WASHINGTON , June 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The summer of 2021 will be vitally important, as students and families try to recover from the isolation, trauma, and learning loss the pandemic caused. Yet a new study that looks in-depth at summer learning in 2019 and 2020 finds that Latinx student participation in programs remains low, despite some recent growth and remarkably high parent satisfaction. Just 44% of Latinx families with children report that their child was involved in a summer learning program in 2019 – an increase from 39% in 2013 and 29% in 2008. But while 2.7 million Latinx children took part in a structured summer experience in 2019, nearly 4.4 million more would have been enrolled if a program were available to them, their parents said.
Those are among the findings from Summertime in America for Latinx Families and Communities , a household survey released today. Commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and conducted by Edge Research, it finds that 47% of families overall report at least one of their children participated in a summer program in 2019, compared to just 44% of Latinx students.
Then in 2020, participation in summer programs dropped further, as the pandemic upended education and work and family life. Just 28% of Latinx families report that their child participated in a structured summer experience last year, compared to 34% of families overall. More than half of Latinx students in a program last year (56%) participated virtually. A structured summer experience is defined in the study to include a summer learning program, sports program, summer camp, summer school, or summer job or internship – different from childcare.
"More than ever, our kids need academic help, social/emotional support, and opportunities to engage with peers and caring adults, be physically active, and have fun," said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant . "We must do better by giving all students access to the summer learning programs they need. Cost and transportation should not remain barriers to participation. This summer, we have a responsibility to meet the need for Latinx youth as we work to meet the needs of all children and youth."
Read the full release at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/press_archives/AA3PM-2020/Latinx-Communities-AA3PM-Summer-2021-NR.pdf .
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SOURCE Afterschool Alliance