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2 Summertime Experiences
Pages 17-62

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From page 17...
... To compensate for this, we make use of American Time Use Survey (ATUS) data and other longitudinal studies to identify broad categories of common summertime experiences, and then discuss the summertime offerings and actions most commonly offered according to provider.
From page 18...
... . But the committee notes that there is significantly more information available on summertime experiences provided by government and nonprofit agents than by for-profit agents or agents that serve select subgroups, such as youth involved with the juvenile justice system.
From page 19...
... COMMON SUMMERTIME EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH Because there are no comprehensive data on the number of children and youth in the United States involved in structured and unstructured summertime experiences, the committee relied heavily on time-use surveys
From page 20...
... Note that some experiences may have been less likely than others to be reported due to the young age of the children sampled; for example, overnight camp experiences are generally unavailable until a child turns age 8 or 9. The links between the likelihood of these experiences and household poverty and parental education shown in the table are discussed in more detail in Chapter 5.
From page 21...
... likely Reading (family member read 46 Poor less likely than Less educated less to child) nonpoor likely Math-Related Activity with a 12 Poor more likely Less educated more Family Member than nonpoor likely Writing-Related Activity with 40 Poor more likely Less educated more a Family Member than nonpoor likely Using a Computer or 16 Near-poor more No differences Electronic Device for likely than nonpoor Educational Purposes aThis study was conducted with children, ages 5–6, while most overnight camp sessions are designed for older youth and adolescents.
From page 22...
... Families reporting that 51% 47% 60% 50% they want their children to be enrolled in a summer learning program (2014) Dosage/Cost Average hours per day 4.96 4.85 4.9 5.05 children spend in a summer learning program Average number of weeks 5.16 4.87 5.54 5.12 children spend in a summer learning program Average amount parents $288 $246 $304 $298 spend per week on summer learning programs Parent Parents agreeing it is 73% 71% 79% 72% Support important that their children have summer activities that help them maintain academic skills and learn new things Parents supporting public 85% 86% 91% 84% funding for summer learning programs Base Number of households 13,709 4,106 2,638 6,577 Sample Size surveyed SOURCE: Afterschool Alliance (2019c)
From page 23...
... with adolescents in grades 9–12 reported a desire for their children to be in a summer program (Afterschool Alliance, 2019c)
From page 24...
... . Family Activities Family activities make up another important category of children's summertime experiences and can include mealtime, household work, family leisure, and even household conversations (Hofferth and Sandberg, 2001)
From page 25...
... . Twenty-seven percent of overnight camps limit mobile device usage to camp staff only, and only 9 percent allow youth under age 17 to use a mobile device in some way (American Camp Association, 2017b)
From page 26...
... ; note that this includes during the summer months, when youth labor force activity tends to be higher than other times of the year (Congressional Research Service, 2017)
From page 27...
... Summer Camp Experiences Provided Across Agents Summer camp is an American institution with a 150-year history that has evolved into an $18 billion industry (American Camp Association, 2015; Paris, 2008) serving more than 8 million children and youth annually.2 Although the exact number of "summer camps" operating in the United States is unknown, the most comprehensive source of data on the subject is the American Camp Association (ACA)
From page 28...
... , as follows: • Community-based organization camps -- public, not-for-profit camps provided by organizations such as Y-USA, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and Boys and Girls Clubs; • For-profit camps -- which are most often private and independent; • Nonprofit camps -- which are also most often private and independent; • Government camps -- public, not-for-profit camps provided by municipal/city parks and recreation departments, county parks, state parks, federal lands, and national parks; • Faith-based camps -- most often private, independent not-for-profit camps associated with specific religious faiths (see Box 2-2) ; • College and university camps -- most often private, independent not-for-profit camps associated with colleges or universities; • Medical and special needs camps -- most often private, independent not-for-profit camps serving children with disabilities or special medical needs (see Box 2-2)
From page 29...
... . Although both day camp and overnight camp experiences may be provided throughout the year, most camp sessions are offered during summertime, specifically from June through August (American Camp Association, 2017b, p.
From page 30...
... bG. Throop, American Camp Association (personal communication, January 29, 2019)
From page 31...
... SOURCE: American Camp Association (2017a)
From page 32...
... For example, only 14 percent of overnight camps report reaching their full capacity, and an even smaller proportion -- 4 percent -- of day camps reach their full capacity (American Camp Association, 2017a)
From page 33...
... . The cost of summer programs such as summer camp may help to contextualize the disparity between unmet demand for summer programming and unfilled capacity in camps.
From page 34...
... Summertime Experiences Provided by the Government In this section, we describe summertime experiences offered through government vehicles, including Cooperative Extension, parks and recrea­ tion, government agency-sponsored youth employment opportunities, public libraries, and state and local education agencies. Cooperative Extension Cooperative Extension is the human service dimension of the U.S.
From page 35...
... , (5) nutrition education (offered by 32% of P&R 6 Some P&R camps are accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA)
From page 36...
... , the average number of children and youth served by a typical P&R agency through out-of-school time programs is 1,000 children overall, with urban settings averaging 1,400 and rural environments averaging 800 (National Recreation and Park Association, 2016)
From page 37...
... SOURCE: National Recreation and Park Association (2018a)
From page 38...
... These programs target older youth between ages 14–24. A review of the federal government's role in summer youth employment (Congressional Research Service, 2017)
From page 39...
... . Businesses have provided financial support to multiple cities for summer jobs and created work placement programs for low-income youth across their various business locations (note that there is further discussion of private-sector involvement in youth employment in the latter part of this chapter)
From page 40...
... . State and Local Education Agencies While schools are not in typical operation during the summer months, most school districts do provide summer programming for children and youth.
From page 41...
... . State and local education agencies also play a valuable role in helping to reduce food insecurity, which many children and adolescents experience during the summer months.
From page 42...
... Using this model, many communities are able to utilize the school building to host year-round services for community members, including healthcare, enrichment, adult programming, and, in some cases, summer programming.10 Community schools are funded at the local and federal levels through public dollars, often augmented by private and grant funds. Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems Although some child welfare and juvenile justice systems provide access to a range of opportunities for youth in their charge (see Box 2-4)
From page 43...
... Smart-data driven deployment of resources and increased police presence are only part of the plan, which also involves connecting youth with summer jobs, camps, and training programs. In 2018, the police department and the City of Boston connected hundreds of youth with summer employment or training programs.
From page 44...
... • Societal: Having youth practice social skills in a noninstitutional set ting and engage in discussions of traditional gender roles and gender norms. Discussions and education of historical trauma through group In addition to helping to connect children and youth with employment and other services, the Boston Police Department runs other youth-focused programs, such as the Boston Police Summer Youth Leadership Academy; Summertime with the Women in Blue; Lunch with a Cop; Stranger Danger/Bullying Intervention; Community Engagement Family Fun Day/ Summer BBQs; Summer of Hope Partnership with Boston Public Schools; Junior Police Academy; Teen Academy; and Youth and Police Dialogues; as well as movie nights, field trips, and sports programs.
From page 45...
... youth employment and skill development, and (4) employee benefits and human resources policies.
From page 46...
... For example, the Walt Disney Company provides an extensive array of fee-based workshops year-round for children and youth in areas such as music, dance, acting, and other performing arts.14 Donation or Sponsorship Companies can also promote summertime activities through cash or in-kind donations, the latter including use of facilities, volunteers, program materials, and administrative support. Volunteers with specialized skills or expertise are particularly valuable in enhancing out-of-school time programs, programs that otherwise might not have the resources to acquire staff (Grossman et al., 2009)
From page 47...
... . Such STEM summer programs engage youth in hands-on, inquiry-based learning, which offers them an opportunity to build math and literacy skills during the summer (National Summer Learning Association, 2016)
From page 48...
... See https:// girlswhocode.com/summer-immersion-programs/. YouthSpark Summer Camps Microsoft hosts short workshops around philanthropic skills, coding, robotics, and moviemaking for kids ages 8 and older at Microsoft stores across the United States (including Puerto Rico)
From page 49...
... Employee Benefits and Human Resources Policies Private-sector employers can directly augment summer experiences for the children of their adult employees through employee benefits that are considered "family friendly." One highly valued benefit program is the provision of on- or near-site child care centers at no or low costs or subsidies for other summer care arrangements. Additionally, corporations may contract with national camp companies, like Steve and Kate's camp16 and Galileo,17 which house camps on local school campuses, by purchasing or reserving spaces for employees' children to gain admission.18 Some companies use their own assets to host summer camps.
From page 50...
... Flexible work schedules that allow teleworking, flexible work hours, or early release during summer months (e.g., early release on Fridays, often known as "summer Fridays") , may provide opportunities for greater parental contact time or supervision of dependent children.
From page 51...
... But there are no publicly available estimates of the numbers of children and youth served in general summertime programs by the big nationals, as these data are retained by the organizations and not summarized in any source the committee was able to identify. As such, it is difficult to know specifically how accessible summer programs offered by youth-serving organizations are to young people and their families.
From page 52...
... In 2009, Boston Beyond initiated the Boston Summer Learning Project, which created new partnerships among the Boston Public Schools and community institutions so that students could participate in summer programs that combined academics and enrichment. As a result, in 2018 more than 12,000 students partic ipated in activities, such as sailing, tennis, and entrepreneurship in 145 programs at places like the Boston Harbor Islands, the Blue Hills, college campuses, and private-sector workplaces.
From page 53...
... in 2011. Although not specifically a summertime program only, YMI is a collab­ rative effort including multiple city agencies and youth-­ervice o s organizations (NYC Service, the Department of Education, Department of Youth & Community Development, Center for Youth Employment, and community-­ ased mentoring organizations)
From page 54...
... CONCLUSIONS This chapter illustrates that a great variety of structured and unstructured summertime programs exist for children and youth. However, varying local availability and affordability create disparities in access to children and youth from lower-income communities.
From page 55...
... for children and youth representing diverse populations, yet summer camp experiences are not readily accessible to all children and youth. CONCLUSION 2-5: The private sector is well positioned to have an impact on summer experiences by employing youth directly and by promoting family-friendly policies and corporate social responsi bility initiatives that engage children and youth during the summer months.
From page 56...
... Healthy Learning/­ American Camp Association. Martinsville, IN.
From page 57...
... . Background and Federal Efforts on Summer Youth Employment.
From page 58...
... . Supporting transgender and gender nonconforming youth at summer camp.
From page 59...
... . Reducing inequality summer by summer: Lessons from an evaluation of the Boston Summer Youth Employment Program.
From page 60...
... . Children's Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp.
From page 61...
... . The fundamental characteristics and unique outcomes of Christian summer camp experiences.
From page 62...
... . HHS, DOL and HUD Issue Joint Letter Encouraging Summer Youth Employment Efforts.


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