Camp Giving Vulnerable Students an Academic ‘Home’ for the Summer

From Education Week, June 18, 2019.  Sarah D. Sparks

While many students eagerly count down the last few days of the school year, the start of summer break is a more anxious prospect for students in and on the verge of homelessness.

“Letting these kids go in the summer, which sounds great, is for many homeless kids the worst time in their life,” said Ralph da Costa Nunez, the president of the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness.

The need for summer programs like these is becoming more urgent.

The number of homeless children hit an all-time high this year, with nearly 1.36 million children living doubled up, in shelters, hotels, or on the street.

These students are at higher risk for both summer learning loss and school disengagement than their more securely housed classmates.