Pictured: MCF Staff presenting a grant to Stacy Freeman in her third-grade classroom. Provided photo.

If there is a school-aged child in your life, you’ve likely heard about the “summer slide” – when students lose ground academically while out of the classroom over summer break.

As a mom of an 8-year-old girl, I see it firsthand. All she wants to do over the summer is play, swim, and watch Looney Tunes (she loves a good classic). But as co-chair of the Manatee Childcare Alliance alongside my colleague Darrell King, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition, I can’t help but let statistics about the summer slide run through my mind.

According to the National Association of Counties, students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds lose two to three months of reading proficiency each summer.

And one survey showed that 66% of educators reported they spend the first month of the school year re-teaching material that was covered the previous year – that equates to over 11% of the school year, which, compounded over 12 academic years, amounts to over 75% of a school year.

In Manatee County, educators and nonprofit organizations are tackling this challenge head-on.

Our School District has been making significant strides to elevate outcomes and offers a wide range of academic camps in the summer. We are glad to see Dr. Jason Wysong and his team’s momentum in establishing better-performing schools in Mantee County. And as we celebrate the upcoming retirement of our friend and champion, Mary Glass, of the Manatee Education Foundation, we see the lasting impact of her dedication.

But knowing we can’t depend solely on the School District for help, many are filling in the gap. As part of the Manatee Community Foundation (MCF) family, we invest in a number of programs that support our youth, such as:

• The Soar in 4 and Soar Learning Lab programs which help educate parents on how to be their child’s first teacher, with a focus on teaching literacy skills.
• Working with the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce, Manatee Education Foundation, and Unidos Now, MCF invests in REACH Manatee, a college access network that drives a culture that supports post-secondary education.
• “Dive into Reading” started when Amanda and John Horne invited students from two Title I elementary schools to have breakfast and practice reading with a mentor at their Anna Maria Oyster Bar in Ellenton. Since then, mentors have included retired teachers, grandparents, high schoolers, and restaurant team members.
• In partnership with the Manatee County Early Learning Coalition, MCF co-leads the Manatee Childcare Alliance, which seeks to provide affordable, program-rich childcare for ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families, employers, and the community.
• The Manatee Arts Education Council, part of the Manatee Education Foundation, promotes the arts through Arts Alive, Arts Rise & Shine and art scholarships.
• RECESS, Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County, United Community Centers and other nonprofit partners offer summer programs designed to improve knowledge retention while developing reading and life skills.
• As part of what’s called the Big Plan, a Principals Fund was developed to address barriers related to learning or to train and recognize staff at Big Plan schools. MCF partners with the School District, the Patterson Foundation, Manatee County, and the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County for this initiative.

Making investments like these will pay off. Dr. James Heckman at the University of Chicago found that investments in early learning show a 7 to 10% per year return on investment, tied to better school and career performance, along with reduced costs in health, criminal justice and remedial education.

How can you help? Give to the organizations that run the programs, or partner with MCF and our partner foundations, so we can amplify your impact and help students avoid the summer slide.

Veronica Thames is CEO of the Manatee Community Foundation, which has given over $67 million to our communities by working with donors and nonprofit partners to improve the quality of life for people and animals in Manatee County.

Pictured: MCF Staff presenting a grant to Stacy Freeman in her third-grade classroom. Provided photo.