HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla — For the second year in a row, a summer program in Hillsborough County will get young kids ready for kindergarten. A local organization stepped up to help fund Summer Boost this year which in turn will help more than 400 kids stay on track to succeed.
Boost is in the name — a double meaning if you will, the Summer Boost program is helping kids get ahead, “When I tell you, the Children’s Board stepped up, this was huge," said Fred Hicks, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. “Summer slide is the phenomena that turns into reality when a child sits throughout the school year and learns and learns and learns, and then during the summer has no more exposure to education.”
WATCH Summer program to help more than 400 vulnerable kids prepare for kindergarten
And helping the program continue its mission, the generous $800,000 investment from the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.
“We had a third-party researcher at USF conduct the research to prove the impact, the numbers went up, and the literacy improved," said Hicks. "Those, no pun intended, are the outcomes that were after.”
"When presented with a strategy that’s been studied and shown to be effective, even with limited dosage and time, that shows that kids can have real gains with intensive instruction and additional support in the areas of vocabulary and math, that’s incredible," said Rebecca Bacon, the Executive Director of the Children's Board of Hillsborough County.
Dr. Hicks said they identified a little more than 400 kids through testing that need that extra help to stay on track.
“50 percent of the kids in Florida are deemed ready for kindergarten, we want to change that," he said. "I need to see 70, 80 percent ready. We’re not going to get there unless we continue these partnerships and continue the collaboration."
"We are focused on, ensuring that children in Hillsborough County are healthy and safe, developmentally on track, ready to learn and succeed, and have family support," said Bacon.
Math and reading will take center stage, but kids will on get hands on experiences like a trip to the zoo to learn about animals.
“Walk up to an elephant look at the size difference, walk up to a giraffe and realize that your head can’t go back that far," Hicks said with a big smile. "When a child has that opportunity up close, it’s a story for a lifetime.”
A confidence builder for sure!
Hicks suggest for kids not in the program this year, parents need to continue this learning at home and that starts with trading the phone and tablet for fun outdoor activities.
“That dependency on that device is a huge barrier, I don’t care if your child is going to public school, private school, or home schooled, that device is going to be a barrier for their learning so put it down," said Hicks.
You can get your kids involved in many different summer programs in Hillsborough County this year, all funded by the Children's Board of Hillsborough County!
For a full list of programs, you'll want to check out the 2025 Family Guide.
Also, there are free events happening throughout the week at all seven resource centers throughout the bay area. Find the one closest to you, sign up and get started!
And you can sign your child up for a Learn and Play Neighborhood Play Squad this summer. It's a 10-week course that allows you to meet and play with other families on similar parenting journeys to help you grow your village! Plus, at the end of the 10-week course, you'll score a free year membership to the Glazer Children's Museum.
Learn more about the Summer Boost program, at this link
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