♦ Children regress when they don’t practice their academic skills over the summer. This is known as summer learning loss, or the summer slide. Children from low-income families lose two-three months of grade equivalency in both math and reading every summer, year after year. The loss is cumulative; the gap grows over time.

♦ A study by Johns Hopkins University measured the gap in reading  as three years by the end of the ninth grade. They found that 2/3 of the gap was attributable to summer learning loss. Further, they found that summer learning loss was the primary driver of later problems; failure to graduate, attend college, and successfully enter the workforce. To see the Research Brief, click here.

♦ Children  from under-served communities face other challenges over the summer as well; many do not eat well, do not exercise, and lack a safe environment that is free from bad influences. Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do.