The Thomaston Woods Early Childhood program opened in October 2014, operating one day a week, with a school year that stretched to the end of July. Children of families living in the Thomaston Woods community, ages 3-6, had first choice and attended free of charge. While a one-day-a-week Montessori program is not the typical model, the hope was…

Mentoring is a life-long approach to building positive, supportive relationships, self-confidence and increasing academic performance. In this article, I present how a college-based summer camp, designed to engage youth in increasing interests in STEM, Healthcare, and Teacher education, by helping youth build self-confidence and career interests…

Research evidence suggests that summer breaks contribute to income-based achievement and opportunity gaps for children and youth. However, summertime can also be used to provide programs that support an array of goals for children and youth, including improved academic achievement, physical health, mental health, social and emotional well-being,…