LYNN — Six local nonprofits are set to receive summer learning grants that total $887,150 to support youth academic and social-emotional development.
The Lynn nonprofits — Gregg Neighborhood House, Camp Fire North Shore, Metro North YMCA, Girls Inc of Lynn, Boys and Girls Club of Lynn, and ASPIRE Developmental Services will receive the grants as a result of the partnership between Gov. Charlie Baker’s Administration and United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, a civic engagement organization. The program, in its second year, is called Summer Step Up and exists to expand and enhance recreation and learning opportunities for children entering pre-kindergarten through second grade.
“Summer has always been a critical time to ensure that students remain engaged in their learning and that remains particularly true amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and its disparate impact on student outcomes,” United Way CEO Bob Giannino said in a statement. “United Way is proud to partner with school districts and community organizations to meet students’ needs this summer.”
The Summer Step Up initiative allows children to attend extended day programs at community-based organizations, participate in preschool camps, or enroll in new programs created with Summer Step Up funding. All Summer Step Up programming works to ease young children’s transition to school in the fall.
“We continue to be committed to the important work of preparing young children for school, by partnering with communities in innovative and productive ways that engage young people in active learning during critical summer months,” Massachusetts Education Secretary James Peyser said in a statement. “When we launched summer programming last year, we knew it would be a multi-year effort to help students of all ages be prepared and regain ground both academically and socially.”
The initiative also increases families’ access to affordable child care, “serving students most in need of supportive, affirming learning environments,” according to a United Way press release. Summer Step Up funding also helps cover staff planning, meeting, training time, and transportation costs.
“Summer Step Up provides more opportunities for our youngest learners to learn and play, building a foundation for their academic success when they enter school in the fall,” Baker said in a statement. “We were pleased to be able to support this program for a second year and engage more children [in] summer activities at no cost to their families.”
