In Dyersville, a community effort combats summer learning loss

With school out of session, summer is often seen as a missed opportunity for learning. To alleviate summer learning loss and support a productive summer learning experience, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, in partnership with the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, leads a summer program that is bolstering critical literacy skills.

Dyersville Heroes Summer Academy is a half-day, six-week summer learning program for Western Dubuque School District students entering kindergarten through fifth grade. Run by St. Mark Youth Enrichment, a nonprofit cultivating educational and social-emotional growth for youths and families, the academy focuses on literacy but also engages children in summer learning with a variety of other daily activities in music and science, as well as outdoor games and field trips. Program data shows that the academy has had a major impact in developing or maintaining students’ reading skills.

“St. Mark Youth Enrichment is privileged to work in such an incredible community surrounded by support to achieve great accomplishments,” says Amanda Avenarius, St. Mark Youth Enrichment associate director,

With the Dyersville Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque brings together many organizations, including St. Mark Youth Enrichment, to address issues related to school readiness, particularly literacy. Campaign for Grade-Level Reading research shows that students lose ground academically when they are out of school for the summer. This slows their progress toward third grade reading proficiency, a significant indicator of academic success. With a summer reading program, students are offered a strong step in their climb toward reading achievement and, ultimately, success in school.

The Heroes Academy specifically has shown great success in not only fostering skills in reading, but also instilling a love for learning. Assessments conducted by St. Mark Youth Enrichment indicate that 100 percent of students enrolled in 2017 maintained or increased their literacy skills over the summer, a 12 percent increase from the first year of the program in 2013. This year’s program includes 60 children—many of whom return every year.

Jessica Pape, Dyersville community coordinator of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, has seen the academy’s impact first-hand: She has two children enrolled. “We can look at the data and the results of the students’ testing scores, but at the end of the day, it is about the relationships that they are building with each other, the teachers and their school,” she says.

With the goal of expanding its impact, St. Mark Youth Enrichment initiated a community-supported collaborative approach among schools, funders, partners and other community members. Western Dubuque Community School District, Iowa State University Extension, Victory Ford, James Kennedy Library and various other organizations all work together to drive the success of the Heroes Academy. With these collective efforts, students receive meals, transportation, incentives, instruction by certified teachers, optional two-day afternoon enrichment and a safe place to learn over the summer.

Financial support from local nonprofits also helps sustain the program and makes it accessible to families. For example, the St. Mark Youth Enrichment Endowment Fund, administered by the Community Foundation, helped pilot the Heroes Academy, while funds contributed to both the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque and affiliate Dyersville Area Community Foundation have supported the purchase of curriculum materials and supplies.

Importantly, ongoing financial support means no family will be turned away because of an inability to pay program fees. “Making sure every child has the chance to get involved is important,” Pape says. “It doesn’t just impact the kids’ school year,” she says. “Down the road, it also impacts their families and the workforce. Growing a love for learning is what they’re getting from this program. It is making a difference, and it is helping the community.”

To donate to the St. Mark Youth Enrichment endowment fund to support Heroes Summer Academy, click here.

For more information on St. Mark Youth Enrichment’s other programs, click here.