Summer is for learning

Community partnerships allowed several children to attend summer camp programs, enabling their parents to continue their studies at The Immigrant Learning Center.

We go out of our way to support our student parents over the summer, but the truth is, if they can’t find childcare, they have to stop taking classes and risk losing progress in their English education.

This summer, M.A.P. (Music, Art, Programming) Family Learning Center, a Malden-based organization, was enthusiastic about helping immigrant families and decided to team up with Creative Malden, a community arts nonprofit, to raise money to send some of our students’ children to their five-week summer camp full of music, art and computer programming.

Four students at The Immigrant Learning Center were able to enroll their children in the M.A.P. camp, along with a bonus week with Kids LAHF (Learn And Have Fun). Their children had a great summer enjoying a variety of creative activities, and their parents were free to focus on their studies.

Tamara from Brazil said her seven-year-old son has never taken a music lesson before going to camp. Now, she plans to work with The ILC’s advisors to find him piano lessons.

Edgar from Venezuela sent his two children to M.A.P,’s camp, which freed him up for school and work. “I’m not [preoccupied] because the children are not alone in the house. I can study without stress, without preoccupation…. The camp help with time for me,” he says.

Thank you to our friends at M.A.P., Creative Malden and Kids LAHF for giving our students the gift of a stress-free summer and an uninterrupted education!