Cedar Springs — In an effort to eliminate barriers, improve access and maximize resources for families, Cedar Springs is rethinking and redesigning its summer learning opportunities.
Traditional credit-recovery opportunities will still be available for high-schoolers, but for younger students, the district is replacing summer school with a new approach that includes a Kids Read Now in-home reading program and several open-house-style summer family engagement nights to “keep the excitement alive” while combating the “summer slide,” said Kristen Albert, grants and intervention coordinator.
The family engagement nights are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, June 18, July 9, July 23 and Aug. 6 at the middle school, 4873 16 Mile Road NE. Families can RSVP here.
The events will feature book swaps, snacks, games and other activities. More details about the engagement nights will be determined and released in the coming weeks.
While designed with elementary and middle-school students in mind, all ages are welcome to attend, Albert said.
One of the reasons the district is pivoting to the new summer offerings is that its previous program was supported by Elementary and Secondary School Relief funds, which have now expired.
“The past several years, a lot of summer programs have been supported by ESSER funds, and that funding is gone,” Albert said. “From our lens, for Cedar Springs, this is just a more cost-effective way to go.”
It’s not just about money, though. Albert said traditional summer school was available for a limited time during the summer, often only to certain groups of students, and it was unclear just how helpful it was.
Now, all K-12 students in the district will have learning opportunities in the summer.
“This program is not limited to a certain population,” she said of the new approach. “All students will have access to it, which will maximize support to all students.”
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