Press Release

 
 
 
 
                                                                                     
 
 
 
Contact:  Tess Besaw, Director of Communications
Phone: 406-272-8508
 
For Immediate Release: July 7, 2016
 
Billings Out of School Time (BOOST) SUMMER SUCCESS pilot project partners will celebrate the importance of summer learning at our Summer Success Event
 Press Event Marking National Summer Learning Day 2016 Will Be One of Hundreds Across the Nation Aimed at Keeping Kids Learning, Healthy and Safe this Summer
When: Thursday, July 14
Time:  10-11am
Where: United Way of Yellowstone County, 2173 Overland Road
 
Billings, MT – BOOST Summer Success, in partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), will highlight the importance of summer learning at a Summer Success Event at United Way of Yellowstone County on July 14th from 10-11 AM.  The day will culminate with four of the partners: Boys and Girls Clubs, Billings Family YMCA, Friendship House, and CARE Academy hosting family barbecues to celebrate the project. The event is part of National Summer Learning Day, an advocacy day led by NSLA to elevate the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer.
The National Summer Learning Association is the only national nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement gap by increasing access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. NSLA recognizes and disseminates what works, offers expertise and support for programs and communities, and advocates for summer learning as a solution for equity and excellence in education. For more information, visit www.summerlearning.org.   Billings Out of School Time is a group of out of school time organizations that are committed to student success during the non-school hours.  The BOOST Summer Success project is a pilot project with a subset of BOOST partners.
The BOOST Summer Success pilot project partners are:  Boys and Girls Clubs of Yellowstone County, Billings Family YMCA, Friendship House of Christian Service, Care Academy, and TRiO/Upward Bound.  Partners were selected for the pilot project who serve children every day of the week and have the ability to stay connected to those children during the school year.  Programs work intentionally with children to promote physical and mental health; connections to mentors; exposure to leadership development and extracurricular interests; and tutoring or other activities to maintain or increase reading levels.  The pilot project partners have pre-tested their students so that they can measure progress over the summer.  
There are many other wonderful summer reading programs in Billings, like Reading Rocks, ReadCycle and programs offered at the Billings Library.  The BOOST Summer Success pilot project partners take advantage of these programs for their children, while augmenting them with the other strategies of BOOST Summer Success.
 “SUMMER LEARNING DAY IS AN ANNUAL REMINDER THAT SUMMERS MATTER AND IF WE WANT OUR KIDS TO DO WELL IN THE SCHOOL YEAR AHEAD, OUR COMMUNITIES NEED TO ENSURE STUDENTS GET THE SUPPORTS AND SERVICES THEY NEED TO CONTINUE GROWING AND THRIVING OVER THE SUMMER,” said Kristin Lundgren, Director of Impact United Way of Yellowstone County, and coordinator for Graduation Matters Billings. “WE ARE DEDICATED TO SUPPORTING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, AND OUR CELEBRATION TODAY MARKS OUR COMMITMENT TO THAT GOAL.”
 
Research shows that summers without quality learning opportunities put our nation’s youth at risk for falling behind – year after year – in core subjects like math and reading. The math and reading skills low-income students lose each summer are cumulative and contribute significantly to the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income kids. Billings does have an achievement gap for low income youth.  In 2015, the cohort graduation rate for low income youth was 70.1%, while the average cohort graduation rate for the general population was 82.1%.
A survey performed by NSLA, indicated that two-thirds of teachers said they spend at least a month re-teaching students old material when they return from summer vacation.
Low-income youth also lose access to healthy meals over the summer. Six out of every seven students who receive free- and reduced-price lunches lose access to them when school lets out. And, research shows that children gain weight twice as fast over the summer compared to during the school year. Moreover, a lack of opportunity for meaningful mentorship and work experience prevents many older youth from successfully completing high school and entering post-secondary education or careers. 
 
“Many kinds of high-quality learning opportunities during the summer can make a difference in keeping young people on track for success,” said Sarah Pitcock, CEO of the National Summer Learning Association, “these opportunities can be found in schools and community organizations, including local libraries and museums, and in businesses, colleges and community colleges. Families play a critical role in nurturing a joy of learning at home with their kids.”  The  BOOST Summer Success pilot project engages a myriad of strategies for keeping young people on track for success, including family engagement. They can continue these strategies during the school year.  The pilot project hopes that all 1200 children involved will retain or grow their reading skills; will stay physically and mentally healthy; and will be exposed to other critical success skills through mentoring, career exploration, field trips, and exposure to extracurricular activities.