FAIRFIELD, Conn.—Sacred Heart University’s Horizons at SHU program has received $20,000 to support its 2021 plans to expand summer learning enrichment for Bridgeport students. The grant is from Fairfield County’s Community Foundation (FCCF).
The foundation promotes philanthropy throughout Fairfield County, supporting solutions to critical issues affecting county communities. To date, it has awarded more than $230 million to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond, including previous grants to Horizons at SHU. A statement from the FCCF stated, “Our goal is to create a vital and inclusive community, where every individual has the opportunity to thrive.”
Horizons is a tuition-free, nonprofit organization with more than 60 chapters that serve 5,000-plus students yearly from kindergarten through eighth grade. Its curriculum focuses on learning aspects such as academics, social and emotional learning (SEL), creative arts and recreation. Sacred Heart’s chapter assists Bridgeport. Many of these children, who attend the program at SHU’s main campus, are the first in their families to step foot on college grounds.
Horizons at SHU’s project aims to close opportunity gaps from summer learning loss that children from Bridgeport’s low-income families face. The opportunity gap refers to the difference in educational resources between low-income students and their middle-to-higher-income peers. It occurs when students’ lack of access to out-of-school programs during the summer hurts their academic success and preparation for the upcoming school year. However, if the children’s brains are engaged and they continue to learn during the summer through academics, trips, reading, visits to museums and such, they are more likely to return to school ready to pick up where they left off.
Connecticut has the largest opportunity gap in the nation, most severely in the Bridgeport area. Bridgeport’s 2018 “State of the Child Report” found that 76.4% of the city’s high school students in the class of 2017 graduated within four years, compared to 87.9% statewide. Additionally, students facing this opportunity gap are up to six times more likely to drop out of high school, resulting in a 51% chance of facing unemployment. It is estimated that high school students who leave school early cost the nation $260 billion per year in crime, welfare and health-care costs.
Sacred Heart’s Horizons program takes place Monday through Friday for six weeks each summer. The curriculum covers literary instruction, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), SEL, swimming, academic and culturally significant trips and service learning. Classrooms are arranged for hands-on, “learn by doing” experiences.
Horizons at SHU also has a Saturday program for students during the academic year. Currently, there are 254 students enrolled for 2021-22, with 32 more students from two kindergarten classes expected to join the 2021 summer program.
Students enrolled in Sacred Heart’s Horizons chapter see immense academic improvements. In 2019, all participating children from kindergarten through second grade met or exceeded their reading goals. Additionally, 91% of all students met or exceeded the literacy goal and 90% of students between first and eighth grade improved in mathematics. In 2020, the program had a 94% retention rate and was recognized by Horizons National as one of the best network affiliates.
For more information on the FCCF, visit its website.
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About Sacred Heart University
As the second-largest independent Catholic university in New England, and one of the fastest-growing in the U.S., Sacred Heart University is a national leader in shaping higher education for the 21st century. SHU offers more than 80 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and certificate programs on its Fairfield, Conn., campus. Sacred Heart also has satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland and offers online programs. More than 9,000 students attend the University’s nine colleges and schools: Arts & Sciences; Communication, Media & the Arts; Social Work; Computer Science & Engineering; Health Professions; the Isabelle Farrington College of Education; the Jack Welch College of Business & Technology; the Dr. Susan L. Davis, R.N., & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing; and St. Vincent’s College. Sacred Heart stands out from other Catholic institutions as it was established and led by laity. The contemporary Catholic university is rooted in the rich Catholic intellectual tradition and the liberal arts, and at the same time cultivates students to be forward thinkers who enact change—in their own lives, professions and in their communities. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its Best 386 Colleges–2021 Edition, “Best in the Northeast” and Best Business Schools–2021 Edition. Sacred Heart is home to the award-winning, NPR-affiliated radio station, WSHU, a Division I athletics program and an impressive performing arts program that includes choir, band, dance and theater. www.sacredheart.edu
About Fairfield County’s Community Foundation
Fairfield County’s Community Foundation promotes philanthropy as a means to create change in Fairfield County, focusing on innovative and collaborative solutions to critical issues impacting the community. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Community Foundation is in compliance with the Council on Foundations’ national standards and has awarded over $230 million in grants to nonprofits in Fairfield County and beyond. As a trusted nonprofit partner and thought leader, Fairfield County’s Community Foundation brings together community organizers, business experts and philanthropists to solve our region’s challenges. Its goal is to create a vital and inclusive community, where every individual has the opportunity to thrive. fccfoundation.org