As the end of the school year approaches, many parents begin to worry: What will my child do all summer while I'm at work? Can I afford a full-day program that is safe and at least reasonably enriching? For middle school parents,
Pittsburgh Public Schools offers a new solution:
The Summer Dreamers Academy , a full-day camp for students currently in 5th, 6th and 7th grades that includes a wide range of classes (including kayaking, judo, photography, world music and dozens more) and plenty of opportunity to play.
The best part? The camp, which runs for five weeks, is free. That cuts the cost of summer childcare in half.
"The idea was born about a year ago," says project manager Allison McLeod, and the goal is to focus on middle school students and literacy. "We wanted to make use of the time in the summer to have three hours in the mornings to focus on academics and enrichment, and then the afternoons to give kids an opportunity to purse a passion and gain a new interest."
"Summer should be all about choice," McLeod says. At Summer Dreamers, kids can "choose what they want to do," exploring science, art or other areas that appeal to them.
A registration packet has been sent home to parents. "Parents are thrilled," McLeod says. "The response has been, 'This is free??' It's a premiere camp, we have the experts come and join us, and we give the kids a chance to really get engaged." More than two dozen organizations are partnering with the schools to offer this program, including the Pittsburgh Zoo.
At the end of the program – which coincides with the end of summer – "there is a culminating activity that we'll be working up to," McLeod says. So the students can demonstrate what they've learned and see the fruits of their hard work. The timing is deliberate. "Usually summer programs begin the week after the last day of school," she says. "We're shifting the mindset with this program, beginning mid-summer and running through Aug, 13, to jumpstart their return to school."
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Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Allison McLeod, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Image courtesy of Summer Dreamers Academy/Pittsburgh Public Schools