Free Summer Camp Makes Learning Fun For Children

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Johnstown, PA (June 14,2018)– For many students, summer break is spent on activities that are not focused on learning. For some children, time out of the classroom even results in a summer slide— the loss of skills gained during the school year. This summer setback is one of the most significant causes of the achievement gap between lower and higher income children and may even contribute to dropout rates.

To help address the issue, The Learning Lamp will offer six weeks of FREE summer camp beginning June 18 and continuing through August 9. Summer camp is available for students in grades K-7 in the Moxham, Oakhurst and Coopersdale neighborhoods of Johnstown. The camps are an extension of The Learning Lamp’s After School Outreach Program, which serves the same neighborhoods during the school year.

Sessions will be filled with fun, engaging activities and a field trip centered on “STEAM” (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education. This year’s theme is environmental science. Campers will keep their brains busy as they learn how to care for the earth through a series hands-on activities and special guests. They will also test their knowledge by designing cars using only recycled materials. Outreach summer camps are made possible through generous grants from the Lockheed Martin Foundation, Jacob Fend Foundation, and the AT&T Foundation.

• Camps in Moxham will take place June 18-21 and July 25-28 at the Park Avenue United Methodist Church
• Coopersdale camps will run half days July 9-12 and July 16-19 in the Community Room in Building 19 of the Johnstown Housing Authority Coopersdale complex
• Camps in Oakhurst will be held July 30-August 2 and August 6-9 at the Community Center of the Johnstown Housing Authority Oakhurst complex

Camps in Moxham and Oakhurst run Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. while camps in Coopersdale run Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. Kids are welcome to attend any camp without prior registration, but parents must sign a consent form prior to a child’s participating in the program.

Toward the end of each two-week series of camps, children will visit the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium. Campers will take part in interactive exhibits that teach about animals and environments from around the world.

Summer learning opportunities are especially critical for children who are at increased risk of school failure. Research shows that when children enter kindergarten, a middle-income child already has a six-month lead over a child from a lower-income household because of limited access to early reading materials and a quality preschool education. Regardless of learning that occurs from September to June, the achievement gap over the summer tends to widen by one-month worth of school-year learning.

For details on the Learning Lamp’s free summer camp programs, contact Amanda at 814-262-0732 extension 246 or visit thelearninglamp.org.