The Wilmington Learning Collaborative plans to extend summer learning programs despite low attendance this year.
WLC invested $1.4 million to offer 18 programs at some of its partner schools, with the average program lasting five weeks and running through July and early August. Nine partner schools hosted the programs for pre-school and K-8 students.
A report on how those programs fared found some wins, including accommodations, project-based curriculum and various external partnerships.
But average attendance was 57% – a number WLC Council members want to see rise. And there were staffing shortages, especially for paraeducators and support staff throughout the summer.
Still, WLC Executive Director Laura Burgos said her team sees opportunity.
“It's a huge undertaking to pull off summer learning across nine schools in a way that serves everyone's needs,” Burgos said. “So we hope every summer to continue to expand, but we hope that this actually serves as a conversation starter for schools, districts, funders, policymakers and another resource in the toolkit.”
The WLC summer programs included basketball camps, YMCA summer camps and Junior Achievement financial literacy training.
A WLC summer fellow put the report together, which recommends planning for summer programs earlier to account for the challenges faced this summer.
Red Clay School District Superintendent Dorrell Green said he thinks the WLC should take another look at the programs they offer.
“So there's a balance in the summer between enrichment-based and academic-based [programs],” Green said. “So I just think we got to be real intentional about who's providing what and how we're messaging that, so that families clearly know what opportunities are helpful well in advance of the spring.”
The report found the summer programs lacked visibility. Only 5% of families found out about the programs through social media; 82% were recommended by schools or teachers.
The report also recommended higher pay for summer staff and that program hours in the future align with working hours.
“The only challenge my family faced was adjusting to the program's hours,” one parent surveyed for the report said. “Making sure we could adjust our work schedules to pick my student up on time so she would not be kicked out.”
Another surveyed parent requested extending hours to 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. A third said the programs should last until Aug. 15.
More information on the WLC and their summer programs are at https://wlc-de.org/.
