Summary
This research brief explores summer programs aimed at boosting kindergarten and sixth grade readiness at profiled districts. The brief addresses funding, staffing and support, and promotion for summer programs in general. The brief also describes considerations for design, instruction, and assessment for kindergarten and sixth grade readiness programs specifically.
Key observations from our research Consider research-based best practice on summer program instructional length to maximize student learning.Profiled districts leverage state funding, central district funding, revenue from tuition-based programs, and/or community partnerships to cover costs of summer programming.Embed enrichment activities into summer programming to boost student engagement.Focus on teaching classroom expectations and building routines for both students and parents in kindergarten readiness programs.Integrate community-building activities and academic and social-emotional learning (SEL) skills into sixth-grade readiness programs.