In June, elementary school children across North America cheered as they packed up their bags for the final time, and began a much awaited summer vacation. For many this two-month academic hiatus is cause for celebration. However, it can also be a factor in a long standing, yet little publicized, childhood affliction: Summer Learning Loss (SLL).

In 1996, in a synthesis of 39 separate studies, researchers found that the average student, returning to school in September has lost the equivalent of 1.0 to 2.6 months of previous learning