For many kids
living in poverty,
summer isn’t fair

In rural communities across the country, children from a wide range of backgrounds often struggle to access early education, nutritious food and the other resources they need to thrive.

• In 39 states, rural children are more likely to grow up in poverty than non-rural kids.
• Rural families are nearly 20% more likely to receive public assistance than non-rural families.
• Rural children are more likely to face food insecurity, with nearly 1 in 2 rural kids eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.
• Millions of kids living in rural America don't own a single book

Save the Children works with local partners to ensure children have a healthy, strong foundation to succeed as learners and in life. We bring decades of experience and expertise to delivering scalable solutions to the challenges children face through partnerships, programs, innovation and advocacy.

We’re at work in nearly every state, delivering educational support, child care, mental health resources and so much more. 

Save the Children collaborates with diverse rural American communities and equips them with resources to help those children who need it most, so kids enter kindergarten more ready to learn on their first day and are more able to reach critical grade-level goals in 3rd and 5th grades.  

With a common focus on making a lifelong impact for children, community leaders and our experts work together so all children can thrive. 

In addition, over 51,000 children participated in our Summer Reading Challenge last year, reading for a total of over 14.5 million minutes.  

For many children in rural America, summer isn’t a fun break from school.  When school is out of session, many children in rural America don’t have access to essentials—nutritious food, the chance to learn and explore in safe environments, transportation, playgrounds, and more. It can be three months of isolation and being left behind. 

The 'Make Summer Fair' campaign supports Save the Children's work to fill critical gaps in early learning. Together with our local partners, we’re giving kids in rural America various ways to learn and engage with others over the summer.

Corporate sponsors of the 'Make Summer Fair' campaign provide generous investment and support to ensure that Save the Children is able to provide children in rural America with the resources and educational support they need to thrive in school and in life.

Donate - Your gift will help provide things like school supplies, books and more to children in the U.S. and around the world. 

Advocate – Send a message to Congress to invest in early childhood education. 

Learn more about our work in rural America and around the world.

Spread the word - Find us on social media on Instagram, Facebook and X.