♦ SAIL programs nurture the whole child: our students grow in mind, body and spirit. Programs start with a foundation of rigorous instruction (in reading, literacy, and math) and build from there.  Programs incorporate best practices from summer camp and school, so students learn as they have fun. They come to understand that learning is fun!

♦ There is no set format for SAIL programs; they are adapted to reflect the values and challenges of the community. The SAIL quality assurance framework assures that local innovation delivers quality outcomes. 

• ♦ SAIL programs are operated by a variety of groups: youth organizations; churches and faith-based organizations; community groups; municipal agencies; and schools.
• ♦ Building programs that incorporate best practices from both schools and summer camps presents a challenge; few organizations have experience in both. For this reason, SAIL encourages a collaborative, community-based approach.  The members of the community who care about its children pool their knowledge and resources to create programs better than any of them could have created alone.

• ♦ SAIL welcomes new programs (and existing summer programs who want to adopt our model) to our growing community. Providing excellent summer learning is no small task; SAIL recognizes that it takes time to develop a mature program, and provides support in the form of our Quality Assurance Framework.
• → SAIL uses Renaissance Learning Systems Star Assessments^® for reading and math. To learn more, click here.
• → SAIL programs operate in a data-driven culture. Program monitor key performance indicators (KPI’s)  and report them at the end of summer. Reports  are shared with the SAIL community to show each program’s trends and how it compares to its peers. To learn more, click here.
• → SAIL understands that the group knows far more collectively than any member alone. Our programs share their expertise to help one another grow stronger. This is known as peer learning. To learn more,  click here.
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• ♦ In sum, the first step in becoming a SAIL program is to commit to beginning the journey to high-quality, whole-child centered summer programming. SAIL has identified 22 markers of quality for summer learning programs. To see the complete list, click here.

Programs who commit to the SAIL standard of summer learning may apply for a grant. Funds are limited; not all applications can be accepted, and awards are generally not intended to cover the entire cost of the program. However, all SAIL programs have full access to SAIL’s Quality Assurance Framework, including Star Assessments^®, at no charge.

To explore applying for a grant in Birmingham or the Black Belt, click here.