After chaotic year, Connecticut schools spending millions in COVID-19 relief funds to beef up summer programming; social and emotional wellbeing takes center stage

After a chaotic year of building shutdowns and class quarantines, Connecticut schools are investing millions in federal coronavirus relief aid to expand and create new summer learning opportunities to prepare students for the fall. Efforts to support students’ mental health, social skills and emotional wellbeing are also taking center stage.

Credit recovery programs for high school students will continue, as well as the extended school-year programs for students with special needs that are required by law.

Gemma Joseph Lumpkin, chief of youth, family and community engagement for New Haven Public Schools, framed summer learning opportunities in the district as “interventions to support students and families who felt disconnected” — a problem that’s worsened during the pandemic. Most New Haven students participated in online-only learning through mid-January.

New Haven typically offers intensive reading support to some students during the summer, but this year “it isn’t just reading. It’s so many other academic areas, and so many more children who need to catch up,” said Ivelise Velazquez, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment.

In an effort to meet students’ academic, as well as social and emotional needs, the district has launched a multiprogram “Summer of Fun,” which includes increased access to learning hubs and high school-level academic supports, as well as weekend family enrichment activities, wide-ranging community organization partnerships and sports camps.

“We heard loudly from our families around not feeling safe having their children reengage in the learning process in school, in person,” said Keisha Redd-Hannans, assistant superintendent for instructional leadership. “Providing a wide range of activities for students in grades pre-K to 12 ... will also allow us to bridge the gap with families to let them know that our schools are safe, and we can provide learning environments where their kids can thrive.”

So far, about 3,000 students have registered just for the 12 pre-K through middle school learning hubs, “which has definitely outpaced” past years, said Velazquez. “We’re seeing registrations every day.”

In Wethersfield, about 700 students in grades K-8 have signed up for no-cost “mini-courses,” some of which have waitlists, said Jennifer Lizee-Hammer, a literacy curriculum specialist in the district who also coordinates the Continued Learning Across Summer Session, or CLASS, program.

Before COVID-19, Wethersfield didn’t offer summer programs for general education students, she said. But when the pandemic drastically limited access to summer camps and daytime enrichment opportunities in 2020, the schools felt it was necessary to offer some type of engagement opportunity to students, even if it had to be remote.

This year, they’ve doubled the size of the program to offer about 40 different online or in-person, one-to-two week courses. Each course has multiple sessions throughout the summer, providing flexibility for both family and staff. Some lessons focus on math and literacy skill-boosting, while others range from book clubs and animal research projects to yoga and music instruction. High school students participate in a separate CLASS program.

“We want to make sure that we find an opportunity to engage them not only academically, but socially, emotionally, and get them ready to reenter what should hopefully look a little bit more like traditional schooling in the fall,” Lizee-Hammer said.

Hartford Superintendent of Schools Leslie Torres-Rodriguez described summer education as the “launch of our recovery” and a valuable opportunity to reconnect with families. In hopes of enrolling about 10,000 students, the district has budgeted more than $4 million in federal aid for summer programs, more than doubling the number of sites from 12 to 30 and working with close to 20 partner organizations.

Throughout July, students will participate in morning lessons focused on reading, writing, math and science. Then, in the afternoon, they will have activities ranging from leadership development, social-emotional support and the performing arts to STEM activities and culinary instruction.

So far, more than 5,600 students have enrolled — a little over half the district’s original goal. Torres-Rodriguez said some families have told her that their children need a break after a difficult year. While participation is not mandated, Torres-Rodriguez added she’s encouraging families to take a few weeks off and considering signing up after a one-on-one conversation with the district.

“I would love to have all of our students in ... and the other half of that is making sure that we’re able to staff the program, which is what we’re working on now,” she said, noting they’re identifying incentives to encourage teachers and other staff members who typically are not scheduled to work in the summer.

Like Hartford, Newington Public School’s summer education programs will be fully in person. Instead of high school students going to West Harford for credit recovery programs as they have in the past, “now we’re offering that in-house,” said Superintendent of Schools Maureen Brummett.

They’ll be working closely with a teacher and tutor to tailor lessons to students’ specific issues, which allows them to move more quickly through the material, she said. With math being a particularly challenging subject for many teens, the district is also setting up “jump-start” courses ahead of the fall for students who didn’t fail a class, but who may have struggled over the past year. Remedial courses will be offered at the elementary and middle school levels.

“In response to the COVID crisis, we are offering more programming ... to address the issues that got in the way for these kids during the school year,” she said.

In addition to academic content, mental health and social and emotional skills will be integrated into all programs.

“We consider those skills we need to work on with students, about how to cope, how to manage their emotions, how to reduce stress,” she added.

Manchester Superintendent of Schools Matthew Geary said helping kids get back into a steady routine with regular human interaction is “critical” to their academic success and social wellbeing. The pacing of summer school programs also play a key role in helping families and staff prepare for the coming year, he said.

“We’ve never ever had a year — at least not in my lifetime — like this, where you have kids in and out, all the strain and stress on families. ... For us it’s about welcoming kids back, getting kids back into a routine, creating strong communities, having resources and supports available for them and families,” he said. “We’re really just trying to recalibrate: What does [wellness] mean in a school community, mean for the adults who work there, for the students who attend school there and for the families that support them?”

With well over 1,000 students signed up for a mix of academic and fun outdoor activities, “we haven’t ever operated at this large of a scale in the summer, and it definitely has a lot of advantages. We’re excited, but we want to be careful about overextending staff or students.”

Starting in July, the program, open to any families who want to participate, will include a weeklong break in between the first three weeks and the last three weeks. Then, there will be a week or two off before the regular school year starts.

“We don’t want to get to the end of September next year and have everyone be exhausted,” he added.

Amanda Blanco can be reached at ablanco@courant.com.