The Barnes Foundation Joins with Philadelphia Cultural Organizations to Present Third Annual Early Learner Summer Pods

The Barnes and six other Philadelphia cultural organizations offer free early childhood programs, activities, and events throughout the summer, with lead funding from the William Penn Foundation

Through August 13, 2024

Philadelphia, PA, July 22, 2024—The Barnes Foundation has announced Early Learner Summer Pods, a citywide effort realized with six other cultural organizations in Philadelphia, offering free summer enrichment activities for children ages five and under living in underserved communities. Made possible with support from the William Penn Foundation, Early Learner Summer Pods take place over six weeks, between July and August, 2024, and are expected to engage nearly 1,000 early learners and their caregivers through play, art, science, nature, and stories.

This educational initiative, coordinated by the Barnes, is delivered through a network of Philadelphia’s leading cultural agencies and institutions, including the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, the Barnes, the Clay Studio, Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, Fleisher Art Memorial, Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, and WHYY—all engaging informal learning spaces and organizations where early learners can grow and develop.

Early Learner Summer Pods are designed to engage young learners and their caregivers and promote discovery through outdoor activities, art making, science-related workshops, literacy activities, storytime sessions, and other experiences. This initiative taps the strength of each organization to connect Philadelphia’s youngest learners to art, nature, science, and stories. Collectively, Early Learner Summer Pods will serve residents in South, West, Southwest, and North Central Philadelphia neighborhoods, activating community and literacy centers, cultural institutions, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Centers, public parks and playgrounds, and schools. Free learning and art kits will also be distributed to participating children.

“The Early Learner Summer Pods program provides opportunities for fun, creativity, and learning for our city’s youngest learners and their families throughout the summer,” says James Claiborne, Deputy Director for Community Engagement at the Barnes. “The myriad programs offered in neighborhoods across the city, thanks to our extraordinary network of cultural partners, support early learners’ social, emotional, language, and literacy development and counter summer learning loss. We are proud to lead this citywide effort to deliver fun, educational activities that support the growth and enrichment of children in our communities that need it the most.”

“We’re glad to see many of our city’s arts, culture, and science institutions play such an important role in early learning this summer,” says Jennifer Stavrakos, Director of the Children and Families Program at the William Penn Foundation. “These creative, inquiry-based, and content-rich experiences extend the Foundation's efforts to support the healthy development and academic success of young Philadelphians.”

More details about the 2024 Early Learner Summer Pods are listed below.

The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University
Discover, Play, Share: Summer Family Fun!
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 9–August 13
WHAT: Learning comes alive for children and families through STEAM, literacy, and play all summer. Families will receive take-home activities at all events, learn and play kits at ANS Family Day, and invitations for all future ANS Family Day events. Activities include storytimes, puppet play, STEAM experiments, music, and movement. All activities will be held outdoors.

• Tuesdays, July 9 & August 13, 5–7 pm
  Community Dinners at Dornsife Center (3509 Spring Garden Street)
• Wednesdays, July 17–August 14, 10:30–11:30 am
  Sister Cities Park (210 N. 18th Street)
• Wednesdays, July 24 & August 7, 2–4 pm
  Congreso de Latinos Unidos (216 W. Somerset Street)
• Saturday, August 10 & Sunday, August 11, 10 am–3 pm
  Family Fun Day at the Academy of Natural Sciences (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway)

Visit ansp.org for more information.

The Barnes Foundation
Barnes Pods
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 9–August 1
WHAT: The Barnes serves families and early learners through early childhood education programs that promote learning through play- and sensory-based experiences. We collaborate with community organizations to reach the families they help and, by doing so, create and foster partnerships and build resource networks. This summer, the Barnes is partnering with the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia at Taggart School to bring art to local communities.

• Tuesdays, 3–4:30 pm
  Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (Taggart School, 400 W. Porter Street)

Contact community@barnesfoundation.org for more information.

The Clay Studio
Summer Clay Workshops
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 19–August 10
WHAT: Books capture imaginations at the Clay Studio’s summer workshop series. Children and families are inspired by clay, books, and movement in community spaces in North Philadelphia. Books and ceramics lessons focus on social and emotional learning, creativity, and play.

• Fridays, July 19–August 9, 9–11 am
  The CORE at Esperanza Health Center (3222 H Street)
• Saturdays, July 20–August 10, 1–3 pm
  Tree House Books (1430 W. Susquehanna Avenue)

Visit theclaystudio.org for more information.

Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
SPLASH: Summer Family Program
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 17–August 10
WHAT: The program offers Saturday morning family expeditions at Fairmount Water Works along the Schuylkill River and water-themed activities on Wednesdays at the Mander Playground “spray ground.” The fun continues with take-home books and activities. Rain or shine. Best for ages two and up; siblings of all ages welcome.

• Wednesdays, July 17–31, 3:30–5:30 pm
  Mander Playground (2140 N. 33rd Street)
• Saturdays, July 20–August 10, 10 am–noon
  Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (640 Waterworks Drive)

Visit fairmountwaterworks.org for more information. Registration is recommended.

Fleisher Art Memorial
Art Making Storytime
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 20–August 3
WHAT: Fleisher’s Art Making Storytime series offers art and literacy workshops that celebrate independence, imagination, and curiosity to young learners and their grown-ups. Interactive storytimes focus on specific themes in picture books and invite participants to swing, sway, move, and groove. Best for ages 3–5; siblings of all ages welcome.

• Saturdays, July 20, July 27 & August 10, 10–11:30 am
  Fleisher Art Memorial (719 Catharine Street)
• Saturday, August 3, 10–11:30 am
  Mifflin Square Park (500 Wolf Street) (Rain location: Fleisher Art Memorial)

Visit fleisher.org for more information.

Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse
Everyday Literacy Summer Pods
WHERE: Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse (3500 Reservoir Drive)
WHEN: Visit smithplayground.org for more information on program dates and sites.
WHAT: An interactive series of play-based activities with a focus on pre-literacy and pre-writing skills for early learners and their families in North Philadelphia. Families will explore literacy-related activities to promote a love of reading and receive a free book to build their home libraries. Transportation to and from each session will be provided along with dinner.

Visit smithplayground.org for more information.

WHYY
Summer Literacy and Engagement Project
WHERE: Various locations listed below.
WHEN: July 18–August 12
WHAT: Read, play, and learn with WHYY this summer. WHYY’s original children’s program Albie’s Elevator comes to life through crafts, stories, music, and movement activities. Plus, take home resources for more learning and fun. Partnerships with CommUnity Garden @ the Creek, Tustin Recreation Center, and Ferko Playground.

• Tuesdays, 10:30 am
  WHYY (150 N. 6th Street)
• Wednesdays, 10 am
  CommUnity Garden @ the Creek (761 N. 47th Street)
• Wednesdays, 11 am
  Tustin Playground (5901 W. Columbia Avenue)
• Thursdays, 10:30 am
  Tacony Creek Park (4528 I Street; I Street and Ramona Avenue Gateway)

All programming is held outside and subject to change due to inclement weather.

Contact Anna Phillips (aphillips@whyy.org) or Katherine De Jesus Santana (kdejesussantana@whyy.org) for more information.

SPONSORS
Early Learner Summer Pods are made possible with lead support from the William Penn Foundation.

Lead support for community engagement and family programs at the Barnes is provided through the Comcast Center for Community Engagement. Generous endowment support for community engagement programs is provided by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), and additional annual support for these programs comes from generous individual, corporate, and foundation donors.

ABOUT THE BARNES FOUNDATION
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned canvases by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside African, Asian, ancient, medieval, and Native American art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.

The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” A visionary collector and pioneering educator, Dr. Barnes was also a fierce advocate for the civil rights of African Americans, women, and the economically marginalized. Committed to racial equality and social justice, he established a scholarship program to support young Black artists, writers, and musicians who wanted to further their education. Dr. Barnes was deeply interested in African American culture and became actively involved in the Harlem Renaissance, during which he collaborated with philosopher Alain Locke and Charles S. Johnson, the scholar and activist, to promote awareness of the artistic value of African art.

Since moving to Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes Foundation has expanded its commitment to diversity, inclusion, and social justice, teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways; investing in original scholarship relating to its collection; and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its programs.

The Barnes Foundation is situated in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people. Read our Land Acknowledgment.

Hours and ticket prices are listed on our website.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Online press office: barnesfoundation.org/press