A 55% increase in county reach comes as public schools scale back summer enrichment amid declining federal funding and resources.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A record number of community-based summer learning programs are opening their doors to students this summer.
This summer, the Alabama-based nonprofit Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) is partnering with 54 summer learning programs operating at 84 sites across 31 counties—a 42% increase in programs, a 33% increase in sites, and a 55% increase in counties over the last year. The programs are sharing nearly $1 million in grants from SAIL’s 15 philanthropic partners.
This growth is driven in part by a new statewide partnership with the Alabama Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs. For the first time, all 13 Boys and Girls Clubs organizations in Alabama are participating in the SAIL network. Four Boys and Girls Club organizations (Central Alabama, West Alabama, North Alabama, and Southeast Alabama) were already members. This expanded partnership extends the membership to 23 sites across the state.
“This has been a year of unprecedented growth for SAIL, as more communities recognize the value of our whole-child, community-based approach to summer learning,” said Jim Wooten, president of the Summer Adventures in Learning Board of Directors. “One-third of the programs in our network this summer have joined in the past two years. We’re especially excited about our new partnership with the Alabama Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, which helps extend SAIL’s reach into more rural and underserved parts of the state at a time when many schools are facing reduced resources for summer learning.”
To help programs deliver even greater academic impact, SAIL has introduced several new supports this year. These initiatives include SAIL Reads, a literacy program launched in partnership with the Montgomery Education Foundation, and a comprehensive science of reading literacy instruction program provided to over 70 SAIL program leaders in collaboration with the Alabama State Department of Education and the Neuhaus Education Center. The Neuhaus program provided an in-depth explanation of the ways research grounded in the science of reading informs structured literacy, why the components of structured literacy are necessary for developing skilled readers, and how these components can be practically applied during direct instruction.
“With SAIL Reads, Neuhaus, and other new resources, we are expanding the tools available to site leaders while still honoring what makes each program unique,” said Suzy Harris, SAIL’s Program Director. “These additions help programs build on their strengths and better support student learning this summer.”
SAIL was founded in 2012 to foster support for rigorous summer learning across the state. SAIL helps non-profits, faith-based organizations, and other community groups conduct high-quality summer learning programs by facilitating assessments, peer learning, and funding opportunities to ensure Alabama’s high-quality summer learning programs thrive.
SAIL programs are encouraged to develop their own curriculum. Most incorporate best practices from summer camp and school to maximize student engagement and learning opportunities. This flexibility allows each to design a summer learning program that meets students where they are academically, is tailored to the child’s interests, and addresses the needs of the whole child.
Since its founding in 2012, SAIL has worked with non-profits, faith-based organizations, and other community organizations to ensure more Alabama students have high-quality, engaging summer experiences that prepare them to thrive as adults. On average, students who do not enroll in a high-quality summer enrichment program typically lose two months of learning in reading and math. Since its inception, SAIL has invested over $10 million in summer learning and has helped more than 21,700 students turn summer learning losses into gains.
In the summer of 2024, 2,317 students participated in SAIL-supported summer learning programs. Year after year, SAIL programs deliver strong results. Over the past decade:
- 89% of our students were eligible for free or reduced lunches
- Average attendance was 84%
- 86% of our students completed their program
- The students gained an average of 7 months of reading skills and 2.6 months of math skills.
- SAIL students have achieved academic growth in 12 summers in a row.
To view a list of programs receiving SAIL funding in Birmingham:
https://sailalabama.org/birmingham/
To view a list of programs receiving SAIL funding in the Black Belt region:
https://sailalabama.org/blackbelt/
To view a list of programs receiving SAIL funding in the rest of Alabama: