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Summer learning loss means students may return to school in the fall with less knowledge than they had the year before, according to research done by Harris Cooper of Duke University.
That learning loss can take place on a larger scale for low-income students — especially in situations where being out of school causes them to lose access to healthy meals — contributing to what is called the achievement gap between underprivileged students and their more affluent peers.
To combat this phenomenon in the area, the YMCA will adopt a free summer program called Power Scholars Academy. The program exists in a nation-wide partnership between the YMCA and Building Educated Leaders for Life, abbreviated BELL, a program whose mission is “to transform the academic achievements, self-confidence, and life trajectories of children living in under-resourced communities,” according to the BELL website. It is one of four programs comprising the YMCA of the USA’s National Achievement Gap Initiative.
The program will be available to Wilkes-Barre Area School District students from kindergarten to fourth grade, and Hanover Area students from fourth to sixth grade.
Fundraising and grants have enabled the YMCA to offer the program to 250 enrolled students at no cost to parents, even though the value of the program is about $1,066 per student.
The program for Wilkes-Barre Area students will begin on June 19. Students will attend from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at Dan Flood Elementary, 565 N. Washington St, Wilkes-Barre.
Hanover Area students will start on June 24, and attend from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at Hanover Area Junior-Senior High School, 1600 Sans Souci Parkway, Hanover Township.
The school districts wanted to keep the times of the summer program consistent with a school year, Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA Healthy Communities Coordinator Carol Hussa said. Hussa said she has been the “shepherd” of the program’s adoption in Wilkes-Barre since planning began three years ago.
“The programs they offer are evidence-based with defined, proven outcomes … so if you do the program the way you’re supposed to do it, you’ll get the good results,” Hussa explained.
The research is supported by a BELL impact report for 2016, which shows that as opposed to the approximate two months worth of learning lost in the summer by low-income students without opportunities for summer learning, students in the Power Scholar Academy gained two months worth of reading skills and one and a half months of math skills before entering their next year of school.
“They come in already ready, and already very confident about the skills,” said Mary Tranguch, Wilkes-Barre area site director of the program and second grade teacher at Heights Murrary Elementary. Tranguch works closely with the program lead, Jennifer Brennan, who handles YMCA aspects while Tranguch handles school district aspects.
Tranguch deals with coordinating Common Core curriculum for students, oversees hiring of staff and teachers, and works to plan the entire experience for students. Tranguch visited San Antonio in April to attend the YMCA’s training.
“The program in itself gives the children a different view on the whole education process and their experience … if they might be a little timid or shy, it gives them the boost in confidence they might need,” Tranguch said. Tranguch added that the goal is to enhance students’ self-efficacy when it comes to their career paths.
The main goal of the program, Hussa agreed, is creating an attitude adjustment for the students, and “helping kids know that they can do it themselves, that they are the power behind their own achievement.”
Enrolled students, called “scholars,” will begin their days with a half hour of “community time” over a healthy breakfast, followed by 90 minutes of reading and then 90 minutes of math. Students then spend an hour eating a healthy lunch and going out for recess. After lunch, students spend 120 minutes doing enrichment activities — arts, science, life and leadership development and more in what is called “social emotional learning.” Every Friday, students will go on a field trip.
Hussa said any reading materials used in the program will be available for students to take home for free.
The program is accepting applications until Friday. For more information and to enroll, visit wbymca.org/power-scholars.
