Stopping the Summer Brain DrainWe tend to think of summer as a vacation, comedian Jim Gaffigan once explained. Yet his experience as a dad of five had taught him that the summer break is actually “a three-month vacation for nobody but children.” And that’s no joking matter. Many parents feel stressed out as they wonder what to do with their children over the long, hot summer. Have they planned enough activities for the children? Will they be able to work with the children at home? Can they find child care if they don’t work at home? And how can they avoid the summer brain drain when kids so often lose much of what they’ve learned in the prior school year?
As a father of two, I’ve faced these questions. So, at this time of year, I think about some of the things I’ve done with my two daughters, starting when they were young. I always read to them, a habit I began when they were still in the womb. Now they’re both avid readers. So, I like to think that I opened up the world for them by sharing my love of literature and books. I also love singing, so we spent a lot of time singing and dancing together, which was always great fun for the girls and me.
Singing, as it turns out, is also a way to build literacy and avoid brain drain when school is out. Singing songs and using rhyming words introduce concepts like phonics and word recognition to young children. It helps them understand patterns of speech and see links between words, meaning and sounds, an important pre-reading skill called phonemic awareness. So, break out in song with your child whenever you can. And take advantage of other ways to engage your child by combining education with entertainment this summer.
Go on weekly visits to the library, where you’ll find tons of books for young learners, along with activities you can do for free. It’s also a chance to chat with the librarians, who can suggest ways to keep your children’s minds active all summer long. And of course, one of the best ways is to read books together every day. Choose interesting books that your child can follow along with and talk about the pictures in the stories you read.
You can also turn your conversations in the car into learning lessons for children, especially on field trips to new places. When you plan summertime travel, do a little research ahead of time. Once you’re on the road, show your children the route and teach a little geography while going to your destination.
And when you’re on the go, think about bringing some workbooks, instead of the same old coloring books, along. You can break them out at restaurants, while waiting for someone at swimming lessons or whenever you hear those dreaded words “I’m bored.”
That may be the time when parents rely more on video games, movies, technology and TV. And it’s hard not to, even with the best intentions. “Ninety percent of parenting is hiding iPads from your children,” as Gaffigan quipped. Like most parents, he’s seen how much children like their screen time. But you can make it more productive by introducing some educational apps, games and shows into the mix.
That’s what Ohio State University did when it offered a four-week virtual program to help preschoolers from low-income families get kindergarten ready. Teaching staff and leadership at the university’s College of Education came up with its Summer for Success program when the COVID lockdowns were still in place and parents didn’t have access to in-person preschool. Each of the 91 families that enrolled in the program received storybooks and a computer tablet preloaded with educational videos for parents to read and watch with their children.
The program also included one or two individualized teacher-child video chats each week and a video or phone meeting between the teacher and parents. In addition, parents received instructions on how to watch the videos and read the books with their children, including questions to ask before and after the lessons.
Most of the families finished the program and gave it high marks, according to Rebecca Dore, a senior researcher at Ohio State who measured the success of the program. “The most common comment we got from parents was that they wished the program was longer,” she said. And the children also gave a positive response, according to testing before and after the program. The results showed improvements on all measures, including social-emotional skills, counting, knowledge of the alphabet and the emerging ability to read.
The program was a response to the pandemic, but its promising results suggest it may be useful in other cases when children can’t come to school. And parents can use some of its methods in the summer months. Sure, summer should be a holiday for children. And “holidays,” as Gaffigan ruefully joked, “are an opportunity for children to unlearn every good habit they’ve learned during the rest of the year. They don’t go to school. They get to stay up past their bedtime.” And that’s part of the fun—at least for the kiddos. Still, the long, school break doesn’t have to be a complete loss when it comes to education. There are steps parents can take to make learning a blast and stop brain drain during the summer.
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Janie Payne is the Vice President of People and Culture for the Council for Professional Recognition. Janie is responsible for envisioning, developing, and executing initiatives that strategically manage talent and culture to align people strategies with the overarching business vision of the Council. Janie is responsible for driving organizational excellence through strategic talent practices, orchestrating workforce planning, talent acquisition, performance management as well as a myriad of other Human Resources Programs. She is accountable for driving effectiveness by shaping organizational structure for optimal efficiency. Janie oversees strategies that foster a healthy culture to include embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the organization.
In Janie’s prior role, she was the Vice President of Administration at Equal Justice Works, where she was responsible for leading human resources, financial operations, facilities management, and information technology. She was also accountable for developing and implementing Equal Justice Works Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion strategy focused on attracting diverse, mission-oriented talent and creating an inclusive and equitable workplace environment. With more than fifteen years of private, federal, and not-for-profit experience, Janie is known for her intuitive skill in administration management, human resources management, designing and leading complex system change, diversity and inclusion, and social justice reform efforts.
Before joining Equal Justice Works, Janie was the Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer for Global Communities, where she was responsible for the design, implementation, and management of integrated HR and diversity strategies. Her work impacted employees in over twenty-two countries. She was responsible for the effective management of different cultural, legal, regulatory, and economic systems for both domestic and international employees. Prior to Global Communities, Janie enjoyed a ten-year career with the federal government. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, she held key strategic human resources positions with multiple cabinet-level agencies and served as an advisor and senior coach to leaders across the federal sector. In these roles, she received recognition from management, industry publications, peers, and staff for driving the creation and execution of programs that created an engaged and productive workforce.
Janie began her career with Verizon Communications (formerly Bell Atlantic), where she held numerous roles of increasing responsibility, where she directed a diversity program that resulted in significant improvement in diversity profile measures. Janie was also a faculty member for the company’s Black Managers Workshop, a training program designed to provide managers of color with the skills needed to overcome barriers to their success that were encountered because of race. She initiated a company-wide effort to establish team-based systems and structures to impact corporate bottom line results which was recognized by the Department of Labor. Janie was one of the first African American women to be featured on the cover of Human Resources Executive magazine.
Janie received her M.A. in Organization Development from American University. She holds numerous professional development certificates in Human Capital Management and Change Management, including a Diversity and Inclusion in Human Resources certificate from Cornell University. She completed the year-long Maryland Equity and Inclusion Leadership Program sponsored by The Schaefer Center for Public Policy and The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights. She is a trained mediator and Certified Professional Coach. She is a graduate of Leadership America, former board chair of the NTL Institute and currently co-steward of the organization’s social justice community of practice, and a member of The Society for Human Resource Management. Additionally, Janie is the Board Chairperson for the Special Education Citizens Advisory Council for Prince Georges County where she is active in developing partnerships that facilitate discussion between parents, families, educators, community leaders, and the PG County school administration to enhance services for students with disabilities which is her passion. She and her husband Randolph reside in Fort Washington Maryland.
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Jan holds a CPA from the State of Virginia and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Lycoming College. She resides in Alexandria VA with her husband and dog.
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