Summer Learning Day Celebration set for Thursday evening in Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE (WSLS 10) - On Thursday evening the United Way of Henry County & Martinsville's HEY (Help Engage Youth) Collaborative, in partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), will highlight the importance of summer learning opportunities at the first Summer Learning Day Celebration.

The celebration will take place from 4:30 until 7 p.m. at J. Frank Wilson Park. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is part of National Summer Learning Day, a day led by NSLA to increase the importance of keeping kids learning, safe and healthy every summer.

The celebration will consist of three activity-filled stations focused on learning, safety and healthy habits.

A Parent Resource Corner also will be available for parents to engage with local organizations and resources.

"Research shows that summers without quality learning opportunities put our nation's youth at risk for falling behind year after year in core subjects like math and reading," said India Brown, HEY Collaborative's Director. "The math and reading skills low-income students lose each summer are cumulative and contribute significantly to the achievement gap between lower and higher-income kids. A survey performed by NSLA indicated that two-thirds of teachers said they spend at least a month re-teaching students old material when they return from summer vacation," she said.

For more information on the Summer Learning Day Celebration or how to support the community through giving, contact the United Way of Henry County & Martinsville at 276-403-5960 or email ibrown@unitedwayofhcm.org.