Today, Rep. Tom Reed spoke with students, parents and the school faculty of Love Elementary School about giving our kids the best opportunity to succeed and the benefits of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
“We care about listening and speaking directly with our future community leaders,” Tom said. “All students deserve a fair shot at the educational opportunities like those provided in after school and summer programming. We applaud 21st Century Community Centers for the work they do to ensure our children have a safe and fun learning environment.”
"Our goal is to eliminate summer learning loss," Dr. Bret Apthorpe, Superintendent for Jamestown Public Schools said. "By providing opportunities to work in small groups with literacy interventionists, enriching hands-on learning experiences and healthy meals, we are able to help students not only prevent the backward literacy slide over the summer but increase academic outcomes."
"With the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant from the state, we are able to partner with local agencies like Jamestown Community Learning Council, Jamestown Area YMCA, YWCA of Jamestown and Chautauqua Striders to provide holistic summer programs for students," Michelle McDowell, Chief Academic Officer for Jamestown Public Schools said. "Jamestown Schools and community-based organizations will work together to build quality learning opportunities that extend concepts and lessons learned during the school day to after school and summer programs."
"The summer months present an opportunity to provide youth with new opportunities and experiences outside of the traditional classroom, helping them make gains both academically and socially, while having fun in a safe environment," Executive Director of New York State Network for Youth Success, Kelly Sturgis said. "The Network for Youth Success thanks Congressman Reed for highlighting the importance of 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs through his visit to Love Elementary in Jamestown."
21st Century Community Learning Centers are open after school and during the summer. These centers provide additional educational resources to families, educational enrichment activities that complement what students are already learning during regular school hours and teach valuable life skills. This year, Congress provided $1.2 billion in funding for this valuable program.
