Starfish Academy
YMCA of Greater Charlotte

Catching children who are academically at risk and likely to fall through the cracks is the mission of the Starfish Academy, a literacy program created by the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. The Academy began in 1999 as a summer literacy camp, and in 2004, it expanded to include an after-school component. The number of participants has grown steadily every year. Currently, the program serves nearly 300 children in nine sites throughout the community.

Starfish Academy combines literacy instruction with arts programming and physical activity for 1st and 2nd grade students attending Title I schools. Because all students selected for the program read at least half a year below their grade level, lessons focus on reading and writing. As the program’s centerpiece, each student creates his or her own book to take home after graduation. These keepsakes represent all of their hard work and enable participants to share their achievement with friends and family.

During the six-week summer camp, students work on a variety of reading and writing lessons in the morning. Afternoon activities include attending art, music, and science classes, and swimming. Field trips to parks, museums, and other cultural destinations in Charlotte provide additional learning opportunities.

Instructors weave literacy into each and every lesson, including music and art activities. The music curriculum incorporates reading stories about musical instruments; the art teacher reads stories with pictures showing different art styles and media. By camp’s end, in addition to the art lessons and field trips, the students will have received more than 120 hours of literacy instruction.

The Academy’s after-school program operates three days a week at two different sites in Charlotte, and instructors rely on the same mix of literacy instruction, hands-on arts experiences, and physical education to motivate and engage the community’s neediest students. Participants also receive help with their homework and learn the importance of completing the assigned tasks.

Starfish Academy achieves real results: A large majority of the students improve their reading skills, and 90 percent successfully advance to the next grade. All of the parents agree that the program builds a sense of belonging and empowerment in their children.

With strong support from community volunteers, as well as remarkable partnerships with the local school district and area cultural organizations, the Academy provides some of the community’s youngest citizens with the skills that are essential for academic and personal success.