America After 3 PM Special Report on Summer

The report finds that there is an unmet demand for summer learning programs for American school-aged children.

According to the study, summer learning loss is a major contributor to the achievement gap between low-income and high-income youth. Summer learning programs provide structure and educational opportunities that ward against summer learning loss. An estimated 75 percent of children are not participating in summer learning programs. Fifty-six percent of these non-participating children would be likely to participate in a summer learning program, if one were made available to them.

Parents expressed robust interest in summer learning programs, and there is even greater support among parents of minority and low-income students. Nearly 95 percent of African American, 91 percent of Hispanic and 90 percent of low-income parents support public funding for summer learning programs.

Data for the special report were collected in the 2009 American After 3 PM study, which surveyed nearly 30,000 households. The America After 3 PM Special Report on Summer narrows its focus to how children spend their summers. A state-by-state comparison of demand and support for summer learning programs is included in the report.

Read the report.