YMCA helping kids beat summer blues of learning loss

The average summer learning loss in math and reading for American students equals one month per year, and the losses are even higher for low-income students, according to the nonprofit RAND Corporation.

Even worse, this learning loss is cumulative, summer after summer, and it can have a negative impact on students’ future job and academic prospects, said Rhonda Elmore, association youth development director of the leale.

However, “this loss is preventable,” she said. In June and July, the YMCA offers its Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) program to rising third- to fifth-grade students in Birmingham, especially those from lower-income communities.

The six-week program focuses on phonics, writing, reading and math, and the curriculum — designed by local nonprofit Better Basics — is fun and engaging, Elmore said. “​Every two weeks is a new theme,” she said. “During Mexican week, students used what they learned on fractions to measure ingredients to make salsa and tortillas.”

The YMCA has offered SAIL in Birmingham for five years, according to Elmore. Last year, they served 93 students and anticipate 100 this year.

SAIL is offered in Birmingham at the Northeast YMCA and the downtown Youth Center YMCA for a $50 fee.

Registration is open at the branches or at ymcabham.org/sail.