Chicago Public Schools has teamed up again with sixty local churches for their "Safe Haven, Safe Summer" summer program, CEO of CPS Jean-Claude Brizard announced Wednesday.
The Safe Haven, Safe Summer program is a day-time summer initiative starting on June 25 that will provide over 2,000 Chicago children with safe activities and programs to take part in while out of school for the summer.
"Safe Haven, Safe Summer is an important partnership between CPS and our faith-based leaders that works to keep our children safe over the summer," Brizard explained. "It gives me and our CPS parents peace of mind to know that our students have a caring environment filled with engaging activities - both creative and educational - while they are out of school."
Students can register for the program through specific churches, and registration will be free for all CPS students. Though each church will have different activities, every program will be on weekdays from June 25 through August 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Some churches have also partnered up with specific schools.
The programs will generally include educational activities like reading programs, tutoring and performing arts, as well as daily workshops on widespread school issues like anti-bullying, conflict resolution, and anger management.
One participating Pastor from Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, Johnny Miller, said "The Safe Haven program has been a safety mechanism for the children, as well as an educational opportunity. The program not only provides an opportunity for conflict resolution, a space to solve potential problems before they evolve, but it has also allowed children to continue their education while school is out during the holiday break."
The Safe Haven, Safe Summer is not the first partnership between CPS and local churches and faith-based organizations. Safe Haven was first established during the holiday break in 2009, when 24 churches and about 500 students took part.
CPS: Safe haven, Safe Summer Participating Churches
