Summit54, a Roaring Fork Valley-based nonprofit, takes a holistic approach to addressing regional elementary education challenges. 

The organization leverages after-school and summer programs to give students additional support, easing parents’ childcare logistics and giving teachers an additional income source. 

The organization’s after-school program, now in its seventh year, serves about 400 students annually throughout the Roaring Fork Valley.

This year, 39 teachers will work the program. They provide hour-long lessons after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Classes typically include eight to 10 students. 

Although the program can help working parents with child care logistics, Summit54 Executive Director Terri Caine emphasized that it is not a free babysitting program.

“It’s a tutoring program to help students who need extra help, and so the teachers invite students who could most benefit from extra help to participate in the free program,” Caine said. 

The after-school program is offered at Basalt Elementary School, Crystal River Elementary School, Glenwood Springs Elementary School, Two Rivers Community School, Riverview School, and Sopris Elementary School. 

Summit54 is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The organization operates with very low overhead costs. Thus, 90% of raised funds go directly to program costs, primarily teacher pay. The remaining 10% covers an independent audit, a “very part-time controller” and website updates, according to Caine. 

“Our donors have been very generous in recognizing that there are a lot of kids who need extra help,” Caine said. 

All teachers and tutors in the after-school program are licensed teachers. Summit54 pays instructors $75 per hour, with the goal of supporting teachers in a challenging housing market. 

“The cost of living, as we all know, in the Roaring Fort Valley Valley continues to increase, especially housing cost. And unfortunately it’s hard for school districts to keep up with that,” Caine said. 

Improving elementary literacy can have an outsized impact. 

“Beginning in fourth grade, 50% of the information children need to learn is provided to them in a written format,” Caine said in a statement. “If children can’t read at grade level when entering fourth grade, it is extremely difficult for them to succeed. Not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between third-grade literacy rates and high school dropout rates. There is also a strong correlation between high school dropout rates and incarceration.”

Summit54 also operates its five-week Summer Advantage program, which began in 2012 after the Roaring Fork School District closed its summer program in 2011 following funding cuts.

Summer Advantage offers a mix of education and enrichment activities, field trips and guest speakers. 

About 600 students have participated in the Summer Advantage per year since its inception. The program is open to all elementary students who live within the Roaring Fork Re-1 school district, no matter what school they attend. 

Summit54 pays its Summer Advantage teachers around $9,000 for the five-week program and three days of required training. 

Classes in the Summer Advantage program include 20 to 22 students, with  a fluent Spanish-speaking educator in every classroom. 

The Summer Advantage program measures progress with assessments at the beginning and end of the program. 

According to Summit54, those assessments indicate students achieve up to a two-and-half to four month gain in reading and math skills. Students not in summer programs can regress up to three months in these skills. 

Furthering education is important in both programs offered by Summit54, but Caine emphasizes that fun is a key part of the programs too. 

“Seeing the joy on students’ faces, and seeing how much they enjoy the program, and their enthusiasm is what keeps me motivated to raise the money every year to fund our programs,” Caine said. “To see the joy in children’s faces, that’s great.”