Posted on May 23, 2023
Summer Enrichment Program Provides Children with High-Quality Learning Opportunities During the Summer Months
The governor and Education Commissioner Russell-Tucker recently announced that 110 organizations in Connecticut are being awarded more than $13 million in grants to provide learning opportunities to children during the summers of 2023 and 2024 as part of the latest round of funding under the Connecticut Summer Enrichment Program.
Locally, The New Milford Youth Agency at Sarah Noble School has been recognized.
The program was created in an effort to connect K-12 students whose education may have been negatively impacted by the pandemic with low or no-cost, high-quality enrichment opportunities when they are out of school during the summer months. This includes at summer camps, childcare centers, and other similar programs, with a priority for those in communities that were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. This 2023 and 2024 cohort of grantees are expected to serve more than 66,000 students across both summers.
Of the 110 organizations awarded funding as part of this 2023 and 2024 cohort, 96 received Expansion Grants of up to $50,000 in funding per year, and 14 received Innovation Grants of up to $150,000 in funding per year. More than 50% of the programs (62 total) are based in 20 of the state’s 36 Alliance Districts or public school districts that serve a disproportionately higher share of low-income and high-needs students. A majority of camps (83 total) have dedicated $7.6 million in grant funding to provide scholarships to students to defray or eliminate the cost of attending, while the remaining 27 will offer camp services at no charge. In part due to this funding, summer enrichment grantees expect to open programming to an additional 14,500 students.
Families seeking to enroll their children in the participating programs for the summer of 2023 can find a list of available opportunities online by visiting summerct.org. Camps will run as early as the first week of June through the end of August.
**Download: List of organizations receiving Connecticut Summer Enrichment Program grants for 2023 and 2024