Children's Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman has reimagined summer school with CDF Freedom Schools.

Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelmen dares you to rethink summer school. Throw away the stereotype of badly behaved students repeating classes to keep from being held back. Dismiss the notion of slow students taking courses in order to keep up.

Here is Wright Edelman’s vision of summer school:

“Close your eyes and think about the words summer school. What comes to mind? If you picture a room full of children clapping, chanting, laughing and learning to fall in love with books and reading, you could be imagining the experience thousands of children across the country are about to have over the next few months as they participate in the Children's Defense Fund Freedom Schools® program.”

The Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools have been making this dream a reality since 1995 with more than 80,000 K-12 students participating in Freedom Schools across the country.

Parental involvement, college student teachers and adult trainers and community partners are part of the successful formula that has made the program work. The schools “support children and families around five essential components: high quality academic enrichment, parent and family involvement, civic engagement and social action, inter-generational leadership development, and nutrition, health, and mental health.”

This year the City of Atlanta Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs - Office of Recreation is bringing the Children’s Defense Fund’s National Freedom Schools to Georgia for the first time.

The program will be operated at four Atlanta recreation centers (M.L.K., Bessie Branham, C.A. Scott and Peachtree Hills) as part of the summer “Camp Best Friends” program.

The program runs from May 29-July 20,2012; 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Interested in taking part or obtaining more information? There is a reception tonight at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Ga from 7 p.m. - 9p.m. To attend that or obtain more information contact: Henry Thompson @ (404) 546-7242 or email: HLThompson@AtlantaGA.GOV.