The PreK-8 Program launched in 2000 and was specifically designed to be responsive to the academic and social-emotional needs of Bridgeport public school students, utilizing summer to close learning gaps, address individual student deficiencies, and advance students ahead of where they would otherwise be entering school in the fall.
The PreK-8 Program focuses on foundational skills, reading, writing, math, and SEL, using a research-based curriculum designed by the Harvard Graduate School of Education developed specifically for Horizons GFA. Students receive individualized attention in small groups to maximize impact. Academic support and enrichment provided to students strengthen school performance while building the non-cognitive skills that are valuable both inside and outside the classroom.
In addition to academic and social-emotional skill building, summer HGFA students participate in enriching social, cultural, and recreational experiences in the sciences, arts, and athletics; for example, all students learn to swim, a critical life skill that builds confidence and boosts self-esteem.
Academic Gain During Horizons GFA Summer Academy
Our six-week PreK-8 Summer Academy focuses on basic academic and SEL skills to ensure our students master critical foundational skills to succeed in school. Students benefit from over 200 hours of academic instruction and enrichment each summer, and gain an average of four months in reading and math during the summer, with below-grade level students gaining as much as 4-7 months in reading and math. By contrast, students without access to summer enrichment lose 2-3 months of skill each year, which is the root cause of the achievement gap.
Horizons Builds Literacy
Starting in kindergarten through third grade, students learn to read. By fourth grade, instruction switches and students read to learn. Students who are not proficient readers by fourth grade when they switch from learning to read to reading to learn, struggle in school, fall behind, and experience low self-esteem due to their lack of success in the classroom. A disproportionate number of students who are not proficient readers by third grade are from lower income families. This negative cycle amplifies as the years go by, particularly as schoolwork becomes more difficult and faster paced. Not surprisingly, research has shown that these students are four times more likely to drop out of high school (Casey Foundation).
Horizons Builds Social and Emotional Skills
Working closely with the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Horizons GFA co-developed an individualized social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum that presents concepts along an age-appropriate continuum from PreK through 12th grade. These skills allow our students to improve their attitudes about themselves, their relationships, and their education. Students become fluent in SEL ideas such as goal-setting, perseverance, perspective-taking, self-regulation, self-reflection, conflict resolution, and empathy. Armed with these skills, our students are improving their educational outcomes, graduating on time from high school, enter and graduating from college with the motivation and social competency to build a successful career of their choosing.
Spring Academy
Each spring, students return to the GFA campus for Saturday Academy. This program serves as a jump start to summer, fostering connections between new and returning students and faculty while establishing classroom rituals. By the time students return for Summer Academy, the transition is seamless, allowing us to fully maximize the impact of our six-week summer program. The strong bonds formed between students and teachers contribute significantly to our high retention rates and the sense of community that defines Horizons GFA.
Swimming and Enrichment
All Horizons students learn to swim. Becoming a proficient swimmer is an important life skill that builds confidence and a desire to achieve. Further, swimming is a skill that many low-income children do not have the opportunity to acquire. Nearly 70% of African American children and 58% of Hispanic children have little or no swimming ability. In predominately minority communities, the youth drowning rate is 2-3 times higher than the national average. Many students who come to Horizons are very fearful of the water. Successfully overcoming this fear builds self-esteem which has a positive effect in the classroom as well.
Enrichment activities are vital to develop skills and interests that increase intelligence and competence in ways academics alone do not. Enrichment at Horizons includes music, science, robotics, the arts, athletics, and field trips. These activities promote higher-level thinking, develop leadership abilities, provide perspective, boost confidence, and raise student aspirations and expectations for their lives.