Kids love summer vacation, but two months away from the classroom can leave many students at a distinct disadvantage when they go back to the school in the fall.
To prevent those students from falling behind in language and math and other subjects, the Springfield School Department has hired a Dorchester-based, national nonprofit company to provide a free summer learning program for approximately 300 students. The program runs from June 28 through Aug. 6
The program know as BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) will provide mentoring, tutoring and enrichment services to eighth-grade students who are deemed at risk for succeeding in ninth grade. The cost is estimated at $500,000 with the school department paying $175,000 and the balance paid by private funds and grants.
We’re on the record supporting a longer school year, but until that happens we’re encouraged that Springfield school officials recognize that some kids need summer tutoring to stay up to speed.
BELL'S IMPACT STUDY
The BELL Summer program is scientifically proven to increase children's reading skills and levels of parental involvement. READ MORE
2008 ANNUAL REPORT
BELL's 2008 annual report is now available for download! FULL REPORT
August 2, 2010 The August 2010 issue of TIME Magazine features a seven-page expose on summer learning loss, and showcases programs, like BELL, making a difference for the kids who need it most. View the PDF
June 21, 2010 The Wallace Foundation annouces a 3-year $4 million grant to BELL as part of its
initiative to provide students with more time for high-quality learning! Read more
June 20, 2010
New England Patriots players wrote their own plays for a day, coaching teams in the third annual BELL Bowl at Gillette Stadium to support summer learning. Read More
Kids love summer vacation, but two months away from the classroom can leave many students at a distinct disadvantage when they go back to the school in the fall. 
BELL is on Facebook