When Dayshawn, 7, first came to the Cooper Summer Reading Institute at Lanning Square Elementary School two years ago, he could barely sound out a word, let alone read an entire sentence. His frustration caused him to lash out and misbehave—he became a “shutdown learner.”
“A child’s reading ability plays a big role with their self esteem,” said Elizabeth Askin, a teacher in the program who works closely with Dayshawn. “Dayshawn came into the program unresponsive and completely unwilling to learn. His disruptive behavior made it difficult to tutor not only him but his fellow classmates.”
Today, Dayshawn is reading at his 2nd grade level and continues to improve every day. No longer insecure, he helps his fellow classmates, including his younger brother who recently joined the program this summer, taking every opportunity he has to grow.
For thousands of children living in urban areas like Dayshawn, the instability of their socioeconomic issues can cause young students to suffer academically. Through no fault of their own, they face a grim environment plagued by poor academic standards, low morale and financial woes. Research indicates that more than 60 percent of children in the urban population are at risk for falling behind in school and 1 out of 9 who is not at the correct reading level by 1st grade, never will be.
“All of the best research highlights the value of early intervention with the right approaches,” said Dr. Richard Selznick, Director of the Cooper Learning Center. “Targeting core skills early can have tremendous impact. The summer is a great time to work on these skills.” The Cooper Summer Reading Institute is facing these urban challenges one student at a time by helping kindergarten through third-grade students from the Camden area build foundational reading skills. Thanks to the continued generous support from sponsor Anne E. Koons of Prudential Realtors, the six-week program, now in its 6th year, offers small group instructions in a fun and lively atmosphere with no cost to parents. The positive results from students make the program continue to grow each year. There is a waiting list now for student to enter the program as further funding would allow future growth.
“If I can give the gift of learning to these young children I feel like I have accomplished something for the community,” said Anne E. Koons. “My parents Bernard and Shirlee Brown have always taught me from a young age that as I become successful in my life and work, I had to remember to give back to our communities and help provide incredible opportunities for area residents’ to better their lives through education.”
The Cooper Learning Center
As part of Cooper University Hospital’s Department of Pediatrics, the Cooper Learning Center is distinguished as the region’s only child-learning program affiliated with a university-level medical center. This distinction offers parents and children easy access to the most advanced, scientifically proven methods for accurately assessing and treating children’s learning difficulties, combined with expert clinical consultation for the possible physical or emotional causes of learning disabilities.