Through a $1.4 million dollar grant, the program is open to students attending both district and charter schools, and aims to address the impact of Covid-19 and mitigate summer learning loss.

Educational experts say that over the summer, children in low-income neighborhoods lose more than two months of their knowledge when they are not engaged in any learning. Summer 2020 is anticipated to be even more challenging given the disruptions in their learning that started in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to an analysis conducted by McKinsey & Company on the impact of COVID19 on learning, the average student is expected to fall seven months behind academically, while black and Hispanic students could experience even greater learning losses, equivalent to 10 months for Black children and nine months for Latinx.

In an effort to prevent the losses from compounding, PMP has designed an engaging online summer experience to help students combat the feeling of isolation and build on their knowledge in math and reading while having fun. The 18-day, six-week summer program consists of 1.5 hours of live instruction with a PMP Teaching Fellow, and one hour of independent learning work three times per week (capping screen time to 7.5 hours per week).

Council Member Ritchie Torres is supportive of the initiative. “During these incredibly difficult times, we must find innovative ways to keep students engaged and actively learning,” he said. “This free virtual program will supplement students’ learning experience and help fill in the gaps where they exist. I encourage all public school students to apply and look forward to a strong partnership with Practice Makes Perfect to ensure that all students have access to remote learning and the help they need during the pandemic.”

NYC’s public school system is the largest in the nation. Over 70 percent of students are economically disadvantaged and more than three quarters identify as minority. PMP works with high-need communities. Karim Abouelnaga, Founder and CEO, was raised by a single mother on government aid in Queens. As the second-oldest of seven, he was raised in an environment where learning stopped when school ended.

“In an unprecedented moment, our company has an obligation to create certainty and stability, especially across some of NYC’s highest-need communities.” Abouelnaga said. “This work would not be possible without the generosity of our foundation partners. This is a beautiful example of a public-private partnership stepping up to fill a void at a critical moment.”

The deadline to apply for funding is Friday, Jun. 26. Applications can be made by visiting the Practice Makes Perfect website at https://practicemakesperfect.org/ and clicking on Virtual Summer at the top of the page.