The Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township opened its summer camps Monday. Rachel Martin, left, and Adam Spotts, seventh from left, are two of 30 to 35 counselors who are helping children in the greater Cranberry Township area keep up with academic progress made during the year.

They call it the “summer slide.”

It happens during those tricky mid-year months when schools take a break to give students and staff a chance to rest before leaping into a new academic year.

But some scholastic professionals say students are apt to rest too much during summer vacation. The result? A significant loss of academic improvement — particularly in reading — they made the year before.

By the first day of school, students may have slid backward on as much as three months of academic achievement, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

That's in an average year.

This year hasn't been average.

“Kids have had no structure ... for three months,” said Carrie Ohorodnyk, executive director of the Rose E. Schneider Family YMCA in Cranberry Township. “They're almost like readjusting (to school).”

YMCA camps are a crucial part of summer vacation for many families, according to Ohorodnyk. She said by offering physical activities as well as programming for literacy, STEM and the arts, they contribute to the “overall well-being” of schoolchildren.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appeared in Friday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.