Summer Head Start is a program that focuses on English, writing, grammar, and mathematics from the previous school year, as well as next year’s curriculum. This is a perfect way to make sure your child starts off strong and is ahead of the game the whole school year. Two months of structured and individualized curriculum, every year, can add up to an extra year of schoolwork by 6th grade, not to mention the prevention of the summer slide. Additionally, our students all move at their own pace. Some move ahead of grade level, while others get the extra help they need to solidify the past year’s content.

Our New York head start program takes place daily from 3:15 pm - 5:15 pm [pick up by 5:30 pm the latest], Monday to Friday. This includes Math and ELA (English language arts) on alternating days. In the past, this program has been extremely successful in progressing our students ahead of their peers by the time they return to school. Students usually regress in their learning by several months during the summer, and our students progress several months ahead of the grade they are going into, which results in a 3 - 8 months difference between our students and their school classmates at the start of the school year!

The Summer Head Start Program Difference

You don’t just have to take our word for it — there’s plenty of research to back up the difference a summer program makes. The phenomenon of summer learning loss (the “summer slide”) is well-documented in scholarly research.

That same research indicates that well-designed summer learning programs can make a difference in three critical areas: (1) reversing the summer learning loss many students face, (2) helping students make learning gains so they’re ahead of where they were at the end of the school year, and (3) giving students the opportunity to understand and learn material they couldn’t master during the school year.

Of course, not all summer learning programs are equally effective. Our Summer Head Start program in New York is designed to meet the individual needs of every student. During the school year, it’s impossible for teachers to fully individualize the curriculum. As a result, some students end up falling behind. The small class sizes and individual attention at our head start summer program are designed to help your child succeed.

For instance, if your child has trouble engaging with reading activities, our staff members can select reading material that matches your child’s interests and abilities. If your child’s math skills are solid but they still struggle with the order of operations or fractions, we can work with them until they feel comfortable with these topics.

Of course, kids don’t always come to our New York head start program with a detailed knowledge of what they need to work on. That’s why we start with a learning assessment to identify areas where your child could use a little extra help. With that knowledge in mind, we can help your child make the most of their time with us.

More than Math and Reading

At our Summer Head Start program, we understand that there’s more to academic success than just language and math skills. To succeed through high school, college, and beyond, students need to learn and master study skills.

However, many schools only briefly focus on study skills. Some don’t teach them at all. And when you’re a child just trying to keep up, study strategies aren’t always intuitive. Sanidas Tutoring can help your child learn these critical tools for success:

• Keeping a Planner: It’s hard to keep track of homework deadlines and test dates when you’re juggling multiple classes, so writing things down in a planner helps make sure kids never miss a deadline
• Time Management: Many students come to us unsure of how to make the most of their study time, so we help them learn effective strategies to maximize efficiency
• Organization: Disorganized notes make studying a lot harder — we help our students learn to make organization second-nature
• Taking Notes in Class: Studies indicate that hand-writing notes in class leads to better retention, and taking notes makes it harder for your child’s mind to wander
• Breaking Up Assignments: It’s easy for students to get overwhelmed when there’s a lot of work to be done, but dividing studying and homework makes the learning process easier
• Taking Smart Breaks: Research suggests that taking a short break every 90 minutes or so can actually improve focus
• Testing Yourself: Some students come to us thinking that “studying” just means “reading your notes over and over” — we help them learn to use flashcards and other techniques to test their knowledge
• Reducing Distractions: In today’s digital world, it’s hard for students to unplug and focus, but our head start program introduces our learners to useful productivity tools to help them do so

A New York Head Start Program Organized for Success

Our expertly designed program helps students make the most of their time while still giving them the opportunity to enjoy the summer. You’ll be amazed at what your child can learn with just two hours per day!

Focused Learning Time

This schedule helps ensure that students maintain their focus throughout the entire session. In a normal eight-hour school day, most kids find their attention waning. But in most cases, it’s easy to stay focused for a couple of hours.

Optimized Subject Scheduling

We also alternate days of math and ELA. This achieves a couple of objectives: (1) by shifting daily focus, we keep students engaged, and (2) the one-day break helps students retain and test their knowledge. However, that break isn’t so long that students entirely forget past lessons.

Lessons Informed by Neuroscience

Research indicates that without any connection to previous knowledge, most people forget 75% of what they learn after six days. That’s why our teachers connect every lesson to the one before it and the one after it. And to make sure your child isn’t becoming part of the “forgetting curve,” we also do individual retention checks and re-teach past material if necessary.

By both building on previous knowledge and reinforcing knowledge, our head start program in New York maximizes your child’s chances of coming out of the summer ahead of their peers.

Active Learning

Our staff members also believe that conversation is an integral part of learning. Listening is a passive activity, and if you think back to your school days, you’ll likely remember watching the clock as a teacher droned on.

The teachers at our head start program in New York ask students to be active listeners. That means everyone is encouraged to ask questions and voice ideas. When they do that, they stay engaged, and when they stay engaged, they retain more information.

Practice Time

Lessons have their place, but to truly master a concept, students need plenty of time to practice. After all, a teacher can break down and demonstrate long division for an entire class period, but until a child takes the time to practice, they’re unlikely to remember how to do it.

At our head start program in New York, we understand the importance of practice. Our teachers demonstrate the necessary skills, but they also offer in-class practice time. That way, students can ask questions as needed and master the material faster.

Once they master the material, students can also confidently study and practice at home. And if your child wants a little extra help (either during the summer or throughout the school year), they might benefit from our convenient one-on-one video conference tutoring sessions.

The Sanidas Academy Head Start Summer Program: Your Child’s Path to Success

Academic success depends on solid foundations. In order to reach their full potential, your child needs to fully master each math and English concept before moving to the next.

During the school year, it can be next to impossible to develop a strong foundation, but the New York head start program at Sanidas Academy helps your child do that and more. When you enroll your child, you’re giving them the advantage they deserve and making an investment in their future success. We invite you to register today or contact us if you have any questions.