Summer Passport 2023

Graphics

Instructions

Website: YourSummerPassport.com

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Download the Goosechase App and search for code 'Summer2023'

Flyers

Flyers for the Summer Passport 2023 summer long event and the 4 Kick-off events being held in Cache County, Tremonton, Brigham City and Salt Lake City.

Summer Passport 2023

Cache Valley Event

Tremonton Event

Salt Lake City Event

Brigham City Event

Videoclips

Favorite Things

Meagan Piantanida - My Discovery Destination!

April 6, 2023

I like to quote things like Disney movies and famous people. Benjamin Franklin is credited with one of my favorite and most-used quotes. What is that, you say? I’m glad you asked!

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It means it’s easier (and usually more cost-effective) to prevent something than it is to fix it once it’s busted. Think brakes on your car. It’s much cheaper to replace worn brake pads than to turn or replace rotors. Go ahead, look it up.

But this statement doesn’t just apply to automobile maintenance. It’s the same way with helping mold children into confident, loving adults who positively contribute to society. When families spend time together building good memories and having fun, more is happening than meets the eye. When parents spend quality time and engage with their children, any of the socially-recognized, scientifically-proven preventative factors to prevent child abuse are fostered, namely, environments that provide: nurturing and attachment, positive child and youth development, social connections, support for parents, and healthy social and emotional competence for children (childwelfare.org).

Does this sound familiar? It should! It’s what My Discovery Destination! and the Discovery Family Coalition (a community collaboration that brings all community sectors together to build strong families, the lead organization of which is My Discovery Destination!) has been helping with since its inception. It is our mission “to strengthen families.” How? “Providing opportunities for FREE Family Fun and connecting parents with programs, resources, and information that help them acquire the skills necessary to raise loving, responsible, resilient children.”

Strong families are the best protective factor to prevent child abuse. April is recognized as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2022, Utah started calling April Strengthening Families Month– focusing more on the positive, proactive side– something the team at My Discovery Destination! supports 100%. My Discovery Destination! has a unique, easy, and FREE way to provide Family Adventures that foster an environment in which families grow together. These Adventures promote bonding and attachment and teach important parenting skills to help parents recognize that spending time with their children DOES make a difference.

The best part? The Discovery Family Adventures work to improve your family while it looks like all you’re doing is having fun! It’s a great way to embody Utah’s preferred title of Strengthening Families Month. We take our mission so seriously that we invite all those who have and want to collaborate with us to join the Discovery Family Coalition. Also, feel free to borrow ready-made graphics from our We CAN and Parent Protective Factors Campaigns that will allow you to promote Family Strengthening Month online and through social media.

Welcome aboard!

Monthly Article

Coming

Ready or not, summer is here, and I think after this past, very loooong winter, we are ready!

This year, thanks to the Utah Department of Cultural and Community Engagement, we get to kick off the Summer Passport Program with some major Summer Passport parties! In Tremonton they will be having a foam party and snow cones. In Cache Valley and Brigham we have opted for bounce houses, bubble balls, air archery . . . and snow cones. In the Salt Lake City area they are having a foam party, magician, face painting, balloon artist, air archery and BBQ sandwiches! At each location you will find a fun Summer Passport photo booth, summer fun scavenger hunt, and whole lot of FUN!

Most families think of the Summer Passport program as FREE Summer FUN that gives them ideas and opportunities to keep kids bodies active and their minds engaged . . . and it is definitely that! However, it's also a whole lot more!

The Summer Passport is built on the foundation of the Discovery Family Adventures, which are built on the foundation of building strong families and prevention: increasing protective factors and decreasing risk factors that can keep our kids from reaching their full potential!

In addition, summer can have a negative effect on learning for school-age children. Two months of reading skills can slip-- and if reading skills slip then everything slips. More than 2 1/2 months of math skills can be lost over the 10-12 weeks between the end of one school year and the beginning of another. It takes teachers about six weeks to play catchup in the fall. This phenomenon is somewhat-affectionaly called the "summer slide," or summer learning loss.

The Summer Passport program is the antidote for summer doldrums. Sponsored by My Discovery Destination! and the Discovery Family Coalition, this series of FREE family experiences will help kids have FUN while also learning. There are well over 100 fun, flexible, FREE Adventures that families can do on their own time.

All of these incredible family experiences are FREE to families because of generous grants from the Bear River Health Department and the Central Utah Public Health Department. Also because of th ese grants completing the Summer Passport Program Adventures comes with REWARDS. Families can earn FREE, fun experiences from multiple Family Reward Event Partners from the grant areas. Of course, the biggest rewards are the benefits that come to your family because you are spending time together.

Give your kids a better "shot" at healthy minds and bodies during June, July and August. You cannot hold back the changing of the season. Summer is here. But, you can avoid the potential retrogression that can accompany it-- the Summer Passport Program is the cure. In the process you'll come out of it with a stronger family and more resilient kids.