About REAL Kids

REAL Kids, DREAM’s award-winning elementary school literacy program, serves kids in four key areas—Baseball/Softball, Academic Enrichment, Social and Emotional Development, and New Experiences. These activities help youth build literacy, social and emotional skills, improve their overall health and fitness, and discover new hobbies and passions.

LAST YEAR 99.7% OF KIDS AVOIDED SUMMER LEARNING LOSS

The summer program directly combats the prevalence of summer learning loss among low-income youth. On average, children from low-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency during the summer each year due to a lack of engaging learning opportunities, compared to an average of less than one month lost by middle-income children.

Program outcomes

Reading level promotion
Improvement in speaking and listening skills
Social and emotional development
Physical fitness and confidence on the field

Making Dreams Real in Newark

In July 2017, we kicked off our award-winning REAL Kids program in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, and began working with kids outside of New York City for the first time.

In Summer 2018, we went from serving 70 kids in grades K-1 to serving 160 kids in grades K-3. With the support of our partners at Peshine Avenue Elementary School we’ll continue to grow and empower even more kids in Newark to realize their dreams.

For more information about REAL Kids in Newark, please reach out to Jim Fabros at jfabros@wearedream.org.

Success story

Carter is a 3rd grade REAL kid. Over the summer, he read and learned about the Olympics, wrote about his favorite athletes, and played ball. With the support of his Workshop Teacher and Learning Coaches, Carter avoided summer learning loss and went into the new school year strong! It’s no wonder he earned an “E for Effort” award.