National Summer Learning Association Raises Awareness about the Importance of Summer Learning at the Organization’s Hill Day on June 28
The event brought together students, families, summer opportunity organizers and congressional representatives to discuss how we can better engage children during the summer
Baltimore, MD (June 29, 2017) – Leaders of youth-serving organizations from across the country convened yesterday under the umbrella of the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) for a Summer Learning Advocates Hill Day in Washington, DC. With federal budget cuts looming for summer and afterschool programs, NSLA brought together members from its network of youth advocates for the event to raise awareness of the importance of summer learning experiences, advocate for greater resources for local summer programming, and to foster greater communication between Congress and local summer learning representatives.
Research shows that summers without quality learning opportunities hold our nation’s youth back – year after year – in core subjects like math and reading, and in life experiences like college and career exposure. In fact, the math and reading skills that low-income students lose each summer are cumulative and contribute significantly to the achievement gap between lower – and higher – income students. Yet the demand for these programs far outweighs the supply. For every child enrolled in a summer program, another is waiting to get in. And the high average cost of summer programs ($288 per child per week) puts many options out of reach for many working families. (See Summer by the Numbers Infographic here.)
“Summer learning is a well-documented solution to supporting the academic and social growth of all students, yet, it remains an under-resourced strategy for closing the achievement gap in our country,” said Matthew Boulay, Ph.D., NSLA founder and CEO. “Communities that invest in keeping all young people learning, safe and healthy during the critical summer months reap measurable rewards in stronger schools, safer neighborhoods, and a better-prepared workforce. NSLA organized Hill Day to urge Congress to fully invest in these critical programs that have enduring impact at the local level.”