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The City of Philadelphia is previewing summer programs, as more than 30,000 slots are available for youth entertainment and education.
Council President Kenyatta Johnson pushed for the early unveiling of summer programs to allow more time for parents to sign their kids up.
“My nana taught me as a child an idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” he said.
Most of the slots are reserved for summer school. Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington said the district is prepared to enroll 23,000 students in learning activities that will be held in air-conditioned city schools. Students will do language arts in the morning and summer camp–style activities in the afternoon, he said.
“If we are going to continue to accelerate academic outcomes so all of our people graduate prepared to participate in the world’s largest economy,” Watlington said, “we’ve got to address the summer slide.”
The summer slide refers to young students losing learning momentum during an extended break.
A six-week summer camp program with full-day enrichment activities will also be offered for elementary, middle and high school students. Beginning June 24, the program is free and includes meals and field trips. You can sign up for that here.
Vanessa Garrett Harley, deputy managing director of the Department of Children and Families, said the city is also looking to hire thousands of young people for paid jobs as part of the city’s work-based learning experience program, Career Connected Learning PHL (C2L-PHL).