BILL NUMBER: SCR 93	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  JUNE 15, 2010

INTRODUCED BY    Senators   DeSaulnier
    and Cedillo  
Senator   DeSaulnier 
    (   Coauthor:   Senator   Cedillo
  ) 

                        MARCH 23, 2010

   Relative to Summer Learning and Wellness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 93, as amended, DeSaulnier. Summer Learning and Wellness
Month.
   This measure would designate July 2010 as "Summer Learning and
Wellness Month."
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, A child's need for meaningful learning and enrichment
experiences does not end in June when the school doors close for
summer vacation, these needs continue into and through the summer
months.  Whether or not these needs are being met may boil
down to a child's neighborhood or family income level  
Many of these needs are not being met in neighborhoods where poverty
is high  ; and
   WHEREAS, All children need summer learning opportunities in order
to stay on course academically. Without ongoing summer opportunities
to reinforce and learn skills, children, especially children in
low-income communities, may fall behind dramatically in many areas of
academic achievement; and
   WHEREAS, The debilitating effect of an absence of summer learning
and enrichment is often referred to as "the summer slide." The summer
slide is characterized by measurable learning loss that includes
reading loss and significant achievement gaps between children with
lower and higher income parents; and
   WHEREAS, The summer slide affects children from low-income
families disproportionately.  Unequal   The lack
of  summer learning opportunities during elementary school
years  are responsible for about two-thirds of  
contribute to  the ninth-grade achievement gap between youths
with lower and higher income parents. As a result, youths with
low-income parents are less likely to graduate from high school or
enter college; and
   WHEREAS, While parents in California consistently cite summer as
the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive
things to do, the supply of low-cost summer programs in California
is extremely limited relative to the number of children  with
low-income parents. A 2008 study of five California cities revealed
that nearly 75 percent of children and youth are not served by the
most common providers of summer programming; and   with
low-income parents; and 
   WHEREAS, Summer school is currently the largest provider of summer
programming in California, but budget cuts have had a devastating
effect on program availability; and
   WHEREAS,  The health of many   Many 
children with low-income parents  is put at risk during the
summer because they  lose access to healthy school meals and
organized physical activity  during the summer months  ;
and
   WHEREAS,  Most   In California, nearly
one-third (32 percent) of 5th graders are overweight or obese. Some
studies indicate   that  children gain weight more
rapidly when they are out of school for summer. Summer weight gains
are especially large for African American and Hispanic 
children. In California, nearly one-third (32 percent) of 5th graders
are overweight or obese; and   children; and 
   WHEREAS, The national Summer Learning Day on June 21 celebrates
how  public and private  summer programs send young people
back to school ready to learn, support  working 
families, and help keep children safe and healthy; now, therefore, be
it
   Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates July 2010 as
Summer Learning and Wellness Month; and be it further
   Resolved, That the California Legislature recognizes that all
children need fun, safe, and educational opportunities in the
summertime that prevent summer learning loss and summer weight gain;
and be it further
   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.