Engaging students to keep them safe, healthy, active and learning all summer.
Without support, research shows that children from low-income families lose more than two months of reading achievement every summer, compared to their more affluent peers.*
Thanks to additional public and private funding, we are able to operate summer programs at more schools than ever before during the summer of 2021. Click here to watch the Summer of Fun in 2021 video!
The LA’s BEST Summer Learning Program keeps kids engaged and active while school is out, helping to prevent summer learning loss. During the Summer of 2021, LA’s BEST will operate in collaboration with LAUSD Beyond The Bell, Monday through Friday from June 14 – July 23, 2021. LA’s BEST sites will open for enrolled children 8am to 6pm. For the Community of Schools (CoS), LA’s BEST will operate from noon to 6pm. For more information about Community of Schools, please visit: https://achieve.lausd.net/summer2021
The LA’s BEST Summer Program mirrors our program during the regular academic school year where children are engaged in experiential learning opportunities around language arts, sports, student wellness and lots of fun – at no cost to parents.
Students in the LA’s BEST Summer Learning Program maintain and/or gain up to one-third of a grade level in English language vocabulary skills.
English Language Learners in the LA’s BEST Summer Learning Program demonstrate statistically significant gains in their grade-level vocabulary skills in English.**
Physical activity, organized sports, healthy eating habits and new friends.
The risk of significant and unhealthy weight gain during the summer months is greater for lower-income youth who often don’t get to participate in the range of summer activities more affluent children typically enjoy.*** In response, LA’s BEST Summer Program incorporates physical activity, organized sports and focuses on healthy eating habits.
BEST summer program also gives students access to resources and experiences outside their immediate surroundings, including visits to museums and parks, where children take part in engaging, hands-on activities that cultivate learning.
* National Summer Learning Association. Summer Can Set Kids On the Right – or Wrong – Path, 2016
** Public Profit. Summer Matters 2012 Program Evaluation.
*** National Summer Learning Association. Summertime and Weight Gain, 2016.