSA also reports students improved their social emotional skills and more than
90 percent of parents for all of the programs said they saw improved confidence and attitude in their children.
“We find the value in the community,” Autry said. “It is so valuable to see the difference we are making in these children and being able to see it stopping that slide, but not only that, gaining a month, a month and a half or two months of learning in the summer time. That is worth it right there for us.”
The achievement gap refers to the lack of preparation for school of children from low-income families compared to those from middle- and upper-income families. The gap widens as they progress through school and culminates in lower graduation rates, lower college attainment rates, limited job prospects and negative economic impact.
Autry said each program utilizes a holistic approach to education to not only make academic and social emotional gains, but also to increase school attachment. She said enrichment activities are meant to help students associate more positive feelings with school.
“They start liking it and they want to come to school so they can do those things in the afternoon,” Autry said. “We get them to come to school, their attendance goes up and, hopefully, they like school better. Their attachment becomes more to school. Hopefully, they want to learn, they start to like to read and it all works together.”
All of the Hot Springs programs are held on the campus of Hot Springs Intermediate School and Park International Baccalaureate Magnet School. Each program provides lunch for participants.
The YMCA coordinates with each district and their counselors to select participating teachers, paraprofessionals and students.
Hope Mason serves as the director of the Lakeside SLLP program and coordinates with Lakeside Primary School Principal Julie Burroughs and Lee Scroggins, assistant principal. Kindergarten teacher Holly Culpepper and Mallory Dingler, a second-grade teacher at Lakeside Intermediate School, are the classroom teachers for the program.
Claire Howard serves as the director of the Hot Springs SLLP program and coordinates with Kip Spainhour, eighth-grade principal for Hot Springs Middle School. The Hot Springs teachers are Rebecca Holder, third grade at Langston Aerospace and Environmental Studies Magnet School, and Jan Sligh, first grade at Park.
The SLLP program employs nine staff members. Another 40 employees serve in various roles for the Power Scholars Academy and Summer Literacy Academy.
Autry said the YMCA has found success in receiving grants with applications written by Annmarie Kaylo, director of operations. Autry said the organization is dedicated to continuing the programs with support from its board of directors and Peter Davin, CEO.
“Our CEO is very passionate about achievement gap work,” Autry said. “With his leadership, we are going to continue on, because he finds it very valuable and he will find funding to make it happen.”