New report: half of kids whose parents want a summer program are missing out

Summer is here, and a new national survey has put a number on something working parents already feel: there aren't enough affordable summer programs to go around.

What the new survey found

On May 19, 2026, the Afterschool Alliance released America After 3PM: The Summer Struggle for Everyday Families, its fifth national household survey, conducted by Edge Research with 30,515 parents of school-age children. The headline finding is stark: of roughly 24.6 million children whose parents want a structured summer learning program for them, about 12 million are enrolled — and 12.6 million, or 51%, are missing out.

In other words, for every child in a summer program, there's roughly another child whose family wanted one and couldn't make it happen.

Why families are missing out

The survey is clear about the main reason, and it isn't a lack of interest. Affordability is the number one barrier. Parents describe wanting summers full of enrichment, physical activity, and time with other kids — but for many low- and middle-income families, the math doesn't work: they need to keep their jobs, and they can't find a summer program they can afford to cover the workday.

That's the bind. The demand is real and the benefits are well established, but cost and availability stand in the way for millions of households.

What you can do this month

If your family is part of that gap this summer, a few things help.

Start with what's free and nearby. Many libraries, parks departments, and school-district sites run low- or no-cost summer programming that never makes it onto the big commercial listings. Our state directories are a good starting point for finding programs near you — browse [your state's page](/florida/) (or pick your own state from the directory) to see what's listed in your area.

Protect the learning even on the weeks you can't find a seat. The well-documented "summer slide" — the reading and math skills that quietly slip over a long break — is most preventable with small, consistent habits rather than a full program. Our guide to [summer learning loss and out-of-school time](/guides/summer-learning-loss-and-out-of-school-time/) lays out a low-pressure plan, and the [academics hub](/academics/) and [homework help](/homework-help/) pages give you free, grade-aligned activities you can run at the kitchen table.

Every figure above comes from the Afterschool Alliance's published 2026 summer survey, linked below. We don't estimate these numbers — if the report doesn't state it, we don't print it.

When you want those summer weeks to actually move your child forward — not just fill time — Resource Portal AI builds a personalized learning plan around your child's grade and the specific skills they're working on, so a free afternoon at home can do the work a program would, starting today.