First Lady Jill Biden visits summer learning program at University of Georgia

First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona ended a three-state tour of summer learning programs with a visit on Thursday to the University of Georgia, where around two dozen elementary students participated in outdoor activities before showing off their swimming skills.

The tour comes as part of an effort to highlight summer programs funded through President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, which will aid students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

New horizons at University of Georgia

Jill Biden, a long-time educator, and Cardona watched as students participated in activities as part of Horizons Atlanta's summer program, its first at the University of Georgia. The free, six-week program focuses on literacy, math, and swimming.

Biden said it was great to see the work being done by the youth as part of the program.

"Just like you and your students, I was teaching over Zoom and so I saw how hard it was for my students to keep them devoted, and keep their attention," she said. "You parents were the ones at home trying to keep your kids on a steady path. ... It was a really tough time for kids."

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The pandemic has continued to affect the country with cases on the rise, including in Athens. President Biden also recently tested positive for the coronavirus, but Jill Biden has tested negative and the president is reporting mild symptoms, according to the First Lady's press secretary.

Watching students return to in-person learning was difficult, Biden said. Many students suffered learning loss due to the pandemic and also socially had to adapt to being back in person.

"I think it was really hard for our children academically," Biden said. "One thing I love about my husband, the president, is that he gets the importance of an education."

She added that's why it was important to pass the American Rescue Plan to help kids academically, emotionally, and socially.

"That's why the money, I think, is so important for programs like this," Biden said, adding she loved the youth component of the Horizons program.

Cardona echoed glowing sentiments about the Horizons program and its importance in helping students disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

A model for recovery

"The Horizons program is a phenomenal program; a program that other programs in the country could learn from," Cardona said.

He said the American Rescue Plan's dollars were intended for programs like these, which will aid students as the country attempts to come out of the pandemic.

"You're sending your children to a program that's going to help them not only academically, but emotionally reconnect students," Cardona said.

Horizons Atlanta aims to close the opportunity gap for families in historically disinvested communities, according to Alex Wan, executive director of Horizons Atlanta.

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"Children, particularly those who would not have resources to do something enriching in the summer, studies have found they tend to slide in terms of their skills and they fall further and further behind their more affluent peers in school," Wan said.

The program aims to give them academic, experiential, and physical exercises so that when students return in the fall they may in fact be further ahead.

Wan said they made an effort to lean even more into academics to combat the learning loss due to the pandemic.

"We've seen over the last three years our model works," he said. "We just want to keep these kids on the path to success."

Making a splash at UGA

Following the brief comments from the First Lady and Secretary of Education, the children excitedly showed off their swimming skills while parents watched in the audience. None were more excited than Lashanda Callaway, whose grandson Mason Browner is a part of the program.

"It's exciting for me as a grandmother to see my grandson at this program. It has helped him a lot," she said. "He really has a good time"

Browner lost his mother, Auriel "Thumpa" Callway, in 2019 due to gun violence. And the city later renamed Carriage Court to Thump Avenue to honor her memory following a community-led effort.

But on Thursday, Browner showed off his swimming skills with a bright smile on his face as Callaway watched from the bleachers. She said it was great to see the First Lady, and that most of all she was thankful for the program for her grandson.

"I think it's a good program and I'll be bringing him back next year," she said. "I hope I can bring his cousin as well."

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Jill Biden visits summer program at UGA in Athens, Georgia