Summer Meals and Learning Act of 2026

Key Points

• This bill creates a new federal grant program to help schools keep their libraries open during the summer months. It specifically targets schools that already serve free summer meals to students in need.
• The program focuses on helping young children who are falling behind in reading. To qualify, a school must have at least 50 percent of its students from preschool through third grade reading below their grade level.
• State library agencies would receive the federal funds and then give them to local school districts. The money would be used to hire and train staff to run reading programs that last at least six weeks during the summer break.
• Congress would authorize 5 million dollars in spending each year from 2027 through 2031 for these grants. This effort aims to prevent the summer slide where students lose academic skills while away from the classroom.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.