by GLORIA RIVAS
Choice for All’s Summer Education & Enrichment Program is a staple service we provide for youth and families. To prevent summer learning loss, provide a safe environment for our children and ensure the youth have from the school year, I was very excited to serve as one of the site leaders this year.
Our summer enrichment program is a six-week adventure that provides the youth with a balance of academic supports with cultural enrichment activities. During the morning, students engaged in thematic literacy and writing activities towards creating short stories. We would create a page for the book day by day. At the end of the summer camp, each child received their book to share with their families. During this experience, they became the author and the publisher!
On Mondays and Wednesdays, we provide swimming instruction and fun time at the local pool in the afternoon portion of the program thanks to the Village of Freeport and Freeport Recreation Center. On Thursdays, we had trips to the movies, roller skating at United Skates, Baldwin Bowl, the Buffet and Adventureland! We also made sure on Tuesday during Get Fit, students engaged in small team constructive activities including international football, volleyball and Pause & Dance Game!
The most fun part for me was the trip to Adventureland. It is a big and beautiful place. There was a great opportunity to go on every ride. You can also see it in their face how happy the children were. They loved the time spent here. I appreciate going to the park too. It warmed my heart to see how freely the children could do anything they wanted, especially playing soccer.