Summer brings a welcome break from school, but that vacation can often lead to learning loss for many students.

On Wednesday, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY26) introduced legislation designed to combat learning loss, which is especially prevalent in low-income communities. The Summer Meals and Learning Act establishes a grant program to keep open school libraries that serve as summer meal sites.

“For far too many children, the joy of summer break is often overshadowed by the dread of food insecurity and learning loss,” said Morelle. “No child should ever have to go hungry, which is why I’m proud to partner with Senator [Jeff] Merkley to introduce our Summer Meals and Learning Act. This common-sense legislation will keep school libraries open during summer break, ensure children have reliable access to healthy meals, and help to close the achievement gap. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to swiftly pass this legislation into law and help set children on the path to success.”

Morelle's office says while affluent children often have access to extracurricular activities, many low-income children lose access or never have access to learning opportunities when school is closed for the summer. Officials say by fifth grade, children without summer learning opportunities are two years behind their peers.

The new grant program established by the Summer Meals and Learning Act would be run by the Department of Education and would provide grants to state libraries to allow schools to keep their libraries open for students during the summer months for schools that:

• Have a summer lunch program;
• Have at least 50% of students reading below grade level or are at risk of reading below grade levels.