• Reading, language arts and math instruction
• Executive function skill building
• Integrated support from O.T. and speech-language pathologist
• Afternoon recreation program (optional)

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Young readers will reinforce these skills:

• Word identification
• Decoding
• Vocabulary
• Reading fluency
• Comprehension

Older students will reinforce these skills:

• Inferencing
• Prediction
• Comprehension

All students will engage in the writing process from pre-writing through publication. Exploration of writing through poetry, stories, and narratives will reinforce critical thinking skills as students construct interesting, well-structured paragraphs, essays and stories.

Students of all ages will use math manipulatives and “real life” situations to develop a thorough understanding of the process and concepts of mathematics.

Areas of study include:

• Problem solving
• Reasoning
• Estimation
• Math facts
• Computation
• Number Sense
• Fractions
• Measurement
• Patterns
• Time
• Money
• Numeration

For more than 20 years Valley Forge Educational Services (VFES), a nonprofit organization in Malvern, has been offering a wide variety of specialized educational opportunities to students of differing social and educational abilities.

Its 26 acres house both the Vanguard School, which focuses on programming for students in the autistic spectrum and children with mild behavior disorders, and the Crossroads School, which specializes in assisting students with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia.

VFES offers a variety of programs year round, including its three main summer programs, Summer L.I.F.E., the Extended School Year Program at the Vanguard School and the Summer at Crossroads Program. These programs vary in many ways and cover the spectrum of offerings for every child regardless of age, ability or learning style.

The newest program, Summer L.I.F.E., which stands for Learning is for Everyone, is open to youth and young adults of all abilities.

“The program, which was established in 2007 and was formerly called Summer Matters, is an experiential learning program offered to youth ages 6-24 with and without special needs,” said Holly Henry, director of communications at VFES. “Some youth who benefit are classified with one or more of the following disabilities: autism-spectrum disorders (ASD), mild emotional disturbance and mild neurological impairments. Family members and neighborhood friends join in to provide age-appropriate social and behavioral models.”

These students are placed in engaging and unique learning experiences. Among the programming planned for 2009 is sailing in Connecticut, hiking in New Hampshire, horseback riding and film school. Summer L.I.F.E. offers day camps, overnight camping experiences and week-long travel excursions in nearby states.

“These students are provided with a varied cross-section of ‘real world’ experiences that allows them to generalize and transfer academic, social and behavioral skills in a number of community settings,” said Henry.

The goal of the program is to empower each student to be independent and productive, and encourage them to cultivate dynamic, healthy relationships.

“The focus of Summer L.I.F.E. is to get these students ready for life,” said Holly Zipperer,director of the summer programs at VFES. “They are being prepared for week-long travel programs, they are learning problem-solving skills, they are getting to experience typical recreational activities that aren’t always awarded to students with learning disabilities.”

While the program has been up and running since July, there are still some openings in some of the day camps being offered Aug. 10-14 and Aug. 17-21.

Not new to VFES, a program that has been in existence for 10 years now is the Extended School Year (ESY) Program at the Vanguard School.

This program, which will be running this summer through Aug. 7, is geared toward children ages 6 to 21 with special needs. To qualify for this program a student must have an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Many participating students have autism-spectrum disorders and/or neurological impairments. The program offers class groupings by age and ability.

“The program is designed to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of students through their IEP goals,” said Henry. “The lower-school program is designed to be fun and engaging and strives to meet IEP goals through academic, social and enrichment activities. The middle and high-school program focuses on academic skills, personal independence, building healthy relationships with others and vocational training and community service.”

The purpose of the ESY Program is to maintain skills and to reduce regression during the summer months. The school day begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m.

The oldest summer program offered through VFES is called Summer at Crossroads. This program, which is scheduled to end this summer on July 31, is open to everyone.

“The Summer at Crossroads Program supports all students in kindergarten through sixth grade,” said Henry. “The program was established over 20 years ago for children who need help with reading, writing, math, kindergarten readiness and/or speech-language instruction. The program is specifically designed to help build academic skills and boost each child’s school confidence.”

Regardless of which program they participate in, “all campers experience various degrees of learning and fun,” said Henry. “Each program is unique and the students attending the programs have different needs. Some campers receive academic remediation, which helps to build self-confidence in the classroom, other campers receive academic remediation to help them maintain their academic level, and others yet improve their social skills and learn how to manage themselves in ‘real life’ experiences,” Zipperer adds, “Our ultimate goal is to better these students to get them ready for the real world.”

…..Paoli, PA…. Parent and camper feedback from last year’s summer programs confirms that summer really does matter. At Valley Forge Educational Services, Summer Matters provides a continuum of innovative summer enrichment and remedial experiences for youth and young adults, ages 6 – 21. Summer Matters offers three unique programs for learning and fun: Summer at Crossroads, Summer L.I.F.E. (Learning Is For Everyone) and The Extended School Year Program (ESY) at The Vanguard School.  Each program operates in a separate location on and away from VFES’ 26 acre campus in Malvern, Pennsylvania.

Summer at Crossroads is a five week academic & recreational program that reinforces and maintains each child’s school skills. The program is appropriate for children entering Kindergarten through sixth grade.  All teachers are experienced, educational professionals who individualize each child’s instruction to meet his or her learning needs.  Parents are given the flexibility to choose among academic programs offered during the morning session or to build a full-day program of academics, lunch and recreation.  The 2010 “new and enhanced” afternoon Recreation Program will provide children with opportunities to engage in a variety of age-appropriate, high-interest activities, including:  “Express Yourself!” creative arts program, karate lessons, “Get Fit” and “Back 2 Nature” clubs, recreational swim and field trips and community outings. In addition to optional speech and language therapy, parents may now opt to have their child receive occupational therapy. An enhanced “Lunch Bunch” program offers children opportunities to build healthy relationships with others within the context of relevant lunchtime activities.   Summer at Crossroads will run from June 28th through July 30th. The Crossroads School was created in 1977 to address the unmet academic needs of children with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia (www.thecrossroadsschool.net).

Summer L.I.F.E. (Learning Is for Everyone) is an experiential learning program offered to youth ages 6-21 with and without special needs.  This program provides children, adolescents and young adults with a varied cross-section of “real world” experiences that allows them to generalize and transfer academic, social and behavioral skills in a number of community settings.  SUMMER L.I.F.E. programming includes engaging, unique learning opportunities on campus, experiences within the community, and beyond.  Youth who participate in SUMMER L.I.F.E. display a wide array of abilities.  Some youth who benefit are classified with one or more of the following disabilities:  Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Pervasive Developmental Delay, Aspergers Syndrome, Mild Neurological Impairment (NI), Other Health Impairment (OHI) and mild behavior disorders.  Family members and neighborhood friends join in to provide age-appropriate social and behavioral models.  Program components include one-, two- and three week sessions that can be half-day, full-day and overnight events.  Programming for 2010 will include:  Shenandoah Valley “Edventure” in Virginia, Great Outdoors “Ecoventure” at Pocono Environmental Education Center, Wilderness Adventure in Roanoke, Virginia, Sailing Away Program in New Jersey, Beach Week in Fenwick Island, Delaware, Furniture Making, Social Skills Program – Acting Antics (primary, youth and “new” teen Sessions), “Artrageous” Camp featuring art, music and dance instruction, Circus Arts Camp at Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, Robotics (various levels), horseback riding at Hope Springs Farm and “Back in Time” History Camp.  Parents may register their child to attend by the week or for multiple weeks.  Programming is offered from Mid-July to Late-August and the schedule varies.

The Vanguard School offers an Extended School Year (ESY) Program for its students and for students in neighboring school districts, ages 6 to 21, who qualify for ESY in order to maintain skills and to reduce regression during the summer months.  The program is designed to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of students through their IEP goals.  The Extended School Year day begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 2:00 PM.  Students are grouped into one of three categories:  Lower School, Middle School or High School.  The Lower School program is designed to be fun and engaging and strives to meet IEP goals through academic, social and enrichment activities.  The Middle and High School program focuses on academic skills, personal independence, building healthy relationships with others and vocational training and community service. New for 2010 ESY is an expanded summer vocational experience for middle and high school students. The 2010 theme for ESY is “Summer Sleuths.” Following morning academic instruction in math, reading and language arts/writing, afternoon clubs reinforce social and behavioral skills. Clubs will include karate, “Acting Antics”, “Dance for All” and music. ESY will run from June 28th through August 6th. The Vanguard School is a Pennsylvania Approved Private School for Special Education, selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (www.vanguardschool-pa.org).

Recognizing the importance of year-round recreational programming for youth of all abilities, the Summer Matters  division is expanding its program offerings to include three new recreational programs, “Break Away Adventures”, “Kid’s Night Out” and “Weekend Retreats” for VFES families and families in the outlying communities. These programs will offer affordable, engaging opportunities for youth to develop independence, strengthen healthy relationships and broaden their recreational experiences in the real world.
For more information about any of these programs, visit www.summermatters.org or contact Holly Zipperer at 610-296-6725 ext. 115 or hozipperer@vfes.net.

About Valley Forge Educational Services: Valley Forge Educational Services offers a wide variety of educational services focused on guiding 21st century learners to independence. VFES provides premier educational options for young children, adolescents and pre-21 adults ranging from school-based and summer programs to career planning to clinical and consulting services.  VFES also offers professional support to organizations, schools and families through its Conferences and Training, Grant Writing, Child Development and Strategic Planning service divisions. To learn more about VFES go to www.vfes.net.

SUMMER MATTERS quotes

“My 9 year old participated in two weeks of the SUMMER L.I.F.E. program. The first week was an art-based curriculum and he came home very happy every day. He became very good friends with three different campers and talked about them all the time, so much that even after camp we organized play dates with the children. I felt the program really nurtured my son. I felt very safe with him going there. It was very well organized and thought out as to each child’s needs. The second week was a robotic building camp where they built robots out of Lego’s. I cannot tell you how thrilled he was about this one. This appealed to his intellectual spirit and he was so proud of his accomplishments. He says it was the highlight of his WHOLE summer. I cannot thank you enough for providing such a stellar program suited for children who learn differently, behave differently. We need a whole summer of this! I highly recommend this camp program.”  Maureen Martinez, parent

“My son has just completed his fourth year at Vanguard’s Extended School Year (ESY) Program.  It has been a positive experience for him and our family.  The program is a wonderful complement to Vanguard’s school year program as it provides continuity with reinforcement of academics and behavior goals.  The ESY Program offers opportunities to participate and experience activities that would otherwise not be available to him. My son has also participated in Summer L.I.F.E. His self-esteem and independence have increased tremendously as his involvement and success in the different activities expands. The entire staff working at both programs is phenomenal!  As parents, knowing we are sending our child to such a compassionate and committed environment is truly priceless.” Patty Maguire, parent

“Summer at Crossroads took me from frustration and sadness to confidence and success.”  Summer at Crossroads camper, 2009

Children will have opportunities to build healthy relationships with others within the context of relevant lunchtime activities. Choose from a 5 days/week option or a 3 days/week option.

The optional afternoon Recreation Program provides children with opportunities to engage in a variety of age-appropriate, high-interest activities, including:

• Twice Weekly Recreational Swim at the Upper Main Line YMCA
• Weekly “Express Yourself!” Creative Arts program, including Art, Music & Dance/Movement with The Center on Central
• Weekly Sports Clinic with LTA Premier Camps & Programs
• Environmental Education Program with The Swamp Creek Environmental Collaborative
• Field Trips & Community Outings

NEW IN 2011! Through a partnership with VFES’ Luma Center, we are offering campus-based “extended day” options during the 5-week summer session, including:

“Create It” Girls Club – Mondays, 4:30pm-5:45pm ($225 for 5 weeks)

A group experience for girls 8-10 years old to practice planning and organization skills while having fun. This club is run by an occupational therapist skilled in teaching executive functions through fun cooking and craft activities. Resources for home activities will be provided.

“Builders”  Boys Club – Wednesdays, 4:30pm-5:45pm ($225 for 5 weeks)

This club offers boys 8-10 years a place to practice social interaction skills and teamwork through building activities and games under the guidance of an experienced counselor.