IPC's Summer Learning Program

One of IPC's oldest outreach missions

BY CATHERINE GOUDREAU, IPC DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH MINISTRIES, CHILDREN’S FRESH AIR FARM PROGRAM DIRECTOR

At the beginning of 2021, I found myself wondering what the Summer Learning Program (SLP) at the Children’s Fresh Air Farm might look like this year. The committee quickly decided that we had to find a safe way for children to be there in person. Birmingham City Schools students had not received in-person instruction in over a year, and data about learning loss, loss in social-emotional skills, and the need for physical activity and healthy food was staggering. We decided on some program modifications that we felt would keep everyone safe.

For the last 12 years, IPC has operated the SLP at the Farm as a way to support students during the summer and help prevent the “summer slide.” Statistically, students who are not engaged in academics in the summer can lose two to three months of academic gain. In contrast, our students make gains of two to three months in reading and up to six months in math skills.

In the mornings, campers receive three hours of academic instruction from certified teachers and volunteers. They work in small groups with at least two to three adults in every classroom so that the instruction they need is always on their level. Students enjoy a delicious breakfast, lunch, and snack daily, and each day our younger students participate in chapel while our older students engage in Bible study. This summer we’ve been studying the life of Jesus. In the afternoons, we operate like a traditional summer camp, giving kids the opportunity to just be kids! We have tennis, art, music, drama, PE, playground time, swim instruction and free swim, cooking, gardening, lacrosse, drumming, bird house building, and more. On Fridays, our campers participate in field trips to explore their city and serve as a reward for the hard work they do all week long.

While we worried about how Covid-19 might impact us, we also knew this would be the most important year ever to offer students a high-quality summer program where they could learn, grow, and play together. We are so proud of the almost 80 graduates of our program and cannot wait to be back together soon.

From IPC Members: LEARNING, LOVE, AND FUN AT THE FARM

What a thrill to see students back at the Children's Fresh Air Farm for in-person learning this summer! Time to try to make up for some of the educational time we lost to Covid-19 and all of the obstacles it placed in students' way this school year. Academic progress is crucial, but even more important is the love and personal growth Summer Learning students will experience up at the Farm this summer. Thank you, Lord, for this sacred and beautiful place that has been nurturing the children of Birmingham for almost 100 years!

~Margaret Cobbs, Chair of the Children's Fresh Air Farm Committee

I have had the privilege to work at the Children’s Fresh Air Farm for five summers now. It’s been amazing to watch it grow in size and with the students' needs. I am fortunate enough to have been given the opportunity to teach the 7th grade class this year—the same class that I taught in the 4th grade, my first year teaching at the Farm. The first day of camp was shocking—the little kids that I knew from 4th grade were now young ladies and young men! Now I witness the students use the skills we taught in 4th grade to be strong leaders for the camp and their community every day. Due to Covid-19, students have been stuck in their homes and going through the struggles of virtual and hybrid learning. While many may question the name of the Children’s Fresh Air Farm, this summer it is indeed living up to its name. As the second week of camp is wrapping up, students have been participating in small group learning all around the Farm! It is truly a blessing for both students and teachers to have some 'fresh air' this summer after a long year in education due to the pandemic.

~Marion Dukes, SLP Teacher