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This two-day webinar series in March 2024 was designed to equip providers and state system planners with tools, ideas, and best practices to elevate summer programs. Guided by dynamic experts and leaders, Day 1 sessions were: (1) Summer Learning Landscape: Research and Policy, (2) Supporting the Mental and Physical Well-being of Youth, and (3) Community Summer Programs: Time for Exploration and Innovation. Day 2 sessions were: (1) Elevating Academic Supports in Summer Learning, (2) Promoting Young People's Curiosity and Creativity Over Summer, and (3) Building Powerful Partnerships Through Summer Programs.
This study by the Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth, commissioned by the National Summer Learning Association, was designed to help practitioners, policymakers, and researchers understand the youth perspective on two kinds of summer experiences—structured and unstructured. This representative sample of youth found that youth in structured programs reported feeling more happiness, positive emotions, interest, and better school preparedness than youth in unstructured settings. This could be used to help build the case for more structured summer learning opportunities for children and youth.
This website from the National Summer Learning Association includes a summer program locator so families can find both in-person and virtual programs near them. It also has a wealth of links to related resources such as summer meals, literacy and math activities, college and career exploration, and health and wellness. It includes a link to finding a summer job or internship and a Discover Summer Family Guide. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief explores Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ESSER) and how these funds can support summer and afterschool programs. It reviews amount of ESSER funds for each state, what the funds can be used for, and how programs can access these funds through grants and contracts. It also includes examples of how CT, GA, NH, UT, and WV are using the funds. This brief helps programs know how to access these federal stimulus funds.
This webinar explores best practices in providing older youth with supportive and meaningful employment experiences and paid internships. The panel includes representatives from National Youth Employment Coalition, Summer Youth Employment Program from Charlotte, NC, College to Congress, and Community Relations Manager from Bank of America. They shared approaches from last summer with virtual placements, as well as how they prepare youth and companies and organizations hosting interns.
This webinar provides information to prepare summer staff to understand the overwhelming stress or trauma that youth may bring into a summer program. It explores three ways to maximize healing: (1) relationships, as trust is an antidote to stress and can be built through brief interactions; (2) physical activity that is patterned and repetitive like walking, running, or playing catch; and (3) learning how to manage stress through controlled or moderate stress experiences. This resource supports the COVID-19 response. This resource supports resiliency.
The National Summer Learning Association has provided more than 40 webinars called the Voices of Summer Webinar Series. The webinars were held between spring 2019 and spring 2021. Presenters include national thought leaders, program providers offering promising practices, and researchers. Topics cover a broad range including the design of hybrid programs, outdoor exploration, good nutrition, fundraising, STEM, SEL, summer youth employment, and culturally-responsive practices.
This week-long webinar series provides program leaders with tools they need to support children in summer during the pandemic and beyond. Speakers included national leaders from McKinsey, NWEA, Weikart Center, and AIR, as well as state and city examples. Sessions focus on: (1) Supercharging Academics and Enrichment; (2) Powering Healthy Minds and Bodies; (3) Strength and Conditioning in Program Operations and Partnerships; and (4) Raising the Bar on SEL and Cultural Relevance.
This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
The purpose of this playbook is to provide a long-term and sustainable framework for planning and executing evidence-based practices and partnerships for high-quality summer programs. It has a user-friendly design and includes sections on quality, safety, policies and funding, planning, and partnerships. It also has an extensive resources section and links to related reports such as The Wallace Foundation's Summer Learning Toolkit, America's Promise Youth Engagement Guide, and Hunger Doesn't Take a Vacation. This resource supports the COVID-19 response.
This issue brief is an interview with Paul von Hippel from Ohio State University; it shares research that children gain weight two to three times faster in the summer months than during the school year. This trend is especially true for African American and Hispanic children. It recommends a public health campaign to get children to eat healthier food in the summer, and is important for summer learning programs.