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J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 9 M A C O N M A G A Z I N E . C O M | 10 3 bus to provide daily morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off at each of the three schools; securing transportation to and from the program for off-site enrichment activities and field trips; obtaining adequate, safe space to house the program according to CDF standards; and providing insurance, support staff, service fees and supplies for all activities. Freedom School utilizes an intergenerational leadership model. The program is staffed primarily by college students and recent college graduates, with a 10:1 child to adult ratio. As a result, many children and youth make significant gains in reading achievement and don't experience any summer learning loss, which is the biggest reason for the nationally-documented achievement gap between lower-income and higher- income children. By the end of third grade, lower- income children are typically two years behind their higher-income counterparts in reading. is is due, in large part, to a lack of opportunity and support for children in at-risk neighborhoods to have access to books and educational enhancement programs during traditional summer breaks. According to Groce, Freedom School helps to close the gap so students can keep pace and raise their self-esteem by offering books for daily reading, enrichment activities, and field trips that relate to and reinforce each other. "Our children are encouraged to dream, to set goals, and to cultivate positive attitudes and high expectations," she said. Freedom School students engage in a research-based, multicultural Integrated Reading Curriculum (IRC) that supports them and their families through five essential components: high-quality academic enrichment; parent and family development; civic engagement and social action; intergenerational servant leadership development; and nutrition, health and mental health. Each day of Freedom School is structured similarly. Students, known as