Bill Overview
Title: Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2022
Description: 22 This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants to state library administrative agencies to enable them to award subgrants to eligible local educational agencies for summer early reading programs held at schools with a summer lunch site.
Sponsors: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Target Audience
Population: Elementary school children in summer reading programs at schools with summer lunch sites
Estimated Size: 1500000
- The bill focuses on early reading programs held in conjunction with summer lunch sites, targeting young students who are attending these programs.
- The primary beneficiaries are likely to be elementary school children who require reading assistance during the summer months.
- Since the grants are being provided by state agencies, the reach is likely across many public schools in the respective state, especially those hosting summer lunch sites.
- A secondary group impacted could include educators involved in early reading programs and staff involved in summer meal distributions.
Reasoning
- The Summer Meals and Learning Act is designed to have a direct impact on both children participating in summer learning programs and the educators who run these programs, inherently improving literacy rates and educational outcomes.
- We're focusing on young children, primarily from low-income or at-risk areas, who make use of summer meal programs. These children are less likely to have access to structured summer activities otherwise.
- When considering wellbeing, the policy will likely significantly benefit these children by providing both nourishment and educational support, potentially improving their current and future educational prospects.
- Professional staff and educators will be secondarily impacted; their wellbeing may improve through augmented job satisfaction, knowing they are contributing more effectively through this program and seeing improved educational outcomes in students.
- Given the funding cap, not all children in need will be served, but a substantial number should see benefit, focusing program efforts on areas of highest need.
- The commonness factor reflects how many people like each interviewee exist within the target demographic, influencing how representative the interview is.
Simulated Interviews
Student (Rural Alabama)
Age: 8 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I like going to summer school because I get to read books with my friends and the teachers help us.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Student (Urban California)
Age: 9 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I love books and want to read all summer, but there aren't many places to go other than the library.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
Student (Suburban Ohio)
Age: 7 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Reading is hard for me, so it's nice that there's help in the summer.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 2 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 2 |
Teacher (Urban Texas)
Age: 36 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The program grants us the resources we need to really make an impact on the kids who need it most.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
School Administrator (Suburban Georgia)
Age: 42 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 6.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This program helps us keep the summer initiatives alive, which is vital for our qualification.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 2 |
Student (Urban New York)
Age: 8 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I like reading in the summer because my teacher is really nice.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Summer Meal Program Coordinator (Rural Kansas)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 8.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's rewarding to see kids getting both the meals and learning they need when school is out. This program could expand what we do.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
School Principal (Suburban Florida)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- With these grants, we can extend and improve our summer programs, impacting more students positively.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
Non-profit Organizer (Urban Illinois)
Age: 35 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The grants could offer us more partnerships and impact, helping more kids during summer downtime.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Bus Driver (Rural Oregon)
Age: 41 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The extra work in summer is good for us, these programs give the kids something to do.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 3 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $1500000 (Low: $1000000, High: $2000000)
Year 2: $1600000 (Low: $1100000, High: $2100000)
Year 3: $1700000 (Low: $1200000, High: $2200000)
Year 5: $1800000 (Low: $1300000, High: $2300000)
Year 10: $2000000 (Low: $1500000, High: $2500000)
Year 100: $3000000 (Low: $2000000, High: $4000000)
Key Considerations
- The potential improvement in educational outcomes and its long-term impacts on workforce readiness and economic contributions.
- Coordination between state library administrative agencies and local educational agencies to effectively implement the programs.
- The fixed funding limit of the program and state capacity to equitably distribute funds across various schools.