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In his March 7, 2024, State of Union speech, President Biden highlighted the importance of high-quality tutoring and summer learning to remain the strongest economy in the world.

It's a good thing that Horizons Newark has been providing summer programming and tutoring 100% TUITION-FREE to Newark students for the past 15 years, funded entirely by grants and individual donors like you.

Our long-standing commitment to the Newark community isn't the only thing that makes us awesome (we're not biased, we swear...)

Our five pillars are what set us apart.

Here's what they are, how they happen, and why they matter.

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PILLAR #1: ACADEMIC SUPPORT

Students who participate in our hallmark summer program grow, on average, 6-10 weeks in reading and math skills by program-end. 100% of students who participate in our school-year tutoring program show growth on their progress reports throughout the year. This is all critically important to offset the learning loss that happens for students from low-income backgrounds over the summer (check out this video on the Summer Slide) and to repair additional learning loss that happened during COVID lockdown. Without intervention, these losses are cumulative year-over-year,

With high-quality academic instruction, an impressive and dedicated teaching staff and specialists, and a non-negotiable low student-to-teacher ratio (never more than 5:1), students receive tailored and individualized support to stay on top of their academics and return to school in September confident and ready to learn.

PILLAR #2: HEALTHY LIVING

Horizons Newark is committed to educating the whole child, which includes their health and wellbeing. Horizons provides students with opportunities to play sports, garden, practice yoga, access free healthy food, and (new this year!) play golf.

And, we teach 100% of Horizons students to swim, which not only has lifesaving and health benefits, but also social-emotional rewards that spill over into the classroom. Horizons Newark is one of the only out-of-school-time programs in the community that provides this opportunity to students.

PILLAR #3: SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING

We have a dedicated social worker on-site who meets with students in small groups and individually if needed. She's also our mindfulness guru and helps our teachers implement a research-backed standard social-emotional curriculum that helps students make sound decisions, maintain positive relationships, promote their mental and physical wellbeing, and improves their attention, memory, and learning.

PILLAR #4: VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

What talent is uncovered each summer when students are given the opportunity to express themselves through the arts! In partnership with NJPAC and Newark-based educators, students learn theater, music, and fine art - often not available to them in their schools during the year.

PILLAR #5: STEM/STEAM AND CAREER EXPLORATION

Drones, coding, 3D printing...oh my! Utilizing a hands-on project-based curriculum, students explore STEM fields to tackle real-world issues, like world hunger (a small challenge). Students also go on STEM-related field trips with community partners (Newark Museum of the Arts, Branch Brook Park), as well as network with STEM career professionals, including board members.