Summer Innovation Fellows

It is often said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” The National Summer Learning Association believes summer learning programs provide a unique and flexible opportunity for leaders to try out and measure the effectiveness of new ideas and strategies, creative partnerships and policies before scaling. The severity and enormity of the societal challenges we are facing in America requires entrepreneurial leaders pursuing innovative solutions. Congratulations to:

Bianca Love

Bianca Love is an internationally recognized musician, producer, teacher and entrepreneur. Born and raised in New Orleans, she realizes the racial inequalities in the education system and daily life that plagues the city and is seeking to establish a music program for underprivileged youth. Through instrumental/music production coaching and songwriting, she strives to help these youth express themselves and find release through music.

Dennis Mabasa

Dennis Mabasa is an eco-educator and program manager from Kalibo, Philippines, currently working as the Assistant Manager of Youth Engagement at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Through his 9 years of experience in youth workforce development, instructional design, and community engagement, he has built a proven track record of managing and evaluating high quality internships and educational programs and developing strong and inclusive communities. Dennis is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and he joyfully includes his culture, identity and values into his work.

Howard Forbes

Howard Forbes is a native to the island of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has always had a passion for furthering his quest for science and earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) in 2010 and a Masters degree in Marine and Environmental Science also from UVI in 2014. In the same year, he took on his current role as the St. Thomas Coordinator for the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service where he coordinates several programs that engage V.I. youth and the larger community in learning more about marine and environmental science as well as leading a combination of both waste reduction and glass recycling programs. Howard enjoys being able to give back to his community whilst working to inspire other Virgin Islanders to become better environmental stewards.

Congressional Summer Interns

By empowering the next generation of passionate young leaders to kick-start their careers in public service, we get one step closer to creating a Congress that is truly reflective of the beautiful diversity in America. NSLA proudly partnered with College to Congress to bring more students to Congress! College to Congress is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways for students to intern in Congress who otherwise could not afford to do so. Congratulations to:

George Castillo

George Castillo is an alumni of Summerbridge – San Francisco summer program. He is a graduate of Allegheny College where he majored in International Studies and French. He has a strong interest in immigration policy, national security/ foreign affairs, and economic justice. George plans to attend law school and would like to work in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs as a Legal Aide.

Elaine Ansah

Elaine Ansah is an alumni of Delaware College Scholars. She is a senior at the University of Delaware majoring in Political Science & Government with minors in History and Africana Studies. A successful career for her would include updating legislation that has adversely affected minorities, teaching a new generation of change-makers how to make their voices heard, and producing results that will help minorities across the nation.

Jacques Thompson

Jacques Thompson is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and an alumni of the MERIT Health Leadership Academy program. He considers himself to be a changemaker, interested in police reform, education reform, and health equity. As a long term goal, he would like to pursue a career as a senator, representing his home state of Maryland.

Reine Duevi

Reine Duevi is an alumni of the NJ LEEP program. She is a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Political Science. Her dream job is to be a future Supreme Court Justice and is interested in voting rights, the 19th amendment, and immigration laws. She would eventually like to establish herself as an expert of affairs in Chile, Argentina, and West Africa.

This week the House and Senate came to agreement on a $1.3 trillion budget deal to fund all twelve Departments for FY20, expected to be passed in two parts. The first bill funds Defense, Homeland Security, Commerce-Justice-Science and Financial Services. The second bill funds Agriculture, Labor-HHS-Education, Energy/Water, Interior/Environment, State/Foreign Operations, Transportation/HUD, Military Construction/VA and the Legislative Branch. The President will have to sign both bills into law by December 20 to avert a partial or total federal government shut down when the current continuing resolution expires.

Once again, Congress has rejected the President’s proposal to eliminate or reduce funding for many critical programs that serve youth and families, and the budget deal includes many key increases for summer learning and enrichment programs in the second bill (Labor-HHS-Education Departments):

• 21st Century Community Learning Centers is funded at $1.25 billion, an increase of $28 million above the 2019 enacted level. The program will also be renamed the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, in honor of Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY). Congresswoman Lowey announced her retirement from Congress earlier this year. She is a long-time champion of out-of-school time programs, Head Start, and other key programs for youth and families, and her voice and leadership will be missed.
• Title I of ESSA is funded at $16.310 billion, an increase of $450 million above the 2019 enacted level.
• Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants (Title IV-A of ESSA) is funded at $1.210 billion, an increase of $40 million above the 2019 enacted level.
• Full Service Community Schools is funded at $25 million, an increase of $8 million.
• TRIO is funded at $1.090 billion, an increase of $30 million above the 2019 enacted level. GEAR UP is funded at $365 million, an increase of $5 million above the 2019 enacted level.
• Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) is funded at $1.1 billion, an increase of $21 million above the 2019 enacted level. The president’s budget proposed to eliminate CNCS and included $94 million to close CNCS’s doors.
• Child Care and Development Block Grant (child care subsidies) is funded at $5.826 billion, an increase of $550 million; supporting child care for children ages birth through 12.

Some additional program wins of note:

• Education, Innovation, and Research is funded at $190 million, an increase of $60 million above the 2019 enacted level. $65 million of EIR funds are dedicated for studying STEM education. Also, the budget includes $65 million in new funds to study evidence-based innovations that address student social and emotional learning needs.
• Career, Technical Education (CTE) is funded at $1.283 billion, an increase of $20 million. The Perkins CTE legislation includes programs that offer CTE learning to children as early as fifth grade and can be done during out-of-school time.
• Career Pathways for Youth Grants: The bill provides $10,000,000 to utilize the demonstration grant authority under the dislocated worker national reserve for grants to support national out-of-school-time organizations that serve youth and teens. It also places an emphasis on age-appropriate workforce readiness programming to expand job training and workforce pathways for youth and disconnected youth, including soft skill development, career exploration, job readiness and certification, summer jobs, year-round job opportunities, and apprenticeships. Funding also will support partnerships between workforce investment boards and youth-serving organizations.
• A new Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiative is funded at $123 million to support SEL and “whole child” approaches to education.

These wins came because of you! Summer learning advocates and our partners have been vocal in letting Congress know that President Trump’s budget cuts and eliminated programs are not the will of the people, and Congress has responded with strong support for these critical programs.

Keep your eye on NSLA’s Take Action page for updated action alerts on important federal legislation that affects summer learning. Subscribe to NSLA’ Policy & Advocacy newsletter to get regular email updates on federal and state policy news.

As Vice President for Policy and Research, Rachel Gwaltney leads NSLA’s efforts to improve federal and state policy conditions for summer activities; and to develop, steward, and share research related to summer opportunities.

On September 19, 2019, the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) and partners held a Capitol Hill briefing on the topic Summer Starts in September! How targeted federal investments help partners plan successful summer activities for youth.  Speakers from Baltimore City Public Schools, the Alexandria, Virginia Library, and Teachers in the Parks program in Reading, Pennsylvania discussed how key federal investments support numerous summer opportunities for youth at the local level. These programs operate innovative summer literacy and learning programs using a diverse mix of district, state, federal, and private funding to help promote literacy and prevent summer learning loss.

A key component of all programs is the use of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), which provides regular, healthy meals to students who qualify for free and reduced meals during the school year. Yet, a common thread among all the speakers was that available public, and especially federal targeted funds, are not nearly enough to serve all students in need. The largest programs represented here serve only 10-12 percent of the youth population in a community, leaving many working families in need of affordable, safe and enriching activities for their children during the months when school is not in session.

Congressman Joseph Morelle (NY-25), lead sponsor of the Summer Meals and Learning Act (S. 2070 and H.R. 3667), shared his perspective on the importance of summer activities for youth. This included how the Rochester, NY community has created and grown a network of school, community-based and local agency providers that coordinate services to ensure as many children as possible are able to have an enriching and fun summer. He shared memories of spending summers at the library, reading just about every book available. Congressman Morelle reiterated the importance of investments in summer to help close opportunity and achievement gaps.

Lara Ohanian, Director of Differentiated Learning at Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPS), shared the myriad summer programs offered by BCPS, many in partnership with community organizations like Young Audiences and Springboard Collaborative. With a high population of students eligible for free and reduced meals, BCPS incorporates SFSP into every site. These programs target specific needs and interests of various ages and groups of children, including programs that engage students in engineering, debate, intensive English-language acquisition, and AP classes. Like most schools and districts, BCPS weaves together a variety of public and private funding streams to deliver these programs and services.

Diana Price, Youth Services Manager at the Alexandria Library in Alexandria, VA, highlighted the importance of free and easily accessible summer programs in addressing the tremendous opportunity gaps in a highly diverse community. Partners like the Alexandria Recreation Department and Alexandria City Public Schools expand the reach of library programs to more youth, and help educate families about the variety of reading and learning programs offered at the library.

Finally, Matthew Hathaway, fourth grade teacher and founder and director of Teachers in the Parks (TIP) in Reading, PA, emphasized the importance of bringing programs to where kids are and want to be in the summertime. Yet, just because a program is held outside the classroom, it doesn’t mean it’s not rigorous: TIPS brings classroom teachers and a set of literacy materials to small groups in the park setting where kids can explore and discuss reading material on a wide variety of topics. The park setting seamlessly links the academic morning to the SFSP and park recreation programs for the afternoon, creating a full day of programming that feels like camp for kids.

Together with these diverse programs, NSLA shared information for Summer Learning Advocates to get involved in the fight for critical funding at the federal level that supports summer learning and enrichment opportunities. The briefing was sponsored by Senator Jeff Merkley (OR), sponsor of the Summer Meals and Learning Act (S. 2070 and H.R. 3667), which would support new partnerships between libraries and schools for summer literacy programming in targeted schools.

Additionally, panelists reiterated the importance of the 21^st Century Community Learning Centers program and other ESSA funding that funds out-of-school time supports and wraparounds services for youth most at-risk. Help us ensure that all students have the opportunity to be safe, healthy, and productively engaged during the summer months! Contact Congress about key federal funding that supports summer. https://www.summerlearning.org/contact-congress/

As Vice President for Policy and Research, Rachel Gwaltney leads NSLA’s efforts to improve federal and state policy conditions for summer activities; and to develop, steward, and share research related to summer opportunities.

Clarissa Hayes, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst, Food Action and Research Center (FRAC)

When the school bell rings to mark the beginning of summer break, millions of low-income children lose access to the school breakfasts and lunches they rely on during the school year. The federally funded Summer Nutrition Programs — the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) — help to fill this hunger gap by providing funding so that programs can serve meals and snacks to children at sites in low-income areas.

Despite the important role the Summer Nutrition Programs play in helping families stretch their food budgets during the summer months, they remain underutilized. In July 2018, almost 2.9 million children participated on an average day, reaching only one child with a nutritious summer lunch through the Summer Nutrition Programs for every seven low-income children who participated in school lunch during the 2017–2018 school year.

Low-income children miss out on more than just meals when the Summer Nutrition Programs are not available to them. Summer meal sites frequently serve healthy meals alongside educational and enrichment programming, which together help combat summertime food insecurity, weight gain, and learning loss for children. Without access to the Summer Nutrition Programs, more children are at risk of returning to school further behind academically, which can have exponential ramifications on academic achievement year after year.

The Child Nutrition Reauthorization bill (CNR), currently being considered by Congress, provides an important opportunity to increase access to summer meals by ramping up investments in the Summer Nutrition Programs. CNR allows Congress to review the laws governing the child nutrition programs and make changes to strengthen and improve them. Several key proposals would increase the number of children served and eliminate barriers to participation. These include:

• allow SFSP sponsors to provide meals year-round, rather than operate SFSP in the summer and another program during the school year;
• lower the eligibility threshold from 50 to 40 percent so that more rural and suburban areas that often have substantial — but less concentrated — poverty can participate; and allow all meal sites to serve three meals.

To move the needle on summer meals, significant investments also must be made to support the summer programs that provide the platform for summer meal sites. This is because there simply are not enough affordable summer enrichment programs available for low-income families to participate in. Because these programs provide an important foundation for the Summer Nutrition Programs to operate, increased investments in summer programs at the federal, state, and local levels — combined with increased outreach, collaboration, and implementation of best practices — would ensure that low-income children would have access to the summer learning opportunities and the summer meals they need for a healthy summer and a strong start to the next school year.

Learn more about the Summer Nutrition Programs and how to support them in FRAC’s new report, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.