Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Citizens Club of Springfield held a public forum this morning downtown at the Hoogland Center for the Arts to discuss bridging opportunity gaps for students through summer learning.

The guest speakers were Chief Executive Officer of Compass for Kids Molly Berendt, Director of School Leadership & Family and Community Engagement of Springfield Public School District 186 Terrance Jordan, and Superintendent of Springfield Public School District 186 Jennifer Gill. 

The guest speakers addressed summer learning loss. All children lose 2 months of math and reading skills over the summer, but low income students lose an additional 2-3 months of skills due to lack of opportunities. This eventually leads to achievement gaps as well. Compass for Kids aims to bridge that gap by providing a free summer learning program for children of low income households. 

Due to a loss of federal funding, 1.5 Million dollars is what Compass for Kids needs to raise by end of January 2025 in order to continue to fully fund their summer learning program.

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