American students lose at least one month of reading and math learning each year over the summer.

Many schools are now out for the summer and all that hard work your child has put in throughout the past few months is about to drain out of your child’s brain and into the swimming pool. Summer is here and it’s time to think about how you are going to stop the summer brain drain that all children will face this year.

“All students experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.”

Not sure what to do to help your child this summer? We recommend getting your child signed up for a minimum of one weekly session with our therapists. Did you know that 56% of students want to be involved in a summer program that helps them keep up with schoolwork or prepare for the next grade? Our reading program shows an average gain of 2.5 years in just 5-6 months of services – that’s over one year’s gain over the summer! Not only are our programs effective, but our students love their sessions, too. The Iowa City school district does their standardized testing just a few weeks into school in the fall. Summer is the perfect time to prepare your child for these exams. A striking 35% of students struggle with test anxiety. Our test-taking skills are very effective and our practice tests are created by the same company that makes the ITBS tests! It’s a great way to boost your child’s confidence going into those stressful testing days.

“Research shows that teachers typically spend between 4 to 6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.”

If you are looking to go beyond our services, here are some fun ideas to keep your child engaged throughout the summer:

• Look into the Coralville or Iowa City (or wherever you are!) summer reading program. These are wonderful programs with fun activities and incentives for students to read, read, read!
• Going on vacation? Have your child keep a journal (to practice writing skills!), learn about the geography of the area, or compute distances using maps and math skills.
• Set up some goals for your child – whether it’s reading for 10 minutes or completing 5 math problems a day, it will make a difference! Some parents have success using electronics as a reward: after the child reads one chapter in a book then they can have ten minutes on their iPod or watching TV.

“The summer months are an excellent time for your child to fill in learning gaps or zoom ahead with enrichment activities at supplemental learning centers…”