Our 501c3 started in 2007, when Founder Tony Caine sponsored a College Track program for high school students in Aurora, CO. He underwrote the first two freshman classes through the four-year high school program and funded the gaps in all 100 students’ college scholarships for four years. The Aurora College Track program is still thriving with its own Board of Directors and has spread to Denver Public Schools, where the program also operates under the direction of its own Board of Directors.

Terri Caine brought the national Summer Advantage USA program to the Roaring Fork School District 2012. This program is still thriving in the Roaring Fork Valley. It continues to be funded through a partnership between Summit54 and the Roaring Fork School District. In 2020, Terri initiated a free After-School Tutoring Program in the RFSD.

To date, Summit54 has served more than 12,000 Roaring Fork Valley children. The 501c3 sponsors the free five-week summer academic and life enrichment program for approximately 600 elementary-aged children in Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties each summer and the free after-school tutoring program for more than 400 elementary-aged children each school year.

Summit54’s free five-week summer program includes pre- and post-assessments that demonstrate an average 2.5 - 4-month gain in reading and math! Without access to a high-quality academic summer program, low-income children typically regress up to 3 months during the summer break. Therefore, Summer Advantage is making up to a six-month difference in where a child would be academically at the start of the school year! Our goal in working with elementary-aged children is to establish a strong academic foundation. Beginning in fourth grade, 50% of the information children need to learn is provided to them in a written format. If they can’t read at grade level when entering 4th grade, it is extremely difficult for them to succeed. Not surprisingly, there is a strong correlation between third-grade literacy rates and high school dropout rates. There is also a strong correlation between high school dropout rates and incarceration.

The five-week Summer Advantage academic and life enrichment program serves 1st -5th grade students in RFSD (which includes students who live in Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties).  Historically, the program’s “scholars” have been 84% Latino, 74% received free and reduced-price lunch during the school year, and 76% were English language learners.

In 2027, the Summer Advantage program will operate June 14 - July 16, 2027, M-F, from 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Basalt Elementary School, Crystal River Elementary School and Glenwood Springs Elementary School. Our program is available to ALL elementary students in Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, Redstone, Basalt, and El Jebel. Free bus transportation is provided.

The FREE After-School Tutoring Program serves approximately 400 elementary-aged children who test below grade level each trimester. The program is offered immediately after school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays for one hour.  The RFSD closely monitors our tutoring program using internal NWEA and DIBLES pre- and post-testing and has consistently found dramatic improvement in student outcomes resulting from our tutoring program.

In addition to supporting student outcomes, Summit54 programs help regional educators better afford the high cost of living in our service region.  We pay our Summer Advantage teachers approximately $9000 for the five-week program plus three days of mandatory training and we pay our tutors $75/one-hour session.  All our teachers/tutors are licensed teachers.

Summit54 has extremely low overhead.  Our partner, the Roaring Fork School District, provides use of their schools for all our programs and covers the cost for utilities, janitorial services, computer support, and bus transportation for the Summer Advantage program.   Our only full-time “employee” is Terri Caine, our Executive Director, and she works as a volunteer from her home, using her own computer, printer, phone, etc., without any charge to Summit54.

90% of all funds raised by Summit54 directly cover program expenses-- primarily paying local teachers!  10% of funds raised by S54 cover the costs for an annual independent audit, a very part-time controller (who donates half her time), quarterly website updates, and catering for our annual “friend raiser” (all wine, beer and cocktails are donated and the event is hosted at a donor’s home without charge).

In the summer of 2026, 588 scholars in grades K-5 applied completed the Summer Advantage program in RFSD.

• 79% of scholars identified as Hispanic, 18% Caucasian, 1% African American, 1% Asian, and 1%other.
• 81% of scholars qualified for free or reduced-price meals.
• 50% of scholars were girls and 50% were boys.

Most of the families served by Summit54 have dual-working parents without alternative summer childcare, so in addition to providing needed academic support, two healthy meals, exercise, enrichment programming and Friday field trips, Summit54 also provides FREE summer childcare for working families.

Every Summer Advantage classroom has two educators for 20-22 students, thus providing a low ratio of no more than 11 students to educator.  Every classroom has a fluent Spanish-speaking educator.

In 2026, (as in every previous year), we used a Pre- and Post-STAR Assessment to measure the academic growth of all Summer Advantage scholars.  The five-week program generated an average 3 to 4 month gain among students.

Without access to a high-quality summer academic program, low-income children typically regress up to 3 months during the long summer break.  Thus, our Summer Advantage program makes about a six-month difference in a student’s readiness at the start of the new school year!

No other organization in our service region provides FREE summer academic support for elementary students!  Due to on-going school budget cuts, the possibility of the RFSD providing a high-quality summer academic program without Summit54 is more unattainable than ever.

Summit54’s goal remains to serve as many elementary-aged children in our region as possible.

Summit54’s Founders and Board of Directors believe that focusing on early education is an effective way to strengthen our community and our country.

Thank you for your interest in our important mission!