By Joe Kingsley Eyiah, OCT, Brookview Middle School, Toronto

“Our children… spend over a month less in school than children in South Korea—every year. That’s no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy. That’s why I’m calling for us not only to extend effective after-school programs, but to rethink the school day to incorporate more time–-whether during the summer or through expanded-day programs for children who need it.” -- President Barack Obama

Thank God, summer is here again! ‘To every thing there is a season’, says the Good Book. And every season has its own advantages and disadvantages. June every year is graduation month for most students at the Elementary and High School levels. The following month often sees some students including elementary and high school graduates going back to school with other students. Such school is called SUMMER SCHOOL. Those who do not participate in summer school per se, have other SUMMER PROGRAMS such as camps which also promote learning for children. Before I come back to the topic of summer programs including summer schools and camps, let me use this opportunity to congratulate all students, especially Ghanaian Canadian students and Ghanaians everywhere who made us proud by successfully graduating from elementary, high schools, colleges and universities this year. To God be the glory for your academic achievements! Make Learning Stick: One cannot dispute the opening quoted statement attributed to President Obama, for, a recent research in the US reported in ASCD Whole Child recent newsletter says, “More than half of the achievement gap present in 9th grade between lower- and higher-income children can be explained by summer learning loss. “Of the parents whose children did not participate in summer learning programs, 56 percent (an estimated 24 million children) are interested in enrolling their children in a summer learning program in the future. Parents overwhelmingly (83 percent) favor public funding for programs that provide summer learning opportunities.” And that, “While many of us envision summers vacation as a time for family trips, going to camp, and other fun and enriching activities, many parents lack the time, financial resources, and accessibility to activities that ensure their children are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged throughout the summer.” The question now is: how do we engage our children in summer programs that create and sustain summer learning opportunities which prevent learning loss and ignite a passion for learning? Summer Slide: Extensive research in the US has confirmed that, “For many children, summer is their favorite season, the chance for them to enjoy the sunshine, play with friends, and go outdoors without having to worry about schoolwork. Yet after the final school bell has rung, far too few students spend any of their summer time engaged in activities that maintain and sharpen academic skills gained during the school year. As a result, many students experience a “summer slide:” scoring lower on reading and math achievement tests at the end of the summer than they did on the same tests before summer break. Teachers often need to spend up to six weeks going over the same lessons their students were taught the previous school year.” Without engaging educational activities during the summer, research shows that: • Most students lose about two months in math skills. • Low-income children fall behind an average of two months in reading while their middle-income peers tend to make slight gains.

YoDEP Summer Program: The Youth Development and Empowerment Project (YoDEP) is a youth-led NGO which works to bring empowerment to youth and children to value education as a life investment that always yields positive returns. YoDEP offers a wide variety of programs and services within the youth development empowerment project for everyone. This summer, YoDEP is organizing a summer program at Brookview Middle School and 285 Attwell Drive in Toronto to help students keep their academic skills in shape during the holidays. YoDEP’s summer program is being supported by the Focus On Youth program, which is the initiative by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) in Ontario-Canada The Focus On Youth program runs from July 5 to August 20, 2010. Students are expected to work 35 hours of meaningful work each week. Focus on Youth students are intended to enhance existing programs and not be the primary providers of program delivery. Students will receive First Aid, Workplace Safety, Child Abuse & Neglect training on June 28 and June 29 at an East and West site. Students must attend these two days of training it is a legal requirement of TDSB employment. Focus on Youth hires students who are enrolled in a TDSB program between the ages of 16 - 21 years. The TDSB provides pre-employment training and pays the student's salary for 8 weeks during the summer of 2010. Students must work 35 hours of meaningful employment each week. As could be seen the from the foregoing paragraph, Focus On Youth program gives employment opportunity to youth (16-21years) who intend assist other youth/children (students) with their learning during the summer break. Parents in Toronto/Brampton/Mississauga who would like to enroll their children in the YoDEP summer program must contact the Executive Director of YoDEP, Ben Antwi on 416-570-7411 or the Secretary, Rose Acheampong on 416-829-3709 for detail information on the program. Other Summer Programs: The TDSB is the largest school board in Canada with multicultural population. It runs the following summer school programs in its jurisdiction: Full Credit: Grade 11 and 12 Full Credit courses are open to students who have the prerequisite and have a minimum of 16 earned credits on their transcripts. Students can only register for one full credit course. Grade 9 and 10 Full Credit courses are open to students 17 years of age or older. These courses are delineated in the brochure. Level A International Language Credit Courses are open to students who attend Grade 9 - 12 in the 2009-2010 school year. Remedial Credit: Students must have completed the course in the 2009-2010 school year and earned a final mark between 35% and 49%. Students may take one or two remedial credit courses. Transfer Courses: Students must have successfully completed the course they are transferring from in the 2009-2010 school year. Non-Credit Literacy and Numeracy: This program offers students the opportunity to develop literacy and numeracy skills and concepts in preparation for success at the next grade level and on mandated tests. All students currently registered in Grades 9 to 12, including students in ESL programs, are eligible to attend. No credits are granted. For more information go to the TDSB website. Besides TDSB: For parents looking for summer school programs, there are also many private schools in Ontario and across Canada offering summer studies. In some cases, these are remedial programs, others are summer camps while others are simply extra credit summer courses that help the student get through school faster. Check them out on OUR KIDS GO TO SCHOOL on the internet.

According to the Toronto Catholic District School Board its Continuing Education Department is running Summer School for the Arts. These summer courses are designed for students who have a talent and passion for creative writing, dance, drama, music, theatre or visual arts, or those interested in illustration, design, photography or journalism. That, “No audition is required for this opportunity which is open to students in Grades 8 to 12. Students can select from a wide range of opportunities: Dance, Drama, Band, Vocal Music, Visual Arts (Fashion Design), Digital Photography, Communications Technology, Film and Video, Media Studies, English Academic, Play Writing and Analysis, Children’s Literature, Film as Literature and Writer’s Craft. Running in tandem with secondary school credit courses offered during the summer, courses begin July 5th and run through to July 30th at Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts located at 36 Greenfield Avenue in North York.” Its communiqué states further that, registration for this program has begun and continues through until June 29th. Most courses are free of charge but fine arts students must pay a $50 arts fee to cover course materials, guest artists and to offset excursion expenses. All classes run from Monday, July 5th through to Friday, July 30th from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. For further details and course descriptions, please visit: http://www.tcdsb.org/continuinged/

A summer program for your child ensures that your child "stays out of trouble" during the summer months. Parents who are working also like summer studies programs that ease worries about their kids and can cut down on childcare expenses. The real benefit is to the student, of course, who keep his or her mind well exercised and sharp and learns all year. Get a summer program for your child!