Article by: Milo Strain of the Arkansas Times
Camp Can Do, a free Little Rock School District summer program designed to increase English proficiency among non-native speakers and multilingual students, provides an encouraging environment where elementary schoolers can catch up to their peers who are native English speakers.
Established 17 years ago, the federally funded program lasts for about 20 days each summer and provides meals and bus transportation for students. This year, Camp Can Do is being held at Williams Magnet Elementary School in West Little Rock.
“We have students who speak Spanish at home, Igbo, Chinese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, any number of languages,” said Karen Henery, LRSD Director of ESOL and Multilingual Services. “We’re very diverse in what we have in our district.”
“We really want to be inclusive and embrace their languages, their cultures, how they learn best, and that’s what we’ve been doing for more than 17 years,” Henery, who is serving as principal of Camp Can Do this summer, said.
The camp functions like a school. Certified teachers trained to instruct multilingual students teach classes five days a week, and students also have lessons in subjects like art and physical education. There’s even a nurse and a security officer on site.
It’s “just as if it were a regular school day except there’s no homework and there are no school uniforms,” Henery said.
At the start of each day, all of the students are brought together for a “campfire,” which is more of a morning assembly. Students sing the Camp Can Do anthem and do things like hula hoop contests, and dance competitions and generally just work out some of their energy before a morning of language learning.
Henry said the camp uses a “scaffolded approach” to learning. Students’ English abilities are assessed at the beginning and end of the camp. Teachers adjust to meet their level, with instruction becoming more advanced as a student progresses.
“We’ve never had a parent say this was a waste of time,” Henery said. “Parents are saying, ‘Can you do another month?’”
Money for Camp Can Do comes from Title III, a federal grant program that funds supplemental education services for English learners.