Thousands of students begin summer learning programs in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The School District of Philadelphia kicked off the first day of its summer learning program on Monday with thousands of students taking part.

The programs will help students reinforce what they already know while developing skills for the next grade.

"We're excited that we'll have some 15,000 young people across the school district participating in summer learning programs this summer starting today," said Philadelphia School District Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington.

The summer learning programs are not the same as traditional summer school.

Students will take part in summer camp activities on top of academic courses.

"It's imperative that our students are not necessarily just learning the skills, but have opportunities to apply skills in real-life situations," said Dr. Malika Savoy-Brooks, Chief of Academic Support, with the School District of Philadelphia.

The school district's programs are now full, but the city is also offering programs and has openings through the Office of Children and Families.

"We have over 70 programs that are running from an array of sites within the City of Philadelphia," said Waleska Maldonado, Chief of Prevention for the Office of Children and Families. "We want to make sure that kids are engaged this summer. So please, if you have a child, don't leave them home."

Parents interested in signing their kids up for one of the city programs should fill out the information on the city's website.