{"id":20113,"date":"2024-07-31T10:24:27","date_gmt":"2024-07-31T14:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=20113"},"modified":"2024-08-27T10:06:02","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T14:06:02","slug":"congressman-morelle-senator-merkley-introduce-legislation-to-close-summer-learning-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/congressman-morelle-senator-merkley-introduce-legislation-to-close-summer-learning-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"CONGRESSMAN MORELLE, SENATOR MERKLEY INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO CLOSE SUMMER LEARNING GAP"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legislation would keep school libraries open at schools that serve free summer meals<\/em>
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(Rochester, N.Y.)\u2014Today, Congressman Joe Morelle (D, NY-25) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) announced action to combat summer learning loss\u2014which is especially prevalent in low-income communities. Their legislation, the Summer Meals and Learning Act<\/em>, establishes a grant program to keep school libraries open that serve as summer meal sites, helping to close the achievement gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cFor far too many children, the joy of summer break is often overshadowed by the dread of food insecurity and learning loss,\u201d\u202fsaid Congressman Joe Morelle<\/strong>. \u201cNo child should ever have to go hungry, which is why I\u2019m proud to partner with Senator Merkley to introduce our Summer Meals and Learning Act<\/em>. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen school\u2019s out for summer vacation, millions of children go months without learning opportunities and face the added challenge of worrying about when or where they\u2019ll eat next,\u201d dijo el senador Merkley<\/strong>. \u201cOregon has been a national leader in addressing this issue by keeping open school libraries when serving free summer meals. Our bill\u2014the Summer Meals and Learning Act<\/em>\u2014gives students nationwide the same opportunity to get the high-quality education they deserve year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Summer learning loss is an issue in every community, but particularly in underserved neighborhoods. While affluent children often have access to extracurricular activities, too many low-income children lose access to learning opportunities\u2014or never have access to begin with\u2014when school is closed for the summer. By 5th grade, children without summer learning opportunities are two years behind their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on Oregon\u2019s successful grant program run at the state level, the Summer Meals and Learning Act<\/em> will\u202fprovide access to summer support helping students thrive year-round. The legislation would establish a new grant program to be run by the Department of Education that would provide grants to state libraries to allow schools to keep their libraries open for students during the summer months for schools that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n