2022 SUMMER SUCCESS
Going to kindergarten is a big change for kids (and families). Summer Success at Home is all about helping your child get ready for kindergarten while having fun at home!
Summer Success at Home is a four-week program for 4- and 5-year-olds the summer before they go to kindergarten. The program helps your child learn school readiness skills, including:
- early math
- language
- literacy
- kindergarten routines
Your child will receive canvas bags filled with at-home activities to do together – reading, play and media experiences.
This year’s program will serve 500 families who will receive at-home activities including storybooks.
Partners: The Summer Success at Home program was made possible through the collaboration between:
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Materials:
- Download the Summer Success Kindergarten Readiness Camp Manual
- Download the Summer Success Assessment Materials
BACKGROUND
Summer Success Camps
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Schoenbaum Family Center and Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy offered Summer Success camps every summer for children entering kindergarten in the fall. The camp offered two different four-week sessions at no cost to families with breakfast and lunch also provided. Children build their knowledge in language and literacy, math concepts and peer relationships through creative hands-on activities including storybook reading, art, and glass projects. Priority is given to children in the Weinland Park neighborhood and to those who have not attended preschool. Children receive free admission to Franklin Park Conservatory and the Columbus Museum of Art. The program is funded through a $60K Ohio State Impact Grant with the support of other community organizations.
The Summer Success program was developed in consultation with researchers, educators, and community partners in the field of early childhood education. Program materials (daily lesson plans, sample schedules, recommended storybooks, suggested creative and auxiliary activities, and select screening and assessment materials), are provided free to early childhood educators and community partners who are interested in implementing the program.
Results: A previous evaluation of the program found that children who participated made significant gains in their kindergarten readiness skills. The results were published in our whitepaper, “Summer Success: A Comprehensive Kindergarten Readiness Camp.” A report from the 2019 Summer Success program can be found here.
2020 SUMMER SUCCESS AT HOME
During the four-week program, 4- and 5-year olds going into kindergarten learned key kindergarten readiness skills such as early math, language and literacy skills, and kindergarten routines. They did this through a tablet they received with preloaded educational videos, weekly chats with their Summer Success teacher, video chats between parents and teachers, and at-home activities, including storybooks.
Results: You can download the 2020 report here or read the research paper Virtual Kindergarten Readiness Programming for Preschool-Aged Children: Feasibility, Social Validity, and Preliminary Impacts here.
