How to avoid the summer learning slide

When the school bell rings for the final day of class, kids are eager to ditch the backpacks and head out the door.

But if they don't pick up another book until fall during the three-month break, they can lose four to 10 weeks worth of the gains they made during the school year, Green Bay area school administrators say.

Like any other proficiency, math and spelling skills get rusty when not in use. Green Bay area teachers say it takes two weeks to a month for kids to get back into the school routine when they return to class in fall.

The so-called summer slide can be beaten, however. A variety of camps, ranging from those that focus on music to science to art, are offered at college campuses in the area and organizations such as the YMCA.

And parents and caretakers are catching on.

Research suggests more families are sending kids to summer school and other programming. A survey by Afterschool Alliance found that one-third of 14,000 families interviewed in 2014 reported at least one child participated in a summer learning program, up from 25 percent of families in 2009.

Thirteen percent of those respondents said summer programs were available to them at no cost in 2013, but most parents said they paid for programs at an average weekly cost of $250 per child.

The Washington, D.C.-based Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to make sure kids have access to quality after-school programming

It's easier for affluent and middle class families to create opportunities for kids to learn, be it a special camp or a family vacation than for lower-income residents, the alliance says. There are low- and no-cost options out there.

The Green Bay School District provides lunch at main summer school sites in the summer on both sides of the city. The district's four high schools also have summer school programming.

The district offers remedial or academic classes such as reading and math, but also offers a variety of enrichment courses, such as karate, pom and dance, and a variety of arts and crafts.

Research also indicates students from low-income families tend to fall further behind in reading than their classmates with higher-earning parents, likely because they don't have access to summer learning opportunities.

The Green Bay Parks Department, Brown County Library, Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay and The Salvation Army's Kroc Center work to provide affordable programs for young people.

Parents also can make sure kids have plenty of books and other reading materials on hand at home or while on family trips, and play games and other activities that challenge kids.

— pzarling@pressgazettemedia.com or follow her on Twitter @PGPattiZarling

Avoid the slide

Here are some other suggestions from the National Summer Learning Association about preventing summer learning loss:

• Read with your child every day

• Go the library and participate in its summer reading program

• Explore parks and nature preserves

• Visit museums and cultural centers

• Practice simple math skills while baking or at the grocery store

• Ask your child's teacher what they will be learning in the next grade and ask for ideas about ways to begin developing those skills in summer

• Explore websites and publications for summer activities for your children