Programs aim to keep children engaged this Summer

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday announced the progress underway with summer acceleration and encouraged Delaware families to take advantage of the free services offered by their districts and charter schools.

The Delaware Department of Education (DDOE) has introduced a variety of programs for Delaware families this summer including Sora/OverDrive, a reading app featuring thousands of titles, Zearn Math, on-demand math lessons, and one-on-one tutoring with the support of Back to Basics, Reading Assist, and many community-based organizations. These programs are in addition to the many plans being offered by the school districts/charters across the state. So far, Delaware students have checked out 9,620 books on SORA and have read for nearly 4,000 hours.

“This has been a challenging year for all Delaware families. These summer acceleration programs offered by community partners, Department of Education, and school districts will help students keep learning this summer and be ready for the next school year this fall,” said Governor Carney. “Delaware families: Take advantage of these free programs. Pick up a great book. Try your hand at Zearn math. Our goal is to help more Delaware children read at grade level by third grade, be proficient in math by eighth grade, and to graduate college or career-ready. These free programs will help Delaware’s children reach those goals.”

As of June 30, more than 400 Delaware educators have been trained on High Quality Instructional Materials, more than 200 teachers and leaders have been trained on Zearn, more than 125 tutors have been trained on Zearn, and nearly 100 tutors have been trained on Core Language Knowledge Arts. DDOE has partnered with 13 community-based organizations at 38 sites to provide one-on-one tutoring for about 5,000 Delaware students.

Sites include: 

• A Child’s Better Future
• A Friend of the Family
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Delaware
• Community Learning and Wellness Hub which includes:
  • City of Love
  • Neighborhood House
  • Urban Promise
• First State Community Action Agency
• Girls, Inc.
• Latin American Community Center
• Network Connect Co-Learning Space
• Phyllis Wheatley Elementary School and Century Middle School 21^st Century Community Learning Centers
• WAVE

“The state-funded resources – which supplement local programming also being offered by our districts and charter schools – allow every public school student in Delaware to have access to summer acceleration supports,” said Susan Bunting, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. “If your child isn’t yet taking part, reach out to your school. Let’s keep our students learning this summer so they are ready for the new school year.”

The department also introduced a language line to increase accessibility. The language line offers over-the-phone interpreting features in 195 languages available on demand 24/7. In just one month, there have been 314 calls with 56 hours of usage, 24 average calls per day, and 15 languages used so far. Reasons for calls vary from invitations to summer programs, responding to family phone calls, nurse calls, student programming, enrollment and pantry services.

“The language line is a great resource to help our school connect with families in their preferred language.  Interpreters are easy to work with, and the service enhances our opportunities to create strong home-school connections,” said Mabel Boutte, principal at Wilson Elementary School in Christina School District.

“Yes, I think this [the language line] is perfect. Five days ago, I received a call from my children’s school and they told me they are now offering a Spanish line. This is a lot easier and faster instead of having to communicate with a translator. Before, when I would call the school, they would have to find someone and then call me back and now, with this service, I can call directly to the school. The Spanish line is a lot more helpful,” said a parent in the Cape Henlopen School District.   

For more information about summer acceleration, visit: de.gov/digitalde 

To start using the state-funded resources, contact your district or charter school.

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