Just 23 Percent of Michigan Children Attend Summer Learning Programs, According to 'America After 3PM, Special Report on Summer'

An Estimated 725,000 Michigan Kids Would Likely Participate in a Summer Learning Program, Based on Parent Interest

WASHINGTON, May 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When schools close for the summer, safe and enriching learning environments are out of reach and replaced by boredom, lost opportunities and risk for too many children.  New analysis of data from the America After 3PM study measures the extent of this problem, concluding that just 23 percent of Michigan's schoolchildren (an estimated 417,329 kids) participate in summer learning programs – safe, structured programs that provide a variety of activities designed to encourage learning and development in the summer months.  

Fifty-two percent of Michigan kids (an estimated 725,789 children) not currently enrolled in a summer learning program would likely participate, based on parent interest.  Four in five Michigan parents (81 percent) support public funding for these programs.  

America After 3PM is a survey of nearly 30,000 households across the United States, commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and JCPenney Afterschool in 2009.  The summer learning report is sponsored by The Wallace Foundation.  It finds that just 25 percent of children in the United States attend summer learning programs.  Nearly half of kids whose parents say they are interested in enrolling them in summer learning programs (46 percent) qualify for free or reduced price lunches.

"In Michigan, we're losing critical opportunities to educate and enrich our students during the summer," said LaDonna Gamble, Project Director for Flint Community Schools 21^st Century Community Learning Centers and an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance.  "All students should have the chance to participate in summer learning programs so they can explore their talents, maintain their academics and enrich their lives.  Our state could benefit greatly from having the capacity and resources to serve every family desiring summer learning programs."

"These findings are sobering, especially because we know that inequities in summer learning are a major contributor to the achievement gap between high- and low-income students," said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant.  "By not creating and funding enough summer learning programs, we are missing the chance to engage and educate millions of students during the summer, and instead are leaving them unsupervised and at risk."  Grant urged lawmakers to fund 21^st Century Community Learning Centers, which support afterschool and summer programs.  

"The long summer break is a precarious time when many low-income children fall behind academically and lose the nutritious meals, supervision, and structure that school provides," said Ron Fairchild, chief executive officer of the National Summer Learning Association. "This survey shows just how great the demand is for meaningful summer activities and that too many children are left wanting for quality programs – the very children who could benefit most if given the opportunity.  Policymakers and educators who are cutting summer programs should pay attention to these findings."  

The new report and state data are available online at www.afterschoolalliance.org. America After 3PM Special Report on Summer is sponsored by The Wallace Foundation. All data cited in the report are from the 2009 America After 3PM research, which was sponsored by JCPenney Afterschool.

SOURCE Afterschool Alliance

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