The Carmel Education Foundation (CEF) has been awarded a grant from The Duke Energy Foundation to support the Carmel Clay Schools summer school program for rising second grade students who have had significant disruptions in their learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This $20,000 award will provide decodable text resources, which focus on phonic skills to assure students are at the appropriate reading level when they begin school in the fall. Second grade is when students begin to shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” and is a critical time to set the groundwork for future learning. The decodable text resources will be housed in each of the 11 Carmel Clay elementary schools for use beyond the summer school program.
The Duke Energy Foundation asserts that bright futures begin in the classroom and that every child deserves a fair chance at success. Foundation grants are designed to support summer reading loss prevention, an issue that has become even more prevalent during the pandemic.
LaBarr
“Education at all levels is important, but especially so in the early primary years,” said Mark LaBarr, Duke Energy Indiana community relations manager. “We’re proud to contribute to these efforts, which will help grow the students into productive workers and community members.”
CEF is instrumental in creating partnerships between community partners and Carmel Clay Schools.
“Working with The Duke Energy Foundation to provide essential resources to our students is an opportunity we are grateful to be part of,” CEF Executive Director Jennifer Penix said. “Duke Energy has supported CEF through various programs we host to raise funds for teacher grants and student scholarships, and we value their role in furthering our mission to strengthen public education.”
Penix will continue to work with the Carmel Clay Schools administrative team to provide information about the summer school program to families.