Greater Rochester Summer  Learning  Association (GRSLA)

GRSLA aims to prevent summer learning loss. Throughout our six week programs, 
certified teachers keep our students engaged in both reading and math. Why?

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In the summer, learning opportunities for most students from low-income

households vanish. In comparison, many students who come from high-income

households find that the learning never stops. These students engage in camps,

sports, art activities, travel, and explore new places and ideas with engaged, caring adults.

These various opportunities provide students with approximately 216 learning hours during

their summer vacation. 

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Without these same opportunities a learning gap is created, and students from lower income

households begin to fall behind their peers. In these households, family members and other

caring adults are often unable to take time away from work, and quality time is limited. Camps

and trips to the museum are usually outside of the family budget, and students are not able to

experience new places or explore new concepts. These students miss out on opportunities to learn,

where they would otherwise be gaining new knowledge and putting the information

they gained during the school year to use. As a result, students not only learn less than their

peers over the summer, but also forget what they learned the previous year and have to relearn

it when they return to the classroom.

 

The learning gap continues to grow each year. A student who never takes part in a summer

learning program will have out missed out on 1080 hours of programming by the start of the 6th grade.

If these same students are not enrolled in after-school enrichment activities and not engaged with

reading and writing at home, they could receive up to 6000 less hours of learning than their peers. 

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GRSLA aims to break barriers caused by economic inequality, by providing students who are 
most likely to experience summer learning loss with focused and exciting summer learning.
In our programs, students continue to engage with concepts from the previous school year and are 
given the opportunity to explore new places and perspectives in their community.