Summer is full of learning opportunities that many children miss.
The National Summer Learning Association works to ensure that all of America’s students can access and benefit from high-quality summer learning experiences each and every year, and they note that the opportunity gap grows most dramatically during the summer, when school is out.
Summer Learning Opportunities
By fifth grade, low-income students fall two and a half to three years behind their middle-class peers, but making summer learning fun and engaging can help bridge this gap, and recent data reveals that 91 percent of superintendents view summer programs as key to reaching district goals.
Most superintendents prioritize academic recovery and skill maintenance in reading, math, and STEM, and in 2026, despite the expiration of federal funding, 63 percent of superintendents said their in-school programs were over or at capacity.
This highlights the importance of summer programs for families and communities, and many are looking for student creativity to be encouraged during this time.
Access to Summer Programs
About 30 million young people participated in organized summer opportunities in summer 2024, but only about 11 million of the 25 million low-income students have access to programs.
Cost is another barrier, with 48 percent of parents surveyed wishing their children could have participated in a program, but couldn’t because of cost or scheduling conflicts.
Parents want summer to be fun, and they are looking for enrichment programs that focus on the whole child, including social skills, confidence, friendships, and new experiences, which can be found in technical high schools or similar settings.
Designing Summer Learning Experiences
Understanding what families look for in summer learning is key, and once we understand this, we can design summer learning experiences around three foundational principles: relationships, routines, and realistic support.
Kids remember the camp counselor who taught them about constellations, or the librarian who helped them discover their new favorite book series, and when children feel known, they take risks.
Building Community Partnerships
Summer engagement thrives when schools create partnerships and recognize that they don’t have to do this work alone, and they can start by identifying existing groups and learning about their mission and goals for helping families.
They can begin locally with institutions like libraries, faith-based organizations, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, community centers, and local nonprofits, and share summer opportunities before the school year ends using multiple channels.
Celebrating summer learning at the start of the school year is essential, as children are motivated by recognition, and when we celebrate their summer learning, we send the message to students that their summer learning counts, and it can even encourage them to take climate action.
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