The Children’s Services Council of Leon County says 900 local children and youth will attend summer enrichment programs free - thanks to funding from the taxpayers.
Liam Hale is nine years old and attends Tallahassee Classical School. Last year he participated in the Omega Lamplighters’ Lightning Summer Camp and will again this year. He says it’s cool to be with other kids.
“Yes, lot of cool," he said. "Because if I didn’t have nobody to be with, I’d just be…just be…just be myself, like, lonely sometimes.”
The summer programs also will provide meals for the kids and child-care support for their families. Supporters say the programs help to protect against the learning losses that can occur when over the summer when kids aren’t in school
Leon County Commission Chair Carolyn Cummings, who’s also on the CSC board, says the learning opportunities will include STEM, music and other fields that she hopes will positively impact participants' lives.
“And beyond the summer, we know that they will benefit from not only the experiences, but we know that from an emotional standpoint, social standpoint, building-self-esteem standpoint, that all of these programs will be very, very beneficial to our children,” she said.
