Northeast News
May 6, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Studies have proven that children who don’t engage in activities over the summer lag behind when school resumes in the fall.

That’s why the Kansas City Public Schools are putting forth a summer program to help students stay afloat.

The KCPS is now enrolling children from across the Kansas City region into its 2015 Summer Experience. In 2014, KCPS launched its biggest summer program to date, more than doubling from the previous year and serving about 7,000 children. This year’s Summer Experience will have an even wider impact. There are more locations, more programs, more staff and more partners.

Enrollment is completely free of charge and is open to anyone who lives in or out of the KCPS attendance boundaries. Every student will be provided breakfast and lunch at no cost. The enrollment deadline is May 1.

At a recent press conference announcing the summer program, Superintendent R. Stephen Green said the goal of the 2015 Summer Experience is to provide critical educational opportunities over the summer months to as many children as possible, particularly those who live in the city’s urban core. The KCPS is not alone in this effort. Eight partner organizations have joined forces with the KCPS to provide programming during the 2015 Summer Experience: 7 Strategic, AileyCamp, Boys & Girls Clubs, Freedom Schools, LINC, Upper Room, YMCA and W.E.B. DuBois Learning Center. Together, KCPS and its partners will be serving students at 45 different sites across the city.

At the press conference, representatives from the various organizations stated students will be able to engage in a wide variety of topics and activities, including traditional literacy and mathematics courses, but also college prep, technology, art, performance, science, swimming lessons, social action and literacy enrichment. Every class will meet strict curriculum standards and be led by high quality certified educators.

“Our students have made enormous strides over the last three years and we are not going to allow our children to fall behind,” Green said. “We are providing every opportunity possible for children in our communities to be active, engaged learners this summer. I am excited to see what they accomplish.”

Summer school is an extension of the learning process and its an opportunity for children to gain ground in their studies. Green said funding for the summer program comes out of the operating budget. Along with personal experiences, Green noted there will also be satellite services available, as well.

In the past, youth from those families started the new school year behind their suburban peers because of a lack of summertime educational enrichment programs. Numerous academic studies have demonstrated the positive impact of summer learning for urban youth, and the experience at KCPS in 2014 reinforces those results. Students who participated in the summer program consistently outperformed their non-participating classmates in assessments leading into the fall semester. This impact makes the 2015 Summer Experience an integral part of Green’s commitment to help young men and women of color close the achievement gap.

To learn more about the 2015 Summer Experience and download an enrollment form, visit www.kcpublicschools.org/Summer.