WHAT IS SUMMER LEAP?Summer LEAP is a six-week program at Allendale Columbia School (AC) and part of the Greater Rochester Summer Learning Association, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit regional consortium comprising eight educational institutions with a common goal to close the achievement gap for low-income students in Rochester. LEAP stands for Learning Enrichment to Achieve Potential.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROGRAM?The primary goal of Summer LEAP is to provide effective, tuition-free, evidence-based summer learning and enrichment programs to students from low-income families in grades 1-8 at School No. 17. The program provides access to an innovative, inclusive, supportive and high-quality learning environment at AC that increases students’ likelihood of success in school and beyond.

Additionally, Summer LEAP at AC is focused on making a significant and positive impact on the students and families at School No. 17 through our year-round, long-term partnership. We endeavor to exceed the standards set for typical summer learning programs by extending Allendale Columbia School’s nationally recognized academic program to these students, providing the healthiest life-changing nourishment possible for mind and body, and investing in the best practices in bilingual education.

WHY IS THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM NECESSARY IN THIS COMMUNITY?In Rochester, the following city school district statistics are stifling:• Only 14% of Rochester children who enter kindergarten graduate from high school• 7% of city school third-graders were proficient in ELA in 2015• More than 50% of school-aged city youth live in poverty • 85% of RCSD children are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches • RCSD has the lowest graduation rates among large districts in the state• Students from low-income families are four to six times more likely to drop out of

high school than their affluent peers

Summer LEAP ProgramFrequently Asked Questions

The program provides access to an innovative, inclusive, supportive and high-quality learning environment at Allendale Columbia School that increases students’ likelihood of success in school and beyond.

519 Allens Creek Road | Rochester, NY 14618 | 585.641.5234 | jreese@allendalecolumbia.org | AllendaleColumbia.org

WHAT MAKES THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SUMMER LEARNING PROGRAMS?Our approach. Our flexibility. Our commitment. Our results.• Summer LEAP offers the only differentiated bilingual literacy

program in the region; research shows that students are better served to learn to read in their native language first

• We offer S.T.E.M. and S.T.R.E.A.M. immersion, giving every student opportunities to engage in Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in the classroom and on field trips

• We use the same nationally recognized literacy curriculum that School No. 17 uses to ensure the smoothest possible academic transition and the highest likelihood for success

• We teach in differentiated small groups for math with AC’s proprietary math curriculum

• We serve locally sourced, healthy food 2-3 times/day and discuss healthy habits for body and mind, teaching students and families how to care for themselves and others

• Our commitment to family involvement is our highest programmatic priority, and we have 100% parent involvement in a variety of activities

• We welcome LEAP families to the AC campus all year, including our annual holiday dinner in December

BEYOND LITERACY AND MATH, WHAT OTHER SKILLS DO STUDENTS LEARN DURING THE PROGRAM?Summer LEAP tackles more than summer learning loss in literacy and math, and teaches students essential skills by providing extended time for athletics, the arts, experiential learning, and life skills. Students venture off campus for field trips and interdisciplinary extended learning trips. Each of our 12 community outings serve as the foundation for academic lessons in mathematics and literacy, but also focus on life skills. For example, students visited the EquiCenter both for empathy training and to calculate the amount of feed required by various animals of different sizes, then became mathematicians and writers as they co-authored books about their experience.

DOES THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM ENGAGE OTHER PARTNERSHIPS?We believe partnerships will increase positive community relationships for our students and their families. We have a long-term partnership with School No. 17, offering a kinship between the two school communities. Together, students collaborate on extended learning trips to the following places or with the following organizations: • Charles Street Settlement House• Rochester Public Market• EquiCenter (a therapeutic horse center)• Rochester Vineyard Space (a 3.5-acre farm in the city)• Rochester Museum & Science Center Strasenburgh Planetarium• Stop the Violence

WHAT ROLE DO FAMILIES PLAY IN SUMMER LEAP?Family participation is a programmatic priority. Before students enroll, families are interviewed and in-home visits are conducted to ensure

each student is able to fully participate in the six-week program. Additionally, Summer LEAP at AC has celebrated almost 100% parent involvement in many ways, including parents assisting with bilingual academic instruction, forging community partnerships, and planning and attending three program events. Family engagement successfully reinforces what we accomplish in the program daily.

HOW DOES THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM IMPACT GENERATIONAL POVERTY IN OUR COMMUNITY?We know that for youth impacted by poverty and lacking resources to participate in summer activities, summer loss is significant. Across the nation, students of low-income families lose two to three months of reading and math skills each summer while they are not in school. While they may learn at the same rate as their peers during the school year, without specific summer learning programs, they never catch up. The effect is cumulative, summer after summer. Johns Hopkins University research shows that “more than half of this achievement gap can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college.” We know the Summer LEAP program reverses this statistic. Research has shown that for students attending three or more years of a high-quality summer learning program, greater than 90% graduate from high school and 75% go on to higher education.

WHAT ARE THE RESULTS OF THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM TO DATE? Verifiable Statistics and Results: • Summer LEAP students demonstrate a 2-3-month gain in reading

and math skills each summer• 100% of the participants in the 2014 AC Summer LEAP program

remained at least at grade level in reading and 60% of those students increased their skills by at least one grade level

• 100% of participants in the 2015 AC Summer LEAP program saw no learning loss at all in reading and more than 35% of those students increased at least two levels or more!

HOW CAN I HELP WITH THE SUMMER LEAP PROGRAM?• Spread the word about this program • Attend events about Summer LEAP• Tour Summer LEAP in action this July and August! • Share your resources and/or talents• Inspire others to share their resources and/or talents• Inquire about sponsorship and supporting this program

If you have any additional questions about Allendale Columbia School’s Summer LEAP program, please contact Nate Merritt, Co-Director of Summer LEAP, at 585.641.5267 or Lindsey Brown, Co-Director of Summer LEAP, at 585.641.5252.

Summer LEAP students demonstrate a 2-3-month gain in reading and math skills each summer.

519 Allens Creek Road | Rochester, NY 14618 | 585.641.5234 | jreese@allendalecolumbia.org | AllendaleColumbia.org