LESSONS & LAUGHS
City will combine summer camp with summer school
Summer camp and summer school are getting rolled into one for city students this year — and for the foreseeable future.
The city’s Education Department, which typically runs remedial summer classes, and the Youth and Community Development Department, which runs free summer camps, announced Tuesday they are joining forces to offer an all-in-one academic and recreational program this summer.
The program, called Summer Rising, will be open both to students assigned to summer school because they fell behind academically and kids who are just looking for fun activities. Any student from kindergarten to high school who wants a slot will get one, officials said.
It will replace the typical summer school operation as well as city-run summer camps but will not affect the Summer Youth Employment Program for teens.
“This is really groundbreaking in this city,” said Mayor de Blasio. “This ends summer school as we knew it. This is literally for every child who wants to participate, doesn’t matter if you’ve had challenges in school or if you are doing great in school. You are welcome this summer.”
Officials say they now have the funding — thanks to a recently passed state budget and federal stimulus packages — to keep the new program in place for years to come.
The ambitious new plan comes at a pivotal point for the nation’s largest school system. Many families are still reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and the switch to remote learning. Officials are trying to balance a need to shore up students’ academic skills and a desire to attend to their emotional needs.
Last year’s expanded virtual summer school program, which was meant to be a boost for students struggling after the abrupt shutdown of school buildings last March, was mired in confusion from the start and left many struggling students disengaged and discouraged.
The city is hoping this year will be different, promising academic support for part of the day, and indoor and outdoor play and field trips during the other part.
Education officials said they can enroll 200,000 or more students and the program will likely be offered in about half of the roughly 1,500 school buildings across the five boroughs.
The program will be run in partnership with the Youth and Community Development Department, which contracts with community-based organizations to run free summer and afterschool activities.
Providers who work with DYCD say they’re excited about the concept, but have lots of questions about the specifics.
“Broadly, it’s the right direction to be moving in,” said Nora Moran, the director of policy and advocacy at United Neighborhood Houses, a group that represents nonprofit youth services providers. “For UNH and our members … we know that
when there’s greater integration between the community-based organization and school, children benefit, and that’s a good thing.”
“But the devil’s in the details with all these announcements, and there’s a lot of outstanding details,” she added. The expanded footprint will likely mean hiring more staff and procuring additional licenses to open new sites, she explained.
It remains to be seen how many families will be comfortable sending their kids to school buildings this summer. More than 60% of the city’s nearly 1 million public school families opted to finish out the year learning from home, even after another opportunity to switch to in-person learning and increased flexibility on COVID-19 safety rules.
Education officials say they will still offer a virtual option for students who are required to take summer classes. Teachers will assign students based on a “holistic review” of their academic performance this year, including reviewing several pieces of work.
For students who do attend the program in-person, safety precautions will be in place and some version of the “Situation Room” that tracks COVID-19 cases and coordinates contact tracing will still be in effect. City officials said testing will be available, but did not specify how often.
The DOE said they’re also trying to make the programs fully accessible to students with disabilities, pledging to place paraprofessionals at every site.
City officials have under three months to get the ambitious new program in place. Registration for elementary and middle school families begins April 26, while high school registration will open later.
Different ages groups will have different schedules.
The elementary school program will run five days a week for seven weeks, from July 6 to Aug. 20. Middle school students will go four days a week from July 6 to Aug. 12, while high schoolers will be in five days a week from July 6 to Aug. 13.
Moran urged the city to extend flexibility to families who may not be able to take part in full days.
Separately, roughly 70,000 city students ages 14 to 24 are eligible to apply for paid jobs through the city-funded Summer Youth Employment Program.
The Public Schools Athletic League will also extend its season later than normal this year because of a late start, continuing through some of the summer.