Summer learning loss has been documented in the United States since early in the 20th century. These early studies measured differences in test scores at the beginning of the summer and at the end, and discovered that students did not retain information during the summer. Studies conducted throughout the 20th century confirmed this. Later studies also discovered evidence of summer learning loss in reading ability and reading comprehension. A meta-analysis of summer learning studies found that, on average, students lose up to two months of grade-level equivalency in math during the summer when not engaged in learning. For low income students, that two-month loss also occurs in reading. A longitudinal study of a Baltimore, Maryland, summer program found that up to two-thirds of the achievement gap between low-income students and their more affluent peers could be attributed to unequal access to quality summer programming. More recently, efforts have been made across the country to address this gap in learning during the summer months, especially for low-income children. The National Summer Learning Association has led efforts to boost the quality of summer programs and to encourage programs to meet the social, emotional, academic, and health needs of children. This article discusses efforts in Rhode Island to leverage the opportunity that summer provides to educate children, to keep them sharp academically, and to provide them with engaging new experiences. While there is still more work to do locally to reach scale, Rhode Island has positioned itself for growth through strong public-private partnerships and through strong collaborations between schools and community educators.