Achievement First and Change Summer Partner to Launch Camp Beyond

High-Quality Overnight Camp Experience Will Foster Socio-Emotional Learning, Self-Confidence and Leadership Skills

Change Summer announces a new partnership with Achievement First, a public charter school network serving 14,000 students in 37 schools in five cities across Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island. Beginning in summer 2020, Change Summer will host and operate two-week overnight sessions of Camp Beyond for nearly 500 rising 4th through 9th grade Achievement First students. By summer 2021, Change Summer will host approximately 1,000 Achievement First campers per summer.

Campers will have the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of program activities typically offered across Change Summer camps, including team sports, swimming, outdoor adventure (hiking, nature, overnight camping), inter-arts (dance, theater, music, art), hands-on STEM learning, Discovery (self-reflection, self-identity, and team building), as well as Intensives (specialized activities of campers' choosing). Change Summer’s ultimate goal is to provide an enjoyable, exciting summer experience that motivates campers to approach the future with courage, confidence, and a feeling of self-worth, which ultimately helps prepare students for college and beyond. 

Achievement First’s mission is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all of America’s children, and the public charter school network understands that an effective education encompasses far more than just classroom learning. Achievement First joins a number of high-performing charter school management organizations across the country that are seeking to expand their impact beyond the academic school year. 

“We are changing summer for Achievement First students. As we prepare them for college, work, and a choice-filled life, we want our students to tap into their limitless potential. Yes, we care deeply about our students’ academic success. And, we care equally about them as people. Summer camp is an opportunity for challenges, adventures, teamwork, and personal growth. It’s also a chance for students to develop the skills, mindsets, and confidence they’ll need to master careers that haven’t been invented yet. During the school year, we’re crafting our programming to help our students chart their own bold futures. Overnight summer camp will be an essential part of the Achievement First student experience, and it’s another way that we’re living our commitment to equity,” said Marc Michaelson, Achievement First Senior Director, Greenfield Expeditions & Enrichment.

Achievement First will be Change Summer’s second charter school management partner. Change Summer currently hosts and operates Camp Uncommon for Uncommon Schools, a public charter school network of 54 schools serving 20,000 students in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. Achievement First and Uncommon Schools are both consistently at the forefront of innovation in public education. In 2008 they partnered with KIPP to launch Teacher U (which later became the Relay Graduate School of Education), a nonprofit organization focused on reimagining the approach to preparing teachers to serve in urban public schools. Led by and through partnership with Change Summer, Achievement First and Uncommon Schools are now reimagining how public schools address the summer months to ensure their students have high-quality enrichment opportunities year-round.

“We know that students from low-income communities are entirely capable of learning at the highest levels, and we also know that we cannot leave three months of the year out of the equation. Summer is a powerful time for students to get out of their comfort zones, enjoy the outdoors, and immerse themselves in new experiences,” said Josh Phillips, Change Summer CEO. He added, “Camp is about confidence, independence, responsibility, and curiosity - critical skills for our students’ lifelong success.”

Camp Beyond is the newest addition to the charter school network’s portfolio of efforts to ensure students receive top-notch enrichment, which includes the innovative Greenfield Schools design, and a nationally-renowned Speech & Debate program that features in-class and out-of-school components. Camp Beyond also includes a robust summer internship and pre-college program for high school students. Extending summer offerings to younger students is vital to helping all students reach their maximum potential.

“Our responsibilities to our students do not end when the school year ends. Change Summer offers a safe, proven overnight camp model that empowers students and enriches their futures. We are thrilled to be able to make this option available to families, and we cannot wait to get started!” said Doug McCurry, Achievement First Co-CEO and superintendent.

About Change Summer
Change Summer’s mission is to provide students from low-income communities with a summer experience that increases confidence, independence, responsibility, and curiosity. We aim to provide 20,000 summer experiences by 2025. Change Summer believes every student deserves access to an enriching summer experience to foster critical social and emotional skills for a successful future. We partner with high-performing charter school management organizations to create high-quality, customized summer opportunities for their elementary and middle school students. Our summer experience is developed to turbocharge the social and emotional development of students to better prepare them for college and beyond. Change Summer camps are built to serve up to 1,000 campers (grades four through nine) per summer from schools affiliated with each partner CMO. For more information, please contact Lindsay Macik at info@changesummer.org. 

About Achievement First
Achievement First, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, runs a network of 37 high-performing public charter schools in Brooklyn, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The mission of Achievement First is to deliver on the promise of equal educational opportunity for all children, regardless of race, economic status or zip code. With its college-preparatory focus, the Achievement First approach is attaining breakthrough academic gains throughout its network of K-12 public charter schools. In the 2019-20 academic year, Achievement First is serving 14,000 students in historically underserved communities. For more information, please contact Amanda Pinto at media@achievementfirst.org.

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