Grand Canyon Times

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey recently announced that in an effort to help Arizona students continue to get back on track scholastically after the pandemic, the AZ OnTrack Summer Camp will be funded for a second year.

Ducey announced on Oct. 25 at the Chris-Town YMCA after statistics were released showing nationwide declines in math and reading skills, according to a release by the Governor's Office.

“You’ve definitely set a precedent that other states have to take large strides to catch up to,” Kirsten Gray, vice president of childcare at the Valley of the Sun YMCA, told Ducey.

Lisa Graham Keegan, AZ OnTrack chair and former state schools' superintendent, credited the program with helping kids get caught up on their studies.

“This summer, we opened the doors for our kids to catch up on their learning in fun, engaging environments,” she said. “We saw how reconnecting students with their teachers, their school work and their peers reinvigorated their love of learning. Governor Ducey’s decision to fund AZ OnTrack for another successful summer shows his understanding that the only way to make up for lost time is to add time. I am so grateful for his dedication to Arizona’s parents, educators and students.”

Ducey said the nationwide numbers did hold some positives. More than 70,000 students participated in the program at 685 camps, according to the release.

“There are some silver linings to these results,” he said. “It’s encouraging that reading scores remained level. Kids have to learn to read before they can read to learn. With critical investments like AZ OnTrack Summer Camp, we intervened and helped kids reignite their love of learning that was disrupted by the pandemic.”