C enter for A utism & R elated D isorders, Inc. A Summer Without Structure. Don’t let this happened to you. Maranda L. Porter, MSP Behavior Specialist.

Center for Autism & Related Disorders, Inc.

A Summer Without A Summer Without Structure.Structure.

Don’t let this happened to Don’t let this happened to you.you.

Maranda L. Porter, MSP

Behavior Specialist

Matthew Reardon Center for Autism, Inc.

Presentation Outline

• Preventing the “summer slide”

• Did you know? Know the facts.

• Going beyond summer camp

• Healthy Summers

• Planning Infrastructure

• Having An Effective Summer Curriculum

• Summer Camp Options in our community

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

• The lazy days of summer will soon be upon us. What are some activities your children generally engage in? – YMCA

– Specialty Camps (i.e. Theater, dance, swimming, cheer, gymnastics, etc.)

– ESY (Extended School Year)

– Granny’s house

– Stay at home with an older sibling

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

• Learning and education are often the last thoughts that come to a parent’s mind.

• A break from learning may result in the loss of critical academic and social skills which could have a lasting impact on your child’s educational development.

• This regression is known as “summer learning loss.”

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

• According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), summer learning opportunities lead to higher academic grades, better preparation for high learning (post high school) and positive effects on children’s self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.

• High Quality summer programs can keep students engaged, teach them new skills, allow them to develop previously unseen talents and foster creativity and innovation.

Preventing the “Summer Slide”

• This is particularly true for children with special learning needs.

• Children with special needs work hard to learn valuable skills; however they risk losing the consistent routines and structures of school as well as the associated opportunities for behavioral and social-skill progress.

• These months of unstructured time can be difficult to fill productively, leading to frustration for both students and parents.

Going Beyond Summer Camp

• Children with special needs may be best supported by specialized camps which have levels of staffing and structure appropriate to their needs.

• Children with special needs need a summer experience that is designed to both retain skills and preserve social and emotional development.

• The ideal summer program should integrate academics and recreation to create a relevant, engaging experience that matches the unique abilities, strengths and interests of the students.

Going Beyond Summer Camp

• Summer programs should not be “one size fits all.”

• Personalization and individualization are just as important to summer programs as they are to year round academics.

• High quality summer programs consist of:• Balanced programming with daily opportunities for reading, math,

cultural enrichment and recreation• High interest, engaging activities• Positive interactions between kids and caring adults• A safe, structured learning environment• Personalized attention / low student-to-staff rations• Trained staff (i.e teachers, therapists, etc.)

Did you know? Know the facts…..

• To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months.

• When the school doors close, many children struggle to access educational and social opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision.

• More than half of the achievement gap between lower and high income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities.

Did you know? Know the facts….

• Children lose more than academic and social knowledge over the summer. Most children particularly children at high risk of obesity gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break.

• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do.

Healthy Summers

• Learning loses, safety concerns, risk for obesity, and food insecurity all set children back developmentally and academically.

• Many families struggle to find a pay for high-quality summer care for their children

• Many lack healthy meals and safe places to play outdoors.

• Many programs have lower levels of engagement in physical activity.

Planning Infrastructure

• Purpose– Find a program that has a mission that is

grounded in the needs of its community• Finance and Sustainability

– Find a program that is financially stable and has sustainability over the years.

• Planning– Find a program that is designed to allocate

enough time, staff and resources to promote positive developmental youth outcomes

Planning Infrastructure

• Staff– Find a program that recruitment and staffing process

intentionally yields culturally competent staff with relevant skills

– Find a program that provides extensive opportunities for staff development and advancement before, during and after the session.

• Partnership– Find a program that builds and maintains strong linkages

with partners, including community organizations, the public school system and government agencies that are supportive of its mission and have a vested interest in the program’s success.

Planning Infrastructure

• Individualized– Find a program that assesses young people’s needs

early in the program and develops individualized strategies for meeting program goals.

• Intentional– Find a program that has activity planning and execution

shows intentional focus on meeting learning goals and use of research-based instructional methods.

• Integrated– Find a program that builds skills, knowledge and behaviors that

promote academic success and healthy development.– Find a program that show a blend of academic strategies and

social/emotional development strategies throughout the entire day.

Planning Infrastructure

• Unique Program Culture–Find a program that creates a

“summer culture” that is different from the school year and promotes a sense of community.

Having an Effective Summer Curriculum

• Provide high-quality learning experiences and activities

• Reinforce what is taught during the school year, but look and feel different providing natural linkage to physical activity, arts, cultural awareness and social development– Suggest field trip and community events– Promote interaction with peers and instructors– Includes hands on, project based activities, skill building

and new talent development– Use language that is youth based and inclusive

Having an Effective Summer Curriculum

• Provide both flexibility and structure– Include goals and themes– Include at least 6 weeks of sequential programming– Allow grouping by age and/or individual needs

• Provide a user-friendly staff development component which guides and coaches staff on effective implementation of curriculum.

• Use “summer friendly” language– Acknowledge summer as different from other

time periods

Summer Camp Options in our Community

• Camp CoDiak• Camp Kelly• Camp Pacer• Chatham County Park Services Summer Camp• City of Savannah Leisure Services – Recreation• City of Savannah Summer Camp• Dig IT! Archaeology Camp• Educational Talent Search• ESY – Intensive Educational Services• Ewwww! Science Camp• Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club• FRIENDS Summer Social Skills Camp• Garden City Recreation• Get on Board Train Camp• Georgia Tech Summer Camp• Greenbriar Summer Camp Program• Horsin Around Therapeutic Horseback Riding• JEA Summer Camp• Jenkins Boys Club• Junior Ranger Camp

• Lake Mayer Summer Camp• Kids Pottery• Mighty Eighth Airforce• Ms. Bee’s Therapeutic Services, Inc.• Oatland Island Wildlife Summer Camp• Salvation Army Summer Camp• Savannah Summer Camp – Coastal Heritage

Society• School Age Youth Services (SAYS) – Military • Shapedown Summer Camp• SmART Camp• Starlight Pottery• Summer Therapeutic Enrichment Program

(STEPS)• The Great Train Exploration• The Tutoring Center at Royce• Twin Pines Horse Camp• YMCA Summer Camps

Conclusion

If you need assistance with finding quality rated summer services for your child, please contact:

Maranda L. Porter, MSPBehavior Specialist

130 Tibet Ave. Suite 202 Savannah, GA 31404

912-536-1258

www.friendsofcoastalga.com (website)[email protected] (email)