Say Yes! Buffalo Launches Summer Camps for 1,800 Students

Buffalo, New York (WBEN) – Say Yes! Buffalo and Buffalo Public Schools announced Tuesday the opening day of free summer camp programs for the district’s children in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Say Yes! Buffalo CEO David Rust says this summer will be the biggest season of the year, with more than 1,800 students participating at 31 locations across the city.

“They really have wonderful opportunities for art, music, science, reading and math, playing sports and having fun with their friends over the summer, and that’s what camp provides, a great mix of academic enrichment and fun support for students over the summer.”

In addition to continued learning, field trips, and building deeper connections with peers, summer camp students will also have the opportunity to participate in mobile health clinics, where they will have access to primary care services; racial equity training for fifth and sixth graders led by Say Yes Buffalo’s Breaking Barriers Boys and Men of Color initiative; and participation in Mayor Brown’s Summer Reading Challenge on Reading Rules. Summer camps will also continue to benefit from enhanced behavioral health supports, including healing circles and social-emotional skills groups to help students.

“Summer camp provides an invaluable experience for our students, and we receive incredibly positive feedback from students and their families year after year,” added Michael Derr, director of community affairs for the University District of Buffalo Community Development Association.

“Every summer, we see improvements in students’ reading and math skills between the end of the previous school year and the beginning of the next, as well as improvements in social and emotional skills.”

Primary funding for the summer camp comes from Buffalo Public Schools, the Cullen Foundation, Erie County and the City of Buffalo. Additional funding comes from the Garman Foundation, the Stenclik Foundation, Erie County Legislators April Baskin and Mike Kooshoian, and Buffalo City Council members Leah Halton-Pope, Chris Scanlon, Bryan Bollman, Joel Feroleto and David Rivera.