Dover's Junior Police Academy Bridges Cops and Community

Dover's Junior Police Academy Bridges Cops and Community

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A Journey of Discipline and Growth

Bimael Torres, once an unmotivated and out-of-shape tween, found a new path through the Dover Junior Police Academy. Entering the program in 2023 as part of its inaugural class, Bimael was 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 245 pounds. Two years later, at age 14, he has grown 9 inches taller, lost 40 pounds, and gained muscle. His transformation is a testament to the discipline and work ethic he learned during his time in the academy.

Bimael credits the program for teaching him valuable life lessons about perseverance and dedication. "I was out of shape, but once I got here, it was a pretty cool thing just being here," he said. "I started to exercise. I admired them and they admired me. I learned that not everything in life is easy, and you have to work for it."

A talented pitcher and incoming freshman at Pope John Regional High School in Sparta, Bimael hopes to pursue a career in professional baseball. However, if that doesn’t pan out, he’s set on a career in law enforcement. "I would definitely go into law enforcement," he said.

The Vision Behind the Program

Officer Louis Sperry, who came out of retirement to design and direct the program, sees the academy as a passion project. Although he holds the title of Class 2 officer, he operates the academy as a volunteer. "It's a passion of mine," he said, as the latest class of eager recruits gathered on Dover's Crescent Field.

The program has seen steady growth since its inception. In 2023, 28 kids graduated from the first class. The numbers increased to 40 last year and 47 this summer, with 10 more on a waiting list. "I wanted to keep it at 40, but I hate to say no. And I still have that waiting list," Sperry admitted.

This year's program launched on July 28, with a graduation ceremony scheduled for August 2 at the Dover American Legion Hall, where the program is based. Off-duty officers and community volunteers, including Sperry's wife Jennifer, contribute their time. Local businesses and corporate sponsors help cover about $4,500 in operating expenses. Domino's Pizza, for example, will feed around 150 people for the post-graduation party at the Legion Hall.

"It's a free program for the kids, and it doesn't cost the town a dime," Sperry said. He starts planning for the next year in December.

Building a Stronger Future

Sperry learned how to operate the program by attending a similar junior police academy in Denville. Last year, after training with Sperry in Dover, Rockaway Township police started their own summer academy. Another "tritown" junior police academy runs for kids in Morristown, Morris Township, and Morris Plains. "So we learned from other departments, and now other departments are learning from us," Sperry said.

Police Chief Jonathan Delaney acknowledged the program may give the department a leg up on recruiting, which has become more challenging in recent years. Recruiting a diverse force of officers is even tougher, but Delaney noted that about half of his 36 full-time officers are Spanish-speaking bilingual, an important skill in a town where three-quarters of the community is of Hispanic or Latino heritage.

"They get a taste of everything, a complete overview," Delaney said of the program. "They have local, state, county and federal agencies that come and visit. Plus we have interns who get to meet these different agencies, and there are employment opportunities. Everybody benefits from this."

Encouraging Diversity and Community Involvement

Diversity at the academy extends to gender. "The first year, we only had four young ladies," Sperry said. "This year we have 18." Mayor James Dodd praised the program, saying, "It's a great opportunity for young individuals to understand law enforcement and hopefully look at law enforcement as a career in the future."

Maria Parra, a mother and aspiring law enforcement officer, grew up in Dover and wishes she had access to the academy when she was younger. Now pursuing a career in law enforcement, she passed the written portion of the test to qualify for entry into the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy. She plans to take the physical agility test in August and hopes to start the academy in January.

Parra also serves as a volunteer intern at the Dover Junior Police Academy, giving her a chance to watch her son, Esteban, 12, participate in his first year as Cadet No. 847. "He's a very curious kid and when we watch crime shows, he's always wanting to know more," she said. "This gives him that. He really likes crime scene investigation and wants to go into that."

Real-World Experiences and Community Bonds

During a Thursday-morning session, cadets met Morris County Sheriff’s Officer Marc Adamsky and his K-9 partner, Tim, an 8-year-old Dutch shepherd. Tim sat patiently behind Adamsky as he explained the process of teaming an officer with a canine. Bonding comes before training, Adamsky told them. "Every day I would come in and we would go on walks, and anytime he would come up to me, I would give him treats," he said. "I needed to show Tim I was part of his pack. He needs to know he's here to protect me, and I'm here to train and protect him."

Adamsky added that K-9 duty is about more than fighting crime. Police dogs assist in searches for missing children or adults experiencing dementia or medical episodes, or those trapped in a fire or building collapse.

For outdoor activities, which include calisthenics, marching drills, and demonstrations, the class walks two blocks from the Legion Hall to Crescent Field. An emergency canceled a planned landing by a New Jersey State Police helicopter earlier in the week. But on Thursday, Tim enchanted the young audience with energetic responses to Adamsky's direction.

A Growing Program with Big Ambitions

Training at the Dover academy can be rigorous. Bimael said it was difficult at first learning and following the commands barked by drill instructors, who would dish out push-ups and other fitness-related punishments for kids who messed up. But when he found himself falling behind in running drills, his classmates would stop to encourage him. "We might not know each other," he added. "But this week, we're like family. We're all in this together. If one falls, we all fall."

Now he's learning leadership skills, mentoring the recruits. "I get to be part of this. And while other kids would just normally be at home playing video games," Bimael said, "I'm out here, working and helping kids make their life better."

Sperry hopes to eventually add an academy for older kids, similar to the Explorer programs operated by the Morris County Sheriff's Office, which accept students up to age 20. "So now we would know the kids from fifth to eighth grade, and then we can mentor them through high school," he explained. "Then if they think they are interested in law enforcement, we can move them into an actual police job, unarmed, a Class 1 special."

Sponsors of Dover's junior police program include Home Depot, Casio, Shop-Rite, Chase Bank, Provident Bank, and Picatinny Federal Credit Union; neighborhood businesses including Sabor Latino, Nielsen Chevrolet, C&M Metals, John Schmidt/JPS Event Planning, and Dover Sportsplex also give support. Group sponsors include the Dover PBA Local 107, Dover Rotary, and the Dover Board of Education.

Youth Homelessness in Indiana: A Hidden but Hopeful Fight

Youth Homelessness in Indiana: A Hidden but Hopeful Fight

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Rising Youth Homelessness in Indiana

Indiana public schools have reported a significant increase in the number of homeless students over the past few years. From the 2020-21 to the 2023-24 school years, there was an estimated 44% rise in the number of homeless students. This trend mirrors a national increase of 32% in youth homelessness across the United States. The data comes from the Department of Education, which under the McKinney-Vento Act of 1987 defines homeless children as those who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.

Community leaders and advocates emphasize that breaking the cycle of chronic homelessness must start with supporting youths who don’t have a place to call home. Without early intervention, the trauma of being homeless—both physical and emotional—can leave lasting scars on individuals and ripple effects throughout communities.

Victor Hutchinson, now 24, recalls his childhood spent bouncing between homeless shelters and staying with friends alongside his mother. He is currently a participant in Outreach Indiana, a local nonprofit working to equip and empower young Hoosiers aged 14–24 experiencing homelessness. For many Hoosiers, youth homelessness is an invisible issue, often hidden, undocumented, and underreported. It looks very different from adult homelessness, as homeless youth may sleep on the street one night and on a friend’s couch the next. This kind of intermittent homelessness makes it harder for them to qualify for state assistance programs, which often prioritize chronically homeless adults.

Understanding the Scope of Homelessness in Indiana

According to the IndyStar, there were an estimated 22,114 homeless students (Pre K-12) in Indiana during the 2023-24 school year. This represents a 44% increase from the five-year low of 15,373 in the 2020-21 school year. Of these homeless students, 28% lived in Marion County in the 2022-23 school year, according to SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.

Youth homelessness is fueled by various factors, including family breakdowns, forced evictions, and cultural beliefs that turning 18 marks the end of parental responsibility, often forcing young adults out of their homes. Trinity Hopkins, a 24-year-old local author and current Outreach participant, shared her experience: “I always felt like I was on the journey by myself, because we didn’t have adults around us who could give us proper guidance.”

Impact on Academic Performance

Homeless students consistently fall behind their housed peers in academic performance. According to the Brightlane Learning Homeless Education 2024 Report, only 57% of homeless students were proficient in third-grade early literacy assessments, compared to an 82% proficiency rate among housed students. Several factors contribute to this gap:

• Lack of quality sleep, essential for a child’s development and learning.
• Higher rates of serious health issues, such as asthma, which affect nearly twice as many homeless students compared to their housed peers.
• Food insecurity, with homeless students having reduced access to nutritious meals and being twice as likely to skip breakfast.

Challenges During Summer Break

Summer break can be particularly challenging for homeless kids. Barbara Duffield, Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, noted that food insecurity is further exacerbated during the summer months, as many students rely on school for guaranteed meals like breakfast and lunch. Loss of safety and structure is another concern, with nearly 80% of homeless students “doubled up,” meaning they share housing with others due to economic hardship. Constant movement makes it difficult to maintain stability, and homeless students often miss out on summer enrichment programs when they move between school districts.

College students also face renewed homelessness during the summer, as many campuses close dorms, leaving unhoused students without shelter. Andrew Neal mentioned that students returning to Indianapolis often find themselves homeless again.

Racial Disparities and Systemic Inequities

Statewide data reveals a troubling racial disparity in youth homelessness. According to SchoolHouse Connection and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, Black or African American students made up 31% of homeless students in Indiana (2022-23), despite representing only 11% of the overall student population. This overrepresentation reflects broader systemic inequities, highlighting the urgent need to address racial bias and structural barriers in housing, education, and social services.

Strategies to End Youth Homelessness

To curb the rise in youth homelessness, several strategies are recommended:

• Allow minors to apply for health insurance independently, such as Medicaid, without requiring parental consent.
• Eliminate racial disparities in housing, including discriminatory evictions, loan denials, and high housing costs.
• Repeal laws that criminalize homelessness, shifting the focus from punishment to support.
• Intervene early in a young person’s housing crisis to prevent long-term or chronic homelessness in adulthood.

The Public Policy Institute at Indiana University emphasizes the importance of strengthening programming for unhoused youth, including allowing unaccompanied minors to access healthcare and addressing racial inequities in housing.

The Cost of Criminalizing Homelessness

Criminalizing homelessness is not only inhumane but also financially inefficient. A national study found that placing a homeless youth in the criminal justice system for one year costs $53,665, compared to just $5,887 to permanently move that same youth off the streets. Between 2021 and 2023, Indiana’s corrections spending nearly doubled, from $849 million to an estimated $1.7 billion.

Success Stories and Compassionate Approaches

Other cities have found success with more compassionate approaches. In 2015, Milwaukee County launched a Housing First Initiative, providing housing without preconditions. The results were dramatic: municipal violations dropped by 82%, and the homeless population fell from 1,521 to 900.

Andrew Neal of Outreach Indiana emphasized the need to focus on upstream factors when a young person first becomes unhoused. The longer a youth remains on the streets, the more trauma they experience and the more likely they are to face long-term, chronic homelessness.

Outreach Indiana and Its Impact

Organizations like Outreach Indiana are already making a difference, offering essentials like fresh clothes, hot meals, showers, and a safe, welcoming space for youth in need. Trinity Hopkins described the organization as a "safe home" and expressed hope for more housing options. Outreach goes beyond basics, helping youth build futures by providing support for things like driver’s license exams.

Victor Hutchinson, who recently started working at a moving company with Outreach’s support, shared his advice to other young people facing homelessness: “It takes a lot of patience, so just endure. Endure all of it. Because you know, within time, something will come up. Something will get better.”

Resources for Young People in Need

For young people in need, the following resources are available:

• Outreach Youth Hotline: (317) 699-1994
• Stopover 24-Hour Crisis Line: (317) 635-9301

National Intern Day: Plano's Summer Program Honors 1,000 Teens' Success

National Intern Day: Plano's Summer Program Honors 1,000 Teens' Success

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A Summer of Opportunity for Plano Teens

For many teenagers, summer means days by the pool, a job scooping ice cream, or putting off summer homework until the last week of break. But for a group of ambitious teens in Plano, this summer has also meant career advancement. On National Intern Day, July 31, the city celebrated a milestone in its internship program, reaching more than 1,000 students placed in summer jobs to launch their careers, connect with Plano’s business community, and develop professional skills since the program was founded in 2014.

At a luncheon, the city recognized 87 high school students from the Plano Independent School District in the 12th cohort of the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program. This initiative aims to prepare students for the workforce by bridging the gap between what they learn in classrooms and what they will face on the job. Hundreds of interns, business executives, and city leaders gathered in an event hall wearing business casual attire to celebrate the program’s decade of success.

Sarina Rahim interned this summer with the Plano Symphony Orchestra. The 17-year-old Plano East Senior High student wants to become an orthodontist but also hopes to earn a business minor in college after working in development and marketing at a local nonprofit. “Nowhere else are you going to be able to work directly with other adults in a professional environment … other than this program, as a high school student,” she said. “Other summers I would just be procrastinating SAT prep doing really nothing efficient.”

Rising Plano junior and senior high school students interview for and are placed in experiences across various fields, from marketing to music. Companies like PepsiCo and Samsung, as well as nonprofits like Meals on Wheels and Emily’s Place, host a teen for eight weeks. They gain work experience, soft skills, financial literacy, and job training. Students also get the chance to explore career paths, enhance their résumés, and learn how to interview.

This year, 44 employers hosted interns, and about 20 other partners helped sponsor the program, according to director Amber Zuckerman. The program was founded under former Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, but current Mayor John Muns has led it since. He emphasized the strong partnership between the city, local business community, and school district, all pillars of Plano. He hopes students in the program will consider returning to Plano as the city grows.

Varsha Jhanak, who graduated from Plano East Senior High School this year, previously interned at Plano Magazine through the summer program. She said she’d be back “in a heartbeat.” “This experience has taught me that Plano is such a great city to live in because there’s so many different hubs here,” she said. “So definitely, when I am an adult, I’ll be coming back.”

All positions are paid, either by the company hiring the intern or a company underwriting a position for an intern placed at another business or nonprofit. The “earn and learn” opportunity pays a minimum of $13 an hour, 20 hours per week, with some earning more for up to 40 hours a week, according to Zuckerman.

Internships, especially paid ones, can be competitive as youths start their careers, and the road isn’t paved equally. According to data from a survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, male students and white students who graduated in 2023 were more likely to have internships than other groups. Among men who took part in an internship, about 76% were paid, while among women taking part in internships, about 52% were paid. The association also found that students who take part in paid internships receive more job offers and have higher starting salaries than those who participate in unpaid internships.

Plano’s program seeks to level the playing field. This year, about 33% of hired interns either were in a college readiness program called Advancement via Individual Determination, which seeks to close opportunity gaps in education, qualified for free or reduced lunch, or were on track to become first-generation college students, according to Zuckerman.

Plano had 300 applicants for the program this year, and another 137 students were on a waitlist to be considered. The program coordinated 810 interviews in just five hours to help employers choose from the applicant pool. The program also helps connect nonprofits and talented young candidates. Marta Lilly, executive director of Hendrick Scholarship Foundation, said her nonprofit has hosted an intern through the program for years. The students have been a huge help to the small organization with only a handful of staff members.

“They have so much to teach us, and then we have stuff that we can teach them,” Lilly said. “They got projects done that are on our wish list that would otherwise not get done.” Lilly tries to emphasize teaching interns soft skills. A recent survey conducted by the General Assembly found that more than a quarter of vice presidents and directors would not consider hiring an entry-level employee, many citing a perceived lack of soft skills like communication, collaboration, and adaptability.

Daniel Sun has kept the soft skills he learned as a former intern at Montgomery Capital Advisers in 2017 and Ericsson in 2018. “The internships that I had weren’t just about building a resume, they were about discovering my passions, connecting with mentors, and learning what it takes to succeed in the professional world,” Sun said at an event earlier this year. He said the lessons he learned in his internships seemed trivial — like how to write an email. But those skills followed him throughout his career. After attending the University of Texas at Austin, he is now a cloud security engineer at Vanguard in Plano, returning to the city where the groundwork for his career began.

Local business leaders see the value in developing young leaders. “We moved our headquarters here because we knew the talent was strong,” said Michael Lawson, senior manager for Boeing Global Engagement. Boeing hosted six interns this summer. “This program demonstrates to the business community that we have a talented workforce that will continue to be here … as we try to lay down roots,” Lawson said.

Next Gen Power

Next Gen Power

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Embracing Jewish Youth and Community in Atlanta

This week, the focus is on Jewish youth in Atlanta, highlighting events and initiatives that cater to Gen Z and Alpha generations. From the JCC Maccabi Games to campus safety programs, there are numerous opportunities for young people to engage with their community and culture. Passing the torch—whether through leadership or creative expression—is a vital part of this process.

Many students are returning from Jewish travel and summer camps, and for those who miss the sense of community and camaraderie, attending a retreat could be a great option. Eliana Leader, a local camp expert, emphasizes that these experiences can be a smart investment in personal growth and connection.

Machaneh Shai: A Unique Learning Experience

Machaneh Shai, which means “Camp Shearith Israel,” is Congregation Shearith Israel’s religious school for children aged 3 to 7th grade. The program combines tradition, creativity, and community to provide a joyful and meaningful Jewish learning experience for students and families. Whether your child is new to Jewish education or looking to deepen their knowledge, Machaneh Shai offers a welcoming environment for all.

Campus Safety and Education

The Center for Israel Education is hosting a program titled “Being Safe, Smart and Jewish on Campus: Resilience Prep for College Students” on Sunday, August 10, from 2 to 4 p.m. This free two-hour session aims to help Jewish students navigate the challenges of antisemitism and anti-Zionist activism on college campuses. Participants will hear from Jewish student leaders, Hillel, Chabad, and the ADL. Topics include understanding problematic language, identifying bias in the classroom, and recognizing when protesters violate rights.

Mythic Creatures Meet Modern Art

Sponsored by Fernbank Museum, the exhibit “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles” showcases vibrant, hybrid animal sculptures that blend Zapotec culture with contemporary art. These unique pieces represent spirit guides tied to personality and destiny. The exhibit runs through August 3, with special after-hours viewings on select nights. It's a magical experience that explores indigenous culture, identity, and the natural world.

Happy, Happy Challah Bake

Join Young Leadership Division, JF&CS Young Professionals, and BeWellATL for a relaxed night of baking challahs and connecting with others. The event, held on Thursday, July 31, from 6-9 p.m., includes happy hour, apps, and a chance to unwind before the weekend. No baking experience is needed—just come for the good vibes and company. This event supports BeWellATL, a mental health initiative of JF&CS.

Coast to Coast Maccabi Games

Tucson JCC will host the JCC Maccabi Games and Access from July 27 to August 1, celebrating 25 years since the city first hosted in 2000. Access has grown into a permanent feature of JCC Maccabi, supporting Jewish teens and young adults with cognitive and developmental disabilities. Nearly 2,000 Jewish teens will gather at the University of Pittsburgh for the inaugural JCC Maccabi Campus Games, an Olympic-style event from August 3-8. According to the JCC Association of North America, 69% of Maccabi athletes had no other Jewish teen affiliation before participating.

Be a Mensch in the City

Campers from Be a Mensch in the City made and delivered an Israeli-themed dinner in partnership with the Z-H Independent Living program at JF&CS. The menu included hummus, Israeli salad, falafel, baba ganoush, chocolate balls, and matbucha. Those interested in giving back can participate in remote projects such as making dinner, holding a fundraiser, or running a lemonade stand.

Back2School Creative Connection

On August 17, JF&CS will host the Back2School Creative Connection, offering families with school-aged children a chance to start the school year with a healthy mindset. Activities include art and volunteer projects, providing a fun and engaging way to connect.

Remembering Ozzy Osbourne’s Jewish Vow Renewal

Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of Black Sabbath, passed away at 76. In 2002, he renewed his vows in a Jewish ceremony on an episode of “The Osbournes.” Despite not being Jewish himself, Sharon Osbourne, his wife, felt a strong connection to Judaism. Her father, Don Arden, was Jewish, and she emphasized her own Jewish identity, even noting that her husband was circumcised.

Looking Ahead: Events Around Town

• July 26: Shabbat Hadasha
• July 27: Splash into summer with PJ Library
• July 29: Gentle, prenatal yoga with JBaby Intown
• July 31: Summer Torah Tour in Chamblee
• August 1: Soulful Shabbat with vegetarian dinner
• August 2: Tot Shabbat in Sandy Springs

The next Jewish holiday is Tisha B’Av on August 2. Light Shabbat candles this week at 8:25 p.m.

Looking for a sense of community? Join Or Hadash for an August 8 Open House Shabbat featuring young family nosh, soulful services, and dinner. Discover where you and your kids belong. Details and RSVP available online.

Why Rich Teens Are More Likely to Land Summer Jobs Than Their Poorer Peers — And What This Means

Why Rich Teens Are More Likely to Land Summer Jobs Than Their Poorer Peers — And What This Means

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Twin brothers Alex and Nicolas Alessi and their friend Mason Grant — all 17-year-old rising high-school seniors in the Bay Area — were having a hard time finding jobs leading up to this summer.

“We probably applied to 20 jobs, and we did not get any of them,” Alex said of himself and his brother.

Grant, meanwhile, struggled to advance beyond the initial stages of the interview process, including at retailers. “You need multiple references, experience, past history — and as a high-school kid who’s very busy with other stuff, it’s hard to get your foot in the door,” he told .

The three friends, seeing a need to connect high-schoolers to work opportunities, recently developed a job board targeting teens called JobMatch , with the twins’ father, Tom Alessi, acting as an adviser.

“At our school, our nicknames are the Winklevoss twins and Mark Zuckerberg,” Grant said.

Users anywhere can post jobs and search free. The site is currently being used by hundreds of people in the community, according to the founders, and all three of them have also applied to and landed gigs on JobMatch themselves.

“On any given day you will find them washing cars, pulling weeds, helping people move, etc.,” said Tom Alessi, who leads software engineering for Johnson & Johnson Vision. “Honestly, it’s super lucrative for them.”

Teen employment in the U.S. has been declining for decades — the employment-to-population ratio for 16- to 19-year-olds was 37.9% last July, not seasonally adjusted, down from a high of 59.9% in July 1979, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many working teens today come from higher-income families that encourage them to seek learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

“A young person from a family with a higher income is more likely to be employed during the summer months than a young person from a family earning less,” according to a Labor Department study posted in 2024.

About 44% of 16- to 19-year-olds from families earning $150,000 or more — roughly the top fifth of U.S. households by income — were employed from June to August 2023, the most recent year for which estimates were available. By contrast, only 27% of teens from families earning less than $30,000, or roughly the lowest fifth of households by income, had summer employment during that time.

Tom Alessi, Alex’s and Nicolas’s father, has noticed this trend playing out in their high-income community. “The parents from affluent families — we call them ‘snowplows’ — are out in front of their kids plowing the ‘snow’ out of the way,” he said.

Grant, the twins’ friend, said he knows a teen whose father was able to connect the teen and his friend with jobs at the golf course where the father is a member. “I am not saying the kids didn’t work hard, but they put it on a silver platter for them,” he said.

Why teens from wealthier families are more likely to work

The employment gap between teens from high- and low-income families is a longstanding disparity. Kids from higher-income families tend to have greater access to a car or to an adult who can drive them to work, a BLS report from 2000 said. The researchers also noted that “nonmarket work such as housework and unpaid child care” more often falls to teens in lower-income families, making them “relatively less available for market work — or available only for specific schedules.”

In addition, some teens from low-income families live in labor markets with fewer opportunities, according to a 2010 report from Northeastern University’s Center for Labor Market Studies.

The gap became more pronounced in the 2000s. While teens in every income group experienced sharp declines in summer employment between 2000 and 2008, teens from low-income families experienced the sharpest decline, the Center for Labor Market Studies said . By 2010, “the employment rate for upper-middle-income white teens was four times as high as that for low-income Black teens,” the center later reported .

Read more: Generation Z thinks it needs $500,000 a year to succeed. What that says about our economy.

Kyle Ross, a policy analyst at the liberal think tank Center for American Progress, wrote in a 2023 report that youth facing barriers to employment “such as a low-income background, a disability, or low English proficiency” need access to resources that help build the skills and experience necessary to get a job and achieve their future career goals.

One federal law that subsidized youth employment, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, has relied on temporary extensions after expiring in 2020 and may face cuts in the new spending bill in Congress, which may harm youth who need extra support accessing opportunities in the labor force, Ross told . The Trump administration last month announced that it would pause all contractor-operated centers at Job Corps, a WIOA program to train young people from low-income households, by the end of the month, citing “a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis.” (The pause was later delayed by a court order.)

As the economy evolves to demand different skill sets for different kinds of jobs, “a lot of people end up suffering because they’re left out,” Ross said.

More teens choose school over work in the summer now — but some parents still want their kids to learn real-world skills

Today, young college graduates, older workers and foreign-born workers are competing for jobs that were traditionally held by teens, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those between 16 and 19 made up 18.7% of minimum-wage workers in 2023, down from 25.4% two decades earlier.

As entry-level wages stagnated over the years, employers incentivized young people to get more degrees. Many jobs once paid a living wage to workers with high-school diplomas, but that has changed. Among full-time workers ages 35 to 44, those who completed high school had average annual earnings of nearly $58,000 in 2023, compared with about $105,000 for those with a bachelor’s degree, according to the Census Bureau.

With such a stark wage gap between workers with and without college degrees, more young Americans have shifted their focus to education — including during summers. The share of 16- to 19-year-olds enrolled in school in July has been above 40% every year since 2007 — except in 2013, when it was 39.3% — and hit 48.4% in July 2024, according to calculations using BLS data. That share was just 10.4% in July 1985 .

“Over the long term, there’s just been more educational upgrading,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. She also noted that teen employment tends to be higher during stronger business cycles, when opportunities are more abundant and employers are willing to hire people with less experience and do more on-the-job training.

Yet as competition for entry-level jobs heats up, some parents, including those who earn higher incomes, believe that school alone does not prepare teens professionally or financially.

Marilou Davido, a financial planner and vice president of WFA Asset Management, told her kids are “in a good school district and have lots of opportunities to pad their transcripts” with AP courses. As she and her husband have been saving for college since their children were born, “I’m not as focused on summer academics because I’m not expecting or needing my kids to get a scholarship for college.”

Related: Brace yourself: This is exactly how much you should have saved for your kid’s college by the time they’re 5, 13 and 18

Davido said she worries “that my husband and I spoil our kids. They have much more than I ever did growing up,” she said. So she has pushed her 16-year-old son, Luca, to learn the value of money through work and to recognize that his “normal” is not shared by everyone else — and will change when he is no longer “riding Mom’s and Dad’s coattails.” She also hopes having a job will teach him “how to talk with his boss, negotiate and compromise.”

Luca refereed hockey games over the winter, earning at least $45 per hour, and recently shucked corn at a fair for $15 an hour plus tips, which he described as “really good money.” Davido contributes a match equal to his earnings into a Roth IRA she and her husband opened for him, which they hope will compound significantly in the decades ahead.

Luca told that he is required to take a personal-finance course in school. When his parents recently started sharing the actual dollar figures of their household finances, he said, he became worried that he would not be able to support an equivalent lifestyle when he graduates from college.

Luca is saving and investing his earnings from his jobs to have “a bit more of a head start to buy things and just deal with issues that might come up” as a young adult, he said. By mid-June, he was still looking for a summer job. “I want to start my financial life. Start making money,” he said.

Other parents also see the opportunity for teen jobs to kick-start a comfortable retirement in the future. Michael Cochran, a financial planner and chief investment officer at BentOak Capital, told he has two children, 13 and 15. For their older son, who works at a tennis pro shop, “we introduced a Roth IRA ‘match’ to encourage saving and help instill strong financial habits early,” he said. Their younger son is earning about $100 a week doing tasks around the neighborhood.

Cochran’s goal, he said, “is to demonstrate that consistent work and even modest contributions — and a ‘match’ from his parents — can lead to meaningful long-term benefits, both through the power of compounding and by building a strong foundation in financial literacy.”

Teen entrepreneurship

Teen summer employment remains concentrated in jobs as waitstaff, recreation workers, fast-food workers, coaches, child-care workers and construction laborers, according to the Labor Department .

As today’s youth face a job market that stands to be disrupted by technologies such as artificial intelligence, some high-income parents are encouraging their children to practice skills that will be useful for starting their own businesses.

“Some of these kids are saying, ‘I don’t want a traditional job where I make $15 an hour. I don’t want a limit on what I can do, or when I can work. I want to make my own rules,” Tom Alessi, the father of the JobMatch co-founders, told .

“I am super frustrated, so is my wife, that the high school doesn’t teach any [real-world] skills. They only teach academics for academics’ sake,” he said. “They do not teach these kids that there’s another path, if they so choose, like entrepreneurship.” It’s fine that many students choose a traditional employment path, he added, but schools are doing students “a disservice” by not teaching them that “there’s a different way to earn money” besides being an employee.

While Tom is a full-time employee, his wife runs her own business as a physical therapist, he said, adding that “the kids have always done jobs at her clinic — laundry, cleanup, office work.”

Helping his kids with JobMatch, he added, has felt “like a traditional startup.” “It’s chaotic. Everybody has ideas,” he said. “But I’m trying to teach them skills that they’re not going to learn anywhere [else]: Here’s how you get customer feedback; here’s how you shape a product road map; here’s how you push out features; here’s how long it takes to develop features; here’s how you engage with people.”

Grant said starting JobMatch has also opened up networking opportunities to him. “I want to work, and I want to meet new people,” he said.

Nicolas and Alex said that because their parents still provide for their needs, they plan to give 90% of any earnings from their jobs, as well as any cash gifts they receive, to their father to invest for their futures. Their goal, they said, is to start a successful business together. As other teens put school at the center of their goals, the twins are going to college and investing early as “backups” in case their entrepreneurial efforts don’t work out.

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