November 2019
Over the summer we shared a video about Camp Achieve, which is part of BEF’s Kids Count initiative. Kids Count programs bring fun, academic enrichment activities to kids after school and during the summer. If you didn’t get a chance to see the video, here’s the link again. It is a great chance to see your dollars at work because without you, Camp Achieve would not be possible.
BEF also insists that our donors’ dollars positively benefit our students. That’s why we work with our educators to monitor students’ progress. For Camp Achieve, which aims to reduce or eliminate the “summer slide,” we track how students do with reading. We want to be sure Camp is helping students retain what they’ve learned and get ready to walk into the classroom come September.
The numbers for the summer just came in and we want to share some highlights:
- 398 students enrolled in Camp Achieve this summer
- 266 students (67%) maintained their reading levels and
- 91 (23%) significantly improved.
That means 90% of students showed no evidence of summer slide! Reading is a big focus of the Camp, with teachers helping students find “good fit” books, offering library time, and hosting book fairs. With all that support and fun books, students were not only reading at Camp, over 80% of them were regularly reading at home as well.
Another highlight of the summer was testing two models for Camp Achieve – a traditional camp and a “hybrid” model that mixed in online learning activities. Students in the hybrid model showed more growth in both math and reading engagement, and matched the other students on maintaining and improving reading levels. We are excited to hear what our educators will have in store for next summer’s campers!
Well done everyone!