Memorial Day weekend signals the start of summer, which can mean a break from schoolwork for children and more time together and outdoor activity for families. But finding safe, enriching summer activities for children is one of the greatest challenges many working moms face. A new study from the Afterschool Alliance, supported by the Wallace Foundation, finds that many parents aren’t able to meet that challenge. In fact, The Summer Struggle finds that more than half of children whose parents want summer programs for them are being shut out. The reason, most often, is cost.

The study, which is based on a survey conducted by Edge Research of 30,515 U.S. parents of school-age children who live in their households, finds that parents who have been able to enroll their children in summer programs are happy with them. A remarkable 96% of those parents report being satisfied with the summer program their child attends. (The study defines summer programs as an enrichment or sports program, summer camp or school, job, or internship.)

But even more children and youth are missing out. Parents of 24.6 million U.S. children want a summer program for their child but just 12 million children are enrolled. That means 12.6 million children are missing out. And there is an alarming opportunity gap dividing who can and cannot access summer programs. Some 45% of children in high-income families, 26% of children in middle-income families, and just 13% of children in low-income families attend a summer program.

This opportunity gap should concern us all. Children who participate in summer programs avoid summer learning loss, which can cause them to fall behind in school, and are less likely to be unsupervised and engage in risky behaviors.

On the flipside, children who are without access to affordable summer programs may be unsupervised, on screens, at risk, and in some cases without healthy food during the summer months when school meals are not available. Or their parents may have to leave their jobs to care for them, which is an enormous financial challenge for many families – especially now, when costs for essentials and inflation are so high.

So it’s no wonder that public support for greater investments in summer learning programs is overwhelming. Nine in ten U.S. parents (89%) favor public funding for summer learning opportunities – and that number has risen steadily since the Afterschool Alliance began doing this study in 2009. Support for public funding crosses all demographic and political lines.

But despite the strong public support, our country simply isn’t making the investments in summer programs that we should. These programs keep kids safe, engaged, and learning while giving working families peace of mind. They are a wise investment and one we should prioritize. It will take a concerted effort from federal, state, and local governments, philanthropies, and businesses to turn these numbers around and ensure the next generation is safe, engaged, and learning during the summer months.

I hope you will join the Afterschool Alliance in urging Congress to increase investments in afterschool and summer programs next year here.