Book excerpt: The need for youth to be supervised and safe does not end with the school year. For this reason, summer programs like those funded by the US Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program are vital for the well-being of youth. Summer schools have traditionally served youth who are in need of remedial academic assistance, although many schools and community-based organizations have created programs which provide recreation and extracurricular learning for all youth. Like afterschool programs, summer programs keep kids safe, help working families and improve academic achievement. Summer programs also provide opportunities to encourage service and volunteerism among young people. Additionally, summer programs are also critical to ensuring that youth receive the same nutritious meals and snacks during the summer as those offered during the school year. Although summer programs provide an essential service to youth and the community, these programs are often among the first to be affected by budget cuts, and communities increasingly are looking toward grants like the 21st CCLC program to provide youth with safe and enriching summer experiences. (Contains 10 endnotes.).