Say, Yes to summer learning through Summer Camps

   Time Magazine provides an interesting history of our beloved summer break: “In the decades before the Civil War, schools operated on one of two calendars, neither of which included a summer hiatus. Rural schooling was divided into summer and winter terms, leaving kids free to pitch in with the spring planting and fall harvest seasons. Urban students, meanwhile, regularly endured as many as 48 weeks of study a year, with one break per quarter.”

  Conversely, times have definitely changed. Instead of bringing in a harvest parents spend savings on vacations to themed parks, far away tropical family get-aways or family reunions. Summer is a wonderful opportunity to family bonding, however, during those down times, when Mom and Dad are working and the kids need a place to stay, the summer camp hunt begins.

  There are a plethora of offerings out there, film and animation, robotics, sports and other special interests. It’s easy to choose your child’s favorite subject, spend a few hundred dollars and drop them off in the hands of creative caregivers who will engage and educate them in a safe environment while the parents go about their normal work routine.

 These lucky children are not only having fun and meeting new friends and learning new techniques in whatever their interest may be, they are also thwarting of the teacher dreaded summer learning loss factor.

According to the National Summer Learning Association, “All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer.” (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004)

  YEAH 8 is dedicated to providing a well-rounded summer experience for our young people. Students are engaged and learning in fun and creative environments as well as letting off steam through physical movement including dance and sports. It is always easier and cheaper to allow children to stay around the house and play video games or lose themselves in social media whirlwinds of teen-aged fueled drama. 

However, summer camps are an investment, not just for a place to put the kids during the workday, but for hope and a chance for a better academic future when school is in session in the fall.

Paula Sanders 

Dallas, Texas