July 2015 Camp Summer Plus Education & Health Initiative

Issa Trust Foundation has a very successful and sustainable pediatric model with reportable outcomes. Therefore, we have been asked to provide medical evaluation of all students during Camp Summer Plus. Dr. Jeff Segar, Leads the Team and stated ³evaluation will include a physical exam, basic blood tests, hearing and vision screening, pharmacy medications if needed and Flouride treatments. If eyeglasses are needed, they will be provide onsite through our partnership with Michigan Lions Club. A questionnaire has also been developed to assist the team in identifying risk factors for impaired learning. Collectively, the data will assist in identifying potential future interventional measures designed to promote learning in this population.

Medical clinics will be held:

• Sam Sharpe Teacher’s College, Montego Bay on July 13th
• Cedar Grove Academy, St. Catherine on July 14th
• College of Agriculture Science & Education (CASE), Portland on July 15th

The Jamaica Diaspora Education Task Force (JETF) in partnership with the Ministry of Education (MOE) will host the Camp Summer Plus program in 2015. This project is a joint initiative of the Governments of Jamaica and the United States of America monitored by the Ministry ofEducation and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal of Camp Summer Plus is to improve reading and mathematics skills among students in the early grades (grade 1 – 3) as they return to school after the long summer vacation. The promoted Grade 3 students in recent times have performed poorly overall in the readiness assessment test at the grade 4 level. Therefore, USAID has introduced this program to assist those at-risk students. For five weeks during the summer, academic instruction in Reading and Mathematics, and an enrichment program that includes the arts will be taught. As part of the education platform for the summer and to help students arrive at the goals, careful thought has been given to learning holistically to include medical, dietary, social behavioral and academic fortification of students. Due to lack of funding, Camp Summer Plus was not held in 2014. Camp Summer Plus 2015 is funded by USAID in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Diaspora. The Diaspora is collaborating and will fully take over the implementation of the camp in 2016, but for this year, USAID contributed the lion’s share of the funding. The Issa Trust Foundation sponsored the medical clinics at three camp sites.