Crossroads is a data-driven organization that monitors progress toward desired outcomes.
As we plan our camp and year-round programs, challenging research is also top of mind:

 

"Environments, exposures, activities, and interactions during summertime can promote positive cognitive, social, emotional, and skills development, as well as promoting safety and physical and mental health. However, enrichment experiences are not evenly and equitably distributed, and many children lack access to quality experiences due to the challenges of availability, accessibility, and affordability. The most vulnerable children face the greatest challenges in accessing quality enrichment experiences." 
National Academy of Sciences, 2019

​"Extracurricular and afterschool programming for youth is limited and, for some families, unaffordable. A growing segment of low-income residents face significant barriers to accessing such services…due to transportation, difficulty navigating application processes, limited Internet, and lack of eligibility due to immigration status.”  Boston Children’s Hospital, 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment

 

"In 2019, the typical student in the poorest 10 percent of districts scored one and a half years behind the national average for his or her year – and almost four years behind students in the richest 10 percent of districts – in both math and reading. By 2022, the typical student in the poorest districts had lost three-quarters of a year in math, more than double the decline of students in the richest districts. The declines in reading scores were half as large as in math and were similarly much larger in poor districts than rich districts. The pandemic left students in low-income and predominantly minority communities even further behind their peers in richer, whiter districts than they were."  Tom Kane, Sean Reardon, NYT, 2023
 

the analysis highlights two key points:
• Summer enrichment programs play a key role in cognitive, academic, social, and physical development. 

 

• Such enrichment opportunities are not evenly or equitably distributed. This means that low-income children and children of color are much less likely to have access to summer enrichment because of cost and availability, depriving them of critical learning opportunities.
 

These findings brING laser focus to our efforts

Crossroads has committed to making sure the summer is super fun, engaging, and enriching for our kids, and that there are no financial barriers to participation. We cover the full costs of our programs for young people whose financial circumstances too often place such experiences out of reach.