Why Summer Learning Matters

Learning shouldn’t stop when the school year ends. Children who have access to high-quality summer learning programs are better positioned to return to school the next fall prepared to succeed.

Children who are economically disadvantaged may not have equitable access to high-quality programs that can help meet basic needs, such as meals and a safe place to spend their days and to provide opportunities to help them continue to grow their minds.

The National Summer Learning Association says that summer learning loss can leave lower-income children two-and-a-half to three years behind their peers by fifth grade. High-quality summer learning programs can help close the persistent achievement gap.

Read Fort Worth supports the work of our dedicated partner program providers to infuse summer camps for children ages 5 to 9 with literacy activities in support of the Fort Worth ISD’s 100×25 goal – that 100 percent of third-graders will be reading on grade level by 2025.

Related Research

National Summer Learning Association Research and Policy

The Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center

Read Fort Worth Summer Learning Collaborative Action Network

The Summer Learning Collaborative Action Network was formed in January 2017 at the encouragement of Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price to ensure that summer programs serving young children reinforce early literacy goals in support of the 100×25 goal.

Children who read well by third grade are most likely to succeed in school. Those who do not are four times more likely to drop out. About 75 percent of children who are not proficient readers by third grade will never catch up, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The Read Fort Worth Summer Learning CAN includes representatives from the City of Fort Worth, Fort Worth ISD, Tarrant County College, United Way of Tarrant County and more than two dozen representatives of nonprofit and faith-based organizations serving youth. The network’s mission is to help young children maintain or gain literacy skills during the summer months when they are not in school.

Want to learn more? Email contactus@readfortworth.org

Summer Learning Partners

Read Fort Worth is grateful to the growing list of community partners who dedicate their time to identifying what works best to advance early childhood literacy through summer learning programs, to spread best practices and to celebrate the progress of our children.

Our partner organizations are encouraged to display the above logo on their marketing materials as a way to communicate their alignment with Read Fort Worth’s goal, that 100 percent of third-grade students are reading on grade level by 2025.

Partner Organizations

AB Christian Learning Center

AB Christian Learning Center provides tools necessary for every student to have an equal opportunity to achieve a quality education and become a well adjusted contributing member of society. They approach the challenges and needs of their students in a holistic fashion incorporating when practicable, families, schools, and the community as partners.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Fort Worth changes the odds for more than 11,000 youth every year. Since 1926, Club programs have brought stability, guidance, and inspiration to the city’s most disadvantaged youth. Through Formula for Impact, the organization is committed to developing outcome-driven programs that use evidence-based data combined with empirical data to provide impact in priority areas of Academic Success, Healthy Lifestyles and Citizenship.

Camp Fire First Texas

Camp Fire is a youth development organization that fulfills its Promise to the community through youth-centered and family-focused programs and has done so since being founded in Fort Worth in 1914. From the early days of Blue Birds and Camp Fire Girls, the organization has grown into one of the largest councils in the United States with programs for boys and girls that include everything from camping to school readiness.

City of Fort Worth Park and Recreation Department

The Park & Recreation Department maintains more than 200 parks and public spaces citywide as well as providing recreational activities and educational programming that makes Fort Worth a great place to live, work and play.

Clayton Youth Enrichment

Clayton After School serves more than 7,000 students in more than 80 public and private schools throughout Tarrant County and is one of the area’s leading providers of before and after school youth enrichment programs.

Fort Worth ISD

With over 86,000 students in 83 elementary schools, 29 middle schools and 6th-grade centers, 18 high schools and 16 other campuses, Fort Worth ISD enjoys a diverse student population and strong community partnerships. Under the leadership of the superintendent and the Board of Education, the District is undergoing a series of initiatives that will redesign, transform, and revitalize Fort Worth ISD Schools.

Fort Worth Library

The Worth Reading program aims to get everyone reading, learning and having fun – all year long. Three times a year, the library and its partner organizations begin a new chapter of story times, movies, programs, workshops, entertainment, and activities.

Fort Worth Museum of Science and History

Dedicated to lifelong learning and anchored by our rich collections, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History engages our diverse community through creative, vibrant programs and exhibits interpreting science and the stories of Texas and the Southwest.

Literacy Connexus

Literacy Connexus advises and assists in literacy projects throughout the state. They are a growing network of leaders, volunteers, and partners working together to provide support and direction to literacy projects, using resources and manpower from—as much as is possible–the local community.

Project Transformation Central Texas

Project Transformation’s collaborative model of ministry harnesses the creative energy and leadership of college-age young adults, who live in intentional Christian community and lead summer programs for children in various underserved neighborhoods. Each week, interns meet with church and nonprofit leaders to explore various ministry-related vocations and spend time discerning their vocational call to life-long service. The programs are held at United Methodist churches located in the heart of low-income neighborhoods, thereby helping those churches connect in meaningful ways with their communities.

Girls Inc. of Tarrant County

Girls Inc. of Tarrant County was established in 1976 as the Arlington Girls Club by a group of community leaders that saw a need for comprehensive programs for girls in their community. The local affiliate entered the Girls Club network at an exciting time when their mission was progressing to provide programs, opportunities, and advocacy promoting equity for girls. Through the decades, this organization has evolved from the Arlington Girls Club to Girls Inc. of Tarrant County. This drive for equity and determination to provide life-changing opportunities to girls has remained consistent and grown exponentially.

Reading Partners

Reading Partners mobilizes communities in 14 regions across the US to provide students in under-resourced schools with the proven, individualized reading support they need to read at grade level by fourth grade.

Read2Win

The vision of Read2Win is to match a local church with all 85 FWISD elementary schools and provide 1,000 caring volunteer reading coaches for every 1st grader needing help in the FWISD.

Our Volunteer Reading Coaches (VRCs) just this past year have assisted nearly 700 1st grade students! Please help us continue to grow this number until every struggling student has a caring volunteer to help them.

Tarrant Churches Together

For over 50 years, we have been bringing people together to build bridges across dividing lines through service opportunities that directly address the needs of our local community.

Tarrant County College

Tarrant County College District provides affordable and open access to quality teaching and learning.

United Community Centers

This summer, United Community Centers will host 300 children for a 10-week Summer Education Enrichment Program. During the summer children enjoy fun and safe activities such as arts and crafts, music and exciting field trips. It is so much more than just summer camp; students benefit from United Community Centers’ educational programs offered during the school year to minimize learning loss.

United Way of Tarrant County

United Way of Tarrant County focuses on improving the lives of the people that live in our community through Education, Income, and Health, which are the root causes to most of the problems in the community.

YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth

The Y makes accessible the support & opportunities that empower people & communities to learn, grow & thrive. With a focus on youth development, healthy living & social responsibility, the Y nurtures the potential of every youth & teen, improves the nation’s health & well-being, & provides opportunities to give back & support neighbors.

The 2018 Summer Scholars Cohort

Read Fort Worth is grateful for the eight youth services agencies that make up the 2018 Summer Scholars Cohort. The providers agreed to implement best practices for summer learning that were developed collectively by the larger Summer Learning Collaborative Action Network during the 2017-18 academic year.

Members of the cohort offer quality summer learning opportunities for children ages 5 to 9 generally in a six- to seven-week summer camp format. Members agreed to use a common assessment recommended by Fort Worth ISD to measure whether participating children grow in literacy skills over the summer and not lose ground.

The 2018 cohort members are serving an estimated 800 children across 21 sites. Each organization received Fort Worth ISD-supported training in literacy instruction and assessment.

The providers are:

With generous support from The Miles Foundation and Fort Worth ISD, Read Fort Worth was able to hire 10 part-time literacy guides to conduct student assessments and provide enhanced literacy support at each cohort member site. The guides included current and retired teachers and experienced childcare professionals.

Assessment results will be aggregated and shared with cohort members and Read Fort Worth supporters as a tool for continuous improvement for future years.

Read Fort Worth looks forward to building upon this year’s learning to help more children gain literacy skills in Summer 2019.

Summer Learning Collaborative Action Network (CAN)