Outgoing Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb knocked on doors Thursday in the Woodland Hills neighborhood to promote CMSD鈥檚 summer learning program and other opportunities at city recreation centers.
Bibb and Gordon were promoting a whole slate of free programming, with summer camps and music and arts programming 鈥� along with academic credit recovery 鈥� at 27 sites across CMSD, along with other offerings at Cleveland鈥檚 22 recreation centers.
Bibb said there are hundreds of programs and 鈥渢housands鈥� of resources that exist but many families don鈥檛 know they exist. Officials said they鈥檒l be doing more canvasses throughout the city.
鈥淲e want to make sure we're in the neighborhoods, talking to families, talking to students to make sure they have really productive things to do to keep them safe this summer,鈥� Bibb said.
Gordon said families can sign up now for CMSD鈥檚 Summer Learning Experience, for either a full day or half day starting in mid-June. He said 2,500 young people have signed up already. Free transportation is available in the form of school buses for kindergarten through eighth grade students to and from school sites, and free bus passes for high school students. Lunch and breakfast is also provided.
Sonya Pryor-Jones, Cleveland鈥檚 chief of youth and family success, said summer programming keeps young people occupied and out of trouble, but that鈥檚 only a secondary benefit. She said the primary benefit is keeping them active both mentally and physically,
鈥淲hen young people are engaged in active, thoughtful programing over the summer, it helps them retain the learning that they've been engaged in all year long,鈥� she said.
Pryor-Jones noted the recreation centers have new programming in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, including robotics and e-sports. Meanwhile, each center now has a 鈥渟ocial support specialist,鈥� who are social workers or counselors, meant to help families who are struggling.
Gordon said the district has put a lot of effort into revamping its summer learning programs since the pandemic; whereas before there were only a few hundred students attending summer learning prior to the pandemic, there were 8,000 participants in the first year of CMSD鈥檚 revamped summer programming and 6,500 participants last year.
High school students will have access to employment and internship opportunities, according to CMSD鈥檚 website. Say Yes Cleveland鈥檚 family support specialists and health specialists will also be assigned to each site. There will be three summer learning sites for high schoolers on the city鈥檚 east side and four on the west side, and 10 on each side of the city for kindergarten-through-eighth-grade students.
Families can sign up for the CMSD Summer Learning Experience .
