Celebrating Summer Learning: Why It's Important and How To Celebrate

When school is out for the summer, summer programs become vital lifelines in many communities. They provide students with enriching activities, safe environments, academic recovery, social time, access to healthy meals and more. Research shows summer programs also help students combat learning loss, promote academic growth, and enhance development.

According to the National Summer Learning Association, summer learning programs have emerged as the top strategy for helping students recover academically from the pandemic’s impacts.

“Math was always my daughter’s strongest subject throughout elementary school, she even wanted to work for NASA! But when she entered middle school and the pandemic hit, her grades took a sharp turn. She needed extra support to get her grades back up. Her excitement for science isn’t quite where it once was, but her summer camp is introducing her to science outside the classroom and I can already tell she’s starting to get her excitement back.” – Jacob, Juneau dad

Jacob and his daughter’s story is not unique; many Alaskan youth are struggling with core subjects like math. In 2021, an alarming 77% of Alaska 8th graders were not proficient in math, a 6% increase in the last 2 years.

This gap is exacerbated even further during the summer months. Without quality learning opportunities during the summer, Alaska’s youth are at risk of falling behind in core subjects like math and reading year after year. Students can lose up to two months’ worth of learning from the previous school year when their minds aren’t engaged during summer vacation.

Fortunately, with access to high-quality, equity-driven summer experiences, these stories can be rewritten. Alaska’s summer and afterschool programs are already helping change these statistics.

Summer and afterschool programs can be transformative for children and youth of all ages and backgrounds. With the Alaska Afterschool Network’s focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming through initiatives like the Million Girls Moonshot (an effort to engage 1 million more girls in STEM through afterschool), and the Afterschool AmeriCorps program, we are making headway!

This week, July 10-14, is National Summer Learning Week. National Summer Learning Week is a time to celebrate and highlight the importance of summer learning for youth, families, and communities. This is also a week to educate and share with local decision makers why summer programming makes a difference in your community.

Programs like Petersburg’s Kinder Skog, Bristol Bay 4-H, and Anchorage’s Hmoob Cultural Center are keeping youth inspired, curious, safe, and learning throughout the summer months, ensuring they are geared for success in the upcoming school year. You can read about each program here.