Summer Literacy Program
Six week program: Monday-Friday, 8:00am to 3:00pm
Our K-8th uplifting culturally relevant academic program is focused on educating the whole child to improve performance in school and prevent summer learning loss.
The five essential components of the program
High quality academic and character-building enrichment
Multicultural, integrated, research-based reading curriculum provides K-8 scholars with a culturally relevant approach to learning.
Literacy, civic engagement and social action
Classes include three hours of reading per day and other academic enrichment activities focused on civic engagement and social action to empower scholars and support improved academic performance.
Whole child nutrition, health and mental health support
Students receive two nutritious meals and a snack daily, and a book each week which they keep to build their home libraries—all at no cost to participants.
Parent and family involvement
We create a fun nurturing environment that gives scholars and their families a sense of belonging, confidence in their capabilities, connection to resources and intergenerational relationships to help them thrive.
Intergenerational servant leadership development
Classes with 10 scholars each are led by trained Servant Leader Interns who help children cultivate positive attitudes toward learning.
A journey starts with one step
By creating a world beyond the traditional classroom, our proven, culturally-relevant curriculum frees spirits to replace limiting beliefs with abundance and positivity.
Summer 2022 Results
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Scholars read an average of 11.5 books during the 6-week duration of Gulf Coast Freedom Schools (based on Scholar survey).
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81.8% of scholars maintained or gained instructional reading levels, avoiding summer learning losses (based on the Basic Reading Inventory 11th Ed.).
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77.2% of scholars demonstrated increased academic engagement.
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77.2% of scholars developed conflict resolution skills.
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94.7% of scholars exhibited self-empowerment.
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87.7% were ready for social action or civic engagement after participating in Gulf Coast Freedom Schools (based on Scholar survey).
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96.1% of parents reported positive changes in their children’s social and academic confidence.
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100% of parents expressed a better understanding of how to help their child be successful (based on the CDF parent survey).
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Scholars showed improvement in all five competencies of social emotional learning skills (based on Scholar survey):
- 96.5% in self-awareness.
- 71.9% in self-management.
- 89.4% in social awareness.
- 68.2% in relationship skills.
- 75.4% in responsible decision-making.