When Summer Support Disappears: What DOE Cuts Mean for Our Kids

At I Would Rather Be Reading (IWRBR), summer isn’t just a break from school—it’s a vital opportunity to keep children learning, growing, and thriving.

IWRBR summer camps—developed through powerful partnerships with JCPS, Louisville Parks and Recreation, local businesses, and fellow nonprofits—are more than fun experiences. They’re life-changing interventions, especially for students who face systemic barriers and trauma daily.

But this summer, things are different.

What’s Happening?

Due to significant funding cuts from the U.S. Department of Education, the future of our high-interest, trauma-informed summer camps is at risk. The recent changes from DOE has drastically reduced the availability of federal education funding for out-of-school time programs. These changes directly impact organizations like ours that rely on these funds to provide free, high-quality programming for the students who need it most.

For years, IWRBR’s summer camps have served as a bridge—extending the reach of the classroom and offering both academic intervention and social-emotional development. We’ve been an answer to what students often lack during the summer: structure, enrichment, and opportunities to stay on track.

Now, without immediate community support, we may have to cancel some or all of our planned summer programs—programs that JCPS and community partners were depending on to support literacy and behavior goals district-wide.

Why These Camps Matter

The numbers don’t lie: Louisville’s literacy and behavior scores are in decline. The stakes are high, and the summer months are a crucial window to intervene.

Our summer programming addresses this head-on by:

• Providing daily reading support and trauma-responsive tutoring

• Incorporating social-emotional learning (SEL) into every activity

• Offering high-interest enrichment like arts, STEM, field trips, and agriculture education

• Preventing the “summer slide” that disproportionately affects low-income students

These camps create safe, healing-centered spaces for children to learn and grow—not just academically, but emotionally and socially.

How We’re Responding

We refuse to let our students fall through the cracks.

IWRBR is launching an emergency fundraising campaign to replace the missing federal funds and ensure our camps move forward as planned. We’re reaching out to local businesses, foundations, and individuals who understand that every child deserves a summer filled with opportunity—not obstacles.

We Can’t Do It Without You

If you’ve ever believed in the power of reading… in the importance of community… or in the potential of every child—we need you.

💛 [Donate Today] to help us save summer for Louisville’s kids.

📢 Share this story with your friends, family, and coworkers.

🤝 Join us in building a brighter future—one reader at a time.

Let’s make sure summer learning doesn’t become a casualty of budget cuts.

Plan for Sustainability Moving Forward  

IWRBR is proactively launching two innovative, mission-aligned revenue streams to ensure the long-term sustainability of our trauma-informed literacy and enrichment programs. View Here