Dayton Children’s summer program inspires local children's career dreams

Beating “summer slide” and creating a safe space for kids to connect and grow; that’s the mission of the Taking FLIGHT Summer Program at Kiser Elementary. The six-week summer program is a proud project of Dayton Children’s to serve the Old North Dayton Community by exposing local children to creativity, new adventures and their future career dreams.  

From the ecosystem to the healthcare system, this STEM focus program provides a rich and diverse summer experience that combines hands-on learning with creativity. to creativity, new adventures, and possible careers in healthcare. 

This summer program is part of our efforts as a hospital to support children’s health in all aspects and promote educational equity to give our neighborhood kids the best opportunities possible! giving kids the best opportunities possible. And collaboration with the community is key to promoting health and education equity while also inspiring children to foster social connections and personal growth in and outside of the classroom.  

“We want to connect the families in and around Old North Dayton to the resources we can provide at the hospital that go beyond annual check-ups,” says Rue Gray who is the site-coordinator for the Taking FLIGHT program. “We offer so many opportunities for these kids, from a flexible curriculum without the pressures of tests and grades, an ideal setting to teach about values and diversity, and daily lessons to help reduce the ‘summer slide’ or loss of academic skill and knowledge.

Here’s what this year’s program participants have been able to explores so far thanks to our program leaders and the community:  

Animal Adaptation 

Ohio learns 360, through PBS kids, brought the ecosystem to the classroom to teach students about ecosystem structures and the importance of each animal’s specific role in the world. Focusing on the environmental symbols of Ohio, students were taught about their state pride. Spotted salamander as amphibious state representative anybody?  

After several games of Go Fish with state symbols, the students were free to let their creativity loose and design their own animals, including their animals' habits and habitats! A big

thank you to Think TV’s Camp-in-a-Box program who helped make this lesson possible! 

Taking Flight 

Also facilitated through Ohio learns 360, students learned about the four forces of flight. Using the engineering design process, students competed in a paper airplane competition, creating paper vehicles that could increase the speed, straighten the flight path, or even do some flips.  

Of course, true to the history of Dayton, learning about the Wright brothers was and their challenges to fly the first time were also covered! 

Scrubs Camp 

Dayton Children’s Hospital employees teamed up with students to give them a sneak peek into the future of healthcare! X-ray technicians, emergency technicians, and EMS experts shared their knowledge, opening the door to the exciting world of healthcare and emergency medicine. They helped the kids see what emergency services are all about and encouraged them to use these resources if needed. Plus, it was a great way to inspire the students to chase their dreams in the medical field! 

For more information about Dayton Children’s commitment to health equity click here.  

To learn more about the Center for Health Equity at Dayton Children’s contact Jessica Salem, executive director of the Center for Health Equity at salemj@childrensdayton.org.