New Poll Reveals 30 Million Youth in Summer Opportunities, But Cost Remains a Major Barrier
2024年7月26日 - 11:00PM
A nationally representative poll by Gallup published today, in
partnership with the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA)
and the American Camp Association (ACA), found that 30 million
youth are engaged in summer opportunities. This represents 55% of
K-12 youth in schools. Together NSLA and ACA have called for a
national effort to maintain and increase this baseline. The Summer
for All Act, introduced in the U.S. Senate today by Senator Chris
Murphy (D-CT), would help provide high-quality summer enrichment
opportunities to kids and families who otherwise would not have
access to these programs.
According to the Gallup poll, about half of K-12 parents, 48
percent, wished their children could have participated in summer
programs but were unable to. Only 11 million out of 25 million
low-income students accessed summer programs, compared with 50
percent of middle-income and 67 percent of upper-income
children.
“We face an equity barrier in summer. Summer programs are a
critical part of helping to create opportunity, build community,
and promote mental and emotional well-being for kids while also
combating hunger and learning loss,” said Aaron Dworkin, CEO of the
National Summer Learning Association. “When kids get the support
they need throughout the summer, they are healthier, safer, and
better prepared for the school year ahead. We need to ensure all
young people can access summer learning.”
To eliminate these barriers, the Summer for All Act would help
provide high-quality summer enrichment opportunities to kids and
families who otherwise would not have access to these programs.
This act establishes a total of $4 billion in grant programs
through the Departments of Health and Human Services and Education
to help community-based organizations and states expand access to
summer learning programming.
“The summer months give kids a chance to reset and prepare for
back-to-school, and a big part of that comes from camps and other
summer programs where kids can spend time with their friends, have
fun, and continue to learn. Unfortunately, a lot of kids don’t get
those experiences because there aren’t enough slots or their family
can’t afford it,” said Senator Murphy. “That’s why I’m introducing
this legislation to make summer funding a federal priority and
ensure every kid has a fun summer – not just the kids whose
families can afford it.”
The Act establishes two new grant programs to expand access to
affordable summer programming. The $2 billion grant program managed
by the Department of Health and Human Services will help
community-based organizations create new or expand the programs
they offer in the summer. In addition, a $2 billion grant program
managed by the Department of Education will support states in
planning and implementing expanded and sustainable summer
enrichment programming for kids and their families.
“We’ve known for more than a hundred years that summer learning
at camp is a transformative experience that fosters character and
social-emotional skills development, resulting in a stronger sense
of self,” said Tom Rosenberg, president/CEO of the American Camp
Association (ACA). “Summer learning is crucial for setting our kids
up to thrive in the classroom and beyond. Today, we must work
together to ensure all children have access to summer learning
experiences. The Summer for All Act will greatly expand our ability
to provide more kids with summer learning, laying the foundation
for capable and confident future generations."
The NSLA and ACA are committed to eliminating barriers to summer
learning. Both organizations currently offer support to programs
for low-income families to participate in summer programs,
including DiscoverSummer.org and the joint Camp-School Partnership
Program, a collaborative initiative aimed at serving low-income,
high-need students.
To learn more about the importance of summer learning and how to
support the Summer for All Act, visit
summerlearning.org/summerforall. — About National
Summer Learning Association (NSLA)
Celebrating 30 years of impact, NSLA has worked to combat summer
learning loss and close the opportunity gap which research shows
grows most dramatically between lower and higher income students
over the summer months. NSLA works to ensure all of America’s
students, regardless of background, income, or zip code, can access
and benefit from a high-quality summer learning experience every
year. NSLA supports and collaborates with a broad and ever growing
network of 25,000+ leaders of school districts, youth serving
government agencies, non-profit and corporate partners from across
the country focused on improving the lives of youth. Learn more at
summerlearning.org.
About American Camp Association
The American Camp Association® (ACA) is a national organization
serving the more than 20,000 year-round and summer camps in the US
that annually serve 26 million campers. ACA is committed to
collaborating with those who believe in quality camp and outdoor
experiences for children, youth, and adults. ACA provides advocacy,
evidence-based education, and professional development, and is the
only independent national accrediting body for the organized camp
experience. ACA accreditation provides public evidence of a camp's
voluntary commitment to the health, safety, risk management, and
overall well-being of campers and staff. For more information,
visit ACAcamps.org
Lauren Krattiger
National Summer Learning Association
lkrattiger@summerlearning.org