PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Summer enrichment programs began Monday for thousands of Philadelphia schoolchildren.
The five-week session provides English and math classes in the morning, run by the School District of Philadelphia. In the afternoon, city-run art, athletic, or STEM programs are held.
About 10,000 children are registered for the enrichment programs, which are open to students in all grades.
Jazmeen Austin took her son Sadiq, 5, to the start of summer classes at Alain Locke Elementary School in West Philadelphia.
“We can just indulge in some extracurricular activities, keep him safe during the summertime, and keep his brain fresh with all of the things he just learned in kindergarten,” Austin said.
Related
“They lose it a lot of times over the summer with playing and having fun, so having programs like this helps them retain the information and help keep it fun and interesting.”
The academic classes will be more than rote memorization, said School District of Philadelphia Superintendent Tony Watlington.
“Instead of just doing kill-and-drill reading and math, we’re trying to make sure there’s a focus on project-based learning,” he said.
“Even before the pandemic, we knew that a lot of children needed more learning time to master the curriculum.”
“This is all enrichment,” said Malika Savoy-Brooks, the school district’s chief of academic support.
“Really, the goal is to ensure that students are sustaining the learning that they had during the school year.”
About 3,750 high school students are also attending summer “credit recovery” classes because they failed a subject and need the credits to graduate, Savoy-Brooks said.
Related
For younger students, the city-run afternoon activities are designed to reinforce the academic material from the morning session, said Waleska Maldonado, chief of prevention for Philadelphia’s Office of Children and Families. For example, she said, a playground exercise could incorporate math concepts.
“Let’s talk a little bit about the multiplication tables,” she said. “I have two. And we’re going to take two steps. Well then, I’m going to double those steps,” Maldonado said. “Thinking about how to really integrate some of the academics into the fun so that by the time they get to school, they’re ready.”
The school district’s morning academic slots are all booked up, but Maldonado said space remains for the city-run afternoon activities. People can click here or call 215-709-5366 for more information.
For more from KYW Newsradio:
- Download the Audacy App
- Listen live
- Listen on your smart speaker