YOUR SOURCE FOR SUMMER LEARNING NEWS
November 11, 2019
Issue No. 13
Greetings!

The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) seeks applications from youth-serving organizations nationwide for the  2020 Summer Learning Awards   sponsored by the  New York Life Foundation . This coveted award recognizes exceptional informal or enrollment-based summer programs that keep students safe and healthy, support their academic growth and improve the well-being of our nation’s most vulnerable children and youth. 

Eligible candidates for the Summer Learning Awards must submit their application by December 4, 2019  and demonstrate strong outcomes in promoting healthy youth development during the critical summer months through creative curricula, unique programming and effective family engagement strategies. This is a chance for you and/or your peers to be recognized as the best of the best in the field of summer learning and to shine a spotlight on all the amazing work you do for children and youth in your program.

Each award-winning program will receive:
  • a $10,000 donation, generously supported by the New York Life Foundation;
  • national recognition through speaking engagements, NSLA’s publications, and media outreach to national and local news outlets as well inclusion in a social media campaign.
  • recognition at an awards ceremony at NSLA's national conference Summer Changes Everything™; and
  • an official award seal for use on their website and in program publications. 

A national review panel of education experts will measure all award applicants using the Summer Learning Program Quality Assessment tool, developed in partnership with NSLA and the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality.

We hope you will enter and pass this opportunity along to your peers!
2020 Summer Learning Awards Kick-off Webinar
Thursday, November 14, 1:00 PM (ET)
Join is for our 2020 Summer Learning Awards Kick-off Webinar on November 14th. During the presentation, we'll discuss this year's application and answer any questions you might have about the process.

Not sure what questions you want to ask? Check out this preview of the 2020 application to prepare for the webinar.
2019 Summer Learning Award Winners Honored at
National Conference
The 2019 Summer Learning Awards honored programs that provide high-quality summer learning opportunities to children and youth in traditional and non-traditional settings.

This year, NSLA named four exceptional summer programs the winners of two coveted national awards: the 2019 New York Life Foundation’s Excellence in Summer Learning Award and the inaugural Lands’ End Love Learning Award.
Watch the full video playlist featuring all four winners to get an idea of what it takes to be among the best of the best in summer learning. Also available for download is the 2019 Summer Learning Awards Bulletin. It's full of examples of best practices and provides inspiration for you and your peers to draw from as you complete your 2020 application.
Highlights from Summer Changes Everything™
Richard Woods, Superintendent, Georgia Department of Education, delivered a message to attendees saying, " Summer is another season for opportunity...instead of having a summer slide, we want a summer of success."
Local nonprofit leaders shared insight about the recently released summer learning landscape report on Greater Atlanta at our Community Town Hall on Monday, October 21,
Dr. Steve Perry, Founder & Head of Capital Preparatory Schools & Daytime TV Host, gave an inspiring, opening keynote address and reminded us that “Summer programs are the answer and that [we] must swell [our] ranks and change the way education happens.”
The closing keynote, sponsored by the Jr. NBA, featured a conversation with NBA legend Dikembe Mutombo, Pharlone Toussaint (Laureus Foundation), Andrea K. Carter (Atlanta Hawks), and Ed Foster-Simeon (U.S. Soccer Foundation), who explored the power of sports to uplift youth and communities.