Suzette Farr sitting with microphone in front of her

In the latest Talks with Tyler ISD podcast episode, host Jennifer Hines talks with Mentoring Alliance Vice President of Marketing & Community Engagement Suzette Farr. Mentoring Alliance hosts engaging and educational summer camps for elementary through sixth grade students. The camps promote academic, personal, and educational growth to help minimize regression through the summer months.

Mrs. Farr talks about the many benefits the camps provide, including the flexibility they offer parents.  "Because our camps are in so many different locations, you can pick the one that's closest to you, on the way to work, or closest to when you get off work.” 

Simulating the atmosphere and activities of summer camps with college-age counselors, certified teachers are also on hand to help students grow academically.

“Teachers come in and teach students focusing in on reading and math," Farr said. "From our studies, we've been able to show that if a student spends at least four weeks in our summer camp program getting that extra help with academics and reading, we often see regression from that summer slide.”

Mentoring Alliance partners with Tyler ISD by using its middle schools as the camp locations. Parents are still able to drop their children off at their zoned elementary school to be bused to the hosting middle school. This allows parents to have a normal routine to drop off their child at their local school and still experience these wonderful summer camps.

To listen to the full episode, or check out previous Talks with Tyler ISD episodes, go to tylerisd.org/podcast