Hartford Foundation Grants to Support Summer Education Programs for 7,600 Youth
/Two years of interrupted and at times disorienting study in school classrooms across the region have underscored the importance of summertime instruction. Even prior to COVID, when the school year concludes, many families struggle to secure reliable care for their children while they work. For low-income families, finding an affordable option may feel impossible. This summer, for all of these factors, the needs are more acute.
For more than 7,600 school-age children and youth across Greater Hartford, there will be opportunities for a range of educational experiences during the summer this year, thanks to $824,350 in grants from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving.
The grants will support 36 programs, including reduced fee camperships as well as enrichment, tutorial and counselor-in-training programs. Many of these learning opportunities run from four to eight weeks, with shorter sessions available.
The Hartford Foundation targets summer program funding to support Hartford youth, those with disabilities from throughout the Greater Hartford region, with opportunities that come at low or no cost to families.
Of particular note, following two summers of remote or hybrid activities, this year these programs are planning to be fully in person, providing young people the chance to step away from their screens to enjoy summer – and learning - outside.
“Support for summer learning programs provides thousands of Hartford families with the opportunity to ensure that their children have a safe and enriching summer experience, while allowing parents and caregivers to continue working,” said Hartford Foundation Director of Community Impact Grantmaking Megan Burke. “Providing Hartford youth with the opportunity to participate in counselor-in-training programs also offers young people their first employment opportunity and financial support for themselves and their families.”
Foundation support for summer programs advances the Foundation’s interest in increasing employment opportunities for Black and Latinx residents, both through increased career exposure and employment skills for Hartford youth and by removing a barrier to employment for families through quality, reliable childcare.
Summer programming for people with disabilities includes programming for youth and adults. In both cases, Foundation funding offers people with disabilities from low-income families an enriching experience that would otherwise not be affordable and provides respite to family caregivers who often juggle employment and full-time care for their loved ones.
In addition, older youth benefit from access to quality summer programming to mitigate summer learning loss, improve academic engagement, overall positive out-of-school/summertime structured activity. The Foundation summer program grants contribute to a range of programs to enhance their academic, social and emotional well-being.
Grant recipients include:
4-H Education Center at Auerfarm, $36,000
Actup Theater, $30,000
Channel 3 Kids Camp, $26,500
American School for the Deaf, $22,000
Boys & Girls Club of Hartford, $45,000
Camp Courant, $45,000
Catholic Charities, $21,000
Center for Latino Progress, $40,000
Center for Leadership and Justice, $36,000
Connnecticut Science Center, $12,000
ConnectKids, $36,000
Ebony Horsewomen, $15,500
Futures Inc., $30,000
Girl Scouts of Connecticut, $36,000
Goodwin University, $10,000
Harc, Inc., $20,000
Hartford City Mission, $10,000
Hartford Friendship Kids’ Camp, $16,500
Hartford Neighborhood Centers, $13,000
Hartford Public Library, $20,000
Hartford Stage, $25,000
Hartford Youth Scholars, $10,000
Hispanic Health Council, $15,000
Horizons at The Ethel Walker School, $20,000
Horizons, Inc., $32,000
Oak Hill, $15,000
Organized Parents Make a Difference, $40,000
Real Art Ways, $8,000
Sankofa Kuumba Cultural Arts Consortium, $10,000
Spectrum In Motion Dance Theater Ensemble, $17,750
The Salvation Army, $30,000
Trinity College, $12,600
Watkinson School, $11,500
West Indian Foundation, $12,000
YMCA of Metropolitan Hartford, $25,000
YWCA Hartford Region, $20,000
Partnerships with the 4-H Center at Auerfarm, Connecticut Science Center, Hartford Public Library and Goodwin University have made additional enrichment options accessible to participants in the summer programs.
To assist families in applying for summer program opportunities, the Foundation awarded a grant to the Connecticut Afterschool Network to support the development of an updated 2022 Summer Program Directory, which can be found at www.ctyouthdirectory.org.
The Hartford Foundation has a long history of supporting summer programs, with grants dating back to the 1930s. More than $5 million has been awarded for these programs in the last six years.
