Young Audiences of Maryland (YAMD), the Baltimore-based affiliate of Young Audiences Arts for Learning, has been recognized by the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) with its New York Life Foundation Excellence in Summer Learning Award for 2020. Each year, the award honors exceptional programs, models, and systems across the nation that “keep children and youth learning, safe and healthy during the critical summer months.”

YAMD’s Summer Arts & Learning Academy (SALA) is one of only three programs, culled from nearly 350 applicants, to earn the prestigious recognition for 2020. For the past six years, SALA has been helping Baltimore City Public Schools (BCPSS) elementary students fight summer learning loss. In partnership with BCPSS, SALA is offered as a free, full-day, five-week program centered on arts-integrated literacy and math instruction.

Rigorous criteria met by the winning programs includes “helping students cement skills learned during the school year, effective family engagement strategies, and inclusive and innovative programming to serve the diverse needs of children and their families,” according NSLA’s September 2, 2020, announcement.

YAMD will be recognized among this year’s winners in a virtual awards celebration, to be held in November 2020, and will receive a $10,000 donation courtesy of the New York Life Foundation.
 

Read the full announcement at SummerLearning.org

 

Learn more aboutYAMD and SALA at https://www.yamd.org/