First State Times

Delaware’s Migrant Education Program’s (MEP) Summer School Project is a seven-week program hosted during the summer that provides instructional and supportive services to migratory children whose parents migrate and work in agriculture in Delaware. MEP is a federally funded program that supplements educational support services for migrant students.

Migrant students are the school-aged children of seasonal workers traveling to Delaware each year for agricultural work. These children face unique educational barriers as a result of multiple family moves.

Many migrant families stay in Delaware through late fall before returning to their home states. During this time their children attend Delaware schools. Migrant families who choose to live in Delaware permanently continue to receive education-related support services.

The goal of MEP Summer School Project is to provide educational experiences as well as social emotional support to assist the migrant students in achieving academic success. Often these students struggle to maintain their grades, grade levels and graduation.

The MEP Summer School Project is held in two locations: the Greater Milford Boys & Girls Club and the Delaware and the Western Sussex Boys & Girls Club.

The MEP Summer School Project provides full-day services five days a week. Free breakfast, lunch and snacks as well as transportation services are provided daily for all the students.

MEP Summer School students have daily instruction in math and reading, computer lab, swimming as well as other educational and fun extra-curricular activities. Instructors use the I-Ready Curriculum and Assessment. Students are given both a pre-assessment (to gauge where they are educationally) and a post-assessment to measure their growth. Families are encouraged to be a part of their children’s learning experience and are invited to participate in family events.

This year, DDOE is very excited about the partnership we have formed with Salisbury State University and their College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Migrant students will spend their last week of summer school attending a summer enrichment program called STEAM, which will provide them with experiences in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. This also allows them to interact with other migrant students from the State of Maryland.

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For information on more great things happening in schools across Delaware, sign up to receive Take Note: Education in the First State at Take Note Newsletter – Delaware Department of Education. Take Note is published the final Wednesday of each month.

Original source can be found here.