(Baltimore, MD)—The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is pleased that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s new committee findings echo what NSLA knows to be true: that “summer offers opportunities for social and academic growth, but can also put disadvantaged children at risk,” according to the new report Shaping Summertime Experiences: Opportunities to Promote Healthy Development and Well-Being for Children and Youth.
The Committee on the Summertime Experiences and Child and Adolescent Education, Health, and Safety identified nine recommendations to address obstacles that disadvantaged children can face during the summer, including lack of access to quality programs, food insecurity, and exposure to unsafe and dangerous conditions, and to help all children develop positively and stay connected to resources.
The National Academies’ findings and recommendations reinforce the mission of NSLA to increase access and quality of summer learning programs, which are essential to closing academic, and opportunity gaps, improving nutrition and health, and providing early work experiences that set young people up for future employment and earnings potential.
NSLA is committed to advancing research and public policies to help parents, educators and policymakers better understand the need for a variety of well-funded, community-wide learning and enrichment experiences. The new NAS report combined with NSLA’s new Research Agenda put forth a national road map for creating smarter summers, brighter futures for children and youth in America.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Wallace Foundation sponsored the NAS Committee report.
About the National Summer Learning Association
The National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) is the only national nonprofit exclusively focused on closing the achievement gap by increasing access to high-quality summer learning opportunities. NSLA recognizes and disseminates what works in summer learning, develops and delivers community capacity-building offerings and convenes and empowers key actors to embrace summer learning as a solution for equity and excellence in education. For more information, visitwww.summerlearning.org.