Media
Letter to Governor Crist
June 15, 2009
The Honorable Charlie Crist
Office of the Governor
The Capitol
Tallahasse, Florida 32399
Dear Governor Crist,
I am writing to request a proclamation declaring July 9, 2009 Summer Learning Day in the state of Florida. Summer Learning Day is a time for communities to celebrate the importance of high-quality summer learning opportunities in the lives of young people and their families. A wide array of public agencies, non-profit organizations, schools, universities, museums, libraries, and summer camps across the country will celebrate the fifth annual Summer Learning Day on July 9, 2009 Events will showcase summer programs and raise awareness about how summer programs:
- Send young people back to school ready to learn;
- Support working families; and
- Keep children safe and healthy
The Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University is coordinating Summer Learning Day activities in communities across the country. Last year, over 200 events took place in 30 states and this year, we are looking to greatly expand participation. These events recognize that for far too many young people, summer vacation results in a three-month holiday from constructive learning activities and valuable opportunities to practice the skills they need to be successful in school and in life. We are asking you to join this nationwide effort and support the summer program providers in Florida by recognizing the value these programs have for participating youth and families.
One hundred years of research confirms that all students experience summer learning loss. Recent studies show that all children lose over two months of mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Furthermore, low-income children experience much greater summer learning losses in reading than their higher income peers contributing to the growth of the achievement gap. For example, by the end of fifth grade, low-income children fall more than two years behind their middle-income peers in verbal achievement as a direct result of summer learning differences. In addition to having an adverse impact on learning, summer vacation also has negative effects on the health and nutrition of many young people. On average, only one in five children across the country who receive free and low-cost school lunches participate in federal nutrition programs during the summer.
Summer Learning Day is designed to highlight the need for more young people to be engaged in learning activities over the summer and to support local summer programs that benefit children, families, and communities. We hope that you will take this opportunity to draw attention in Florida to the need for and benefits of these valuable programs.
Enclosed you will find a draft copy of a proclamation.
Sincerely