Ezra, 7, eagerly pointed to a word being held by a service coordinator and carefully sounded it out, dazzling himself and others as they cheered for his energetic and correct response. At Sunset Heights, the Hope Through Housing Summer Enrichment Program introduced a variety of delightful activities to keep students learning during the summer.
Research shows that without summer learning engagement, children can lose up to two months in reading progress and three months in math progress – it’s a greater detriment for those from low-income backgrounds.
Across Southern California and Texas, Hope through Housing is battling that decline by providing math and English Language Arts assistance through a series of fun activities. During June and July, the Summer Enrichment Program offers games, arts and crafts and creative activities focused on problem-solving, math and reading comprehension. In addition to the curriculum, coordinators hold weekly tutoring sessions for children that need extra help with sight words and mathematics.
“I like how when I go back to school in the fall, I won’t forget anything now,” Ezra said. “I’m learning a lot about math and reading!”
Sunset Heights’ Service Coordinator Stephanie Joseph loves leading students through the program and watching them improve their math and reading skills.
“Stopping summer learning loss is very important, especially for kids who had a hard time with school last year,” Stephanie said. “The activities that we’re running help our kids not only remember what they learned throughout the year, but they’re also improving and getting ready for the next school year.”
Now at its halfway mark, the program is producing clear results.
“In just a short period of time there has been an impact. We have already seen improvement with the kids who attend, and some are mastering sight words and learning multiplication charts.” Stephanie said.