STUART — The Education Foundation of Martin County has received a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties to support a summer reading camp for rising third-grade students.
The four-week program is serving about 84 Martin County School District students who need additional literacy support before entering third grade. Students receive 120 hours of instruction focused on strengthening foundational reading skills, expanding vocabulary and improving reading comprehension through hands-on learning activities.
This year's camp is built around the question, "How do living things survive in their environment?" Students are learning about animals, habitats and adaptations through interactive lessons and real-world experiences.
"The excitement we are seeing from students is incredible," Lisa Rhodes, executive director of the Education Foundation of Martin County, said in a statement. "They are asking questions, making connections and building confidence in their reading skills while having fun learning about the world around them. We are grateful to the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties for making this opportunity possible."
As part of the program, students will visit with the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center to observe live animals and connect classroom lessons about adaptation and survival to real-life examples.
According to the Education Foundation, the camp is intended to help students prepare for third grade, when the academic focus shifts from learning to read to reading to learn. The program combines targeted literacy instruction with enrichment activities during the summer months.
"Opportunities like these are so valuable to our students," Courtney Beard, the Martin County School District's K-5 English Language Arts program specialist, said in a statement. "We are grateful for our partnership with the Education Foundation of Martin County, which helps make these meaningful learning experiences possible for our students."