Summer Learning Day

Summer Learning Day is an annual national advocacy day led by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) to highlight the importance of keeping kids learning, safe and healthy every summer.  On National Summer Learning Day, youth programs all across the country organize events to highlight their program and the importance of summer opportunities for youth.

In his op-ed MCCOY’S President, John Brandon, talked about this loss, saying, “Research from the National Summer Learning Association shows that during the summer break from school, every young person loses some academic progress. Unfortunately, children from lower income households tend to lose more – up to three months gone. In fact, one study suggests summer learning loss is responsible for as many as 30% of youth who eventually drop out of high school.”

One of the best ways to combat this problem is through the implementation of Summer Learning Programs. The Summer Youth Program Fund (SYPF) is crucial in the funding of these programs here in Indianapolis. In fact, each year they grants funding to hundreds of groups to improve the quality of programming for youth and to increase the number of people they serve. MCCOY is happy to partner with SYPF to further support these summer programs by providing trainings for them and building a professional learning community so they can implement best practices and learn from one another. As part of this relationship with SYPF, MCCOY organizes a Summer Learning Day event annually for grantees.

This year on June 29, MCCOY celebrated National Summer Learning Day by giving out 1200 tickets to summer youth programs to bring their youth and families to an Indiana Fever game. The kids enjoyed a wide variety of activities on the court and got to watch an action-packed game, all while wearing Fever t-shirts and hats! The Fever highlighted National Summer Learning Day throughout the game, and they continue to be a great partner for MCCOY. In fact, this year MCCOY worked with the Fever to host another event called Careers in Sports. Approximately 1500 youth and their program leaders came to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on July 10 to watch a Fever practice session and hear from a variety of professionals about all the jobs needed to make a WNBA game happen. We strive to continue the celebration with more fun and more informative and educational elements each year.