ULC Statement on Summer Learning
Summer provides a time of tremendous opportunity for youth. However, it is also a time that reveals significant inequities for many, including children and youth of color, and those living in high poverty and with physical or emotional disabilities. On October 24, 2022, the Urban Libraries Council, in partnership with National Summer Learning Association, issued a Call to Action on Equity in Summer Learning.
This statement serves as a baseline upon which libraries can build policies and actions that make their communities more inclusive and just. The statement reads as follows:
As public library leaders, we are resolved to bring about educational and social equity by contributing to a more just structure where all youth can realize their full potential. As an integral part of the educational ecosystem, public libraries’ summer learning programs play a crucial role in equitably reaching all children through intentional, systemic and transformative library-school-community partnerships.
The Urban Libraries Council, through the U.S. Department of Education Engage Every Student Initiative and in partnership with the National Summer Learning Association, calls libraries to advance equity through expanded summer learning programs targeted to historically excluded youth. ULC invites libraries to commit to engaging every child in high-quality summer learning by:
- Signing ULC’s Statement on Summer Learning.
- Identifying youth who have been historically excluded from summer learning because of race, ability, language, access or any other factor.
- Creating a particularized plan for your library and the identified community by using ULC resources and national best practices.
- Providing high-quality summer learning through learning activities tied to STEM and literacy.
Libraries are trusted, venerable and enduring institutions, central to their communities and an essential participant in bringing about educational equity. We invite you to join ULC and library leaders nationally as we come together to amplify summer success for all children!
To add your library or organization's signature to ULC's Statement on Summer Learning, please fill out the form below.
The following libraries and supporters have signed on to the above statement:
California
Colorado
Connecticut
District of Columbia
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Ontario
Texas
Virginia
We are excited to announce that this vital initiative is going nationwide, and we proudly invite all libraries and library partners and supporters to sign on to amplify equity in summer learning. Summer learning programming at the library is critical for reaching more kids in more ways and in more places during the summer months – especially those from low-income communities who may not have access to other learning opportunities. We are grateful to our longtime partners NSLA for their support in reinforcing the library as a place in the community for equity and inclusion.
Brooks Rainwater, ULC President and CEO
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant LG-250115-OLS-21.
The ULC Statement on Summer Learning was developed in partnership with:
Contact Katie Sullivan at ksullivan@urbanlibraries.org for more information and if you have further questions.