Photo credit: ANYTOWN®, CAMP EDMO®, and Canoemobile (Excellence in Summer Learning Award-Winning Programs)

Welcome back to another school year and a huge thank you to the many summer learning champions who supported millions of young people and their families this season! The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is excited to host our annual Summer Changes Everything™ national conference from November 8-10, 2021 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington DC.

We wanted to share some of the great speakers, experts and leaders who will be joining us such as:

Lisa Hamilton,

CEO, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Margaret Brennan, Moderator, Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on CBS, CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent

Christian Rhodes,

Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Education

Stay tuned for more announcements on speakers and sessions. You can register you and your team here and learn more about our COVID Safety procedures.

As the summer season sunsets and a new school year begins, NSLA is pleased to announce the 2021 honorees of the coveted New York Life Foundation’s Excellence in Summer Learning Awards.

“Congratulations to these honorees who truly represent the best of the best summer programs in the nation. They have responded to this unimaginable crisis and delivered extraordinary creativity and leadership in serving students who truly needed joy, healing and safe spaces to learn and recharge.”

Aaron P. Dworkin, CEO, National Summer Learning Association

Memphis Library

Memphis, TN

Fab Youth Philly

Philadelphia, PA

America SCORES Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA

The Dance Institute of Washington

Washington, DC

Summer Togetherness was a ten-week virtual learning series hosted by NSLA, GreatSchools.org, and Learning Heroes for parents and families featuring expert guests who share actionable, evidence-based guidance across a range of topics from summer enrichment programs to reading, math, social-emotional learning, physical activity and more.

With school in full swing, tune in here to check out some great tips and tools for a successful school year. NSLA’s very own Board member, Jon Fortt of CNBC, is featured in this exciting episode.

Schools, out-of-school time (OST) providers, and other practitioners tasked with developing children’s social and emotional skills have a new resource for “looking inside” 33 SEL programs.

Navigating Social and Emotional Learning from the Inside Out is a revised and expanded second edition to a highly popular 2017 guide highlights evidence-based program models that can help educators integrate SEL into school and OST program culture and build students’ skills.

Updates include the addition of PreK programs, detailed chapters on how to achieve an equitable and trauma-informed approach to SEL, and a new supplement to guide users in selecting the right SEL program for their goals.

Educators nationwide completely reimagined summer school this summer. It could signal a new era.

Read the full article by The Washington Post featuring NSLA's CEO, Aaron Philip Dworkin.