As the holiday season approaches, the joy of celebrations, family gatherings, and gift-giving fills the air. But for many students and families living with economic hardship, the holidays can also bring added stress, scarcity, and missed opportunities—not just for the season itself, but for educational growth and readiness when the next school year begins.
At Bridge the Gap for Kids, we know that our students’ lives don’t pause during the holidays—and the extra burdens they face now can compound into academic challenges later. Below we explore some of the ways the festive season can exacerbate inequities, why it matters for education, and how our community can respond.
The Hidden Holiday Strain
For families with limited incomes, the holiday period often comes with extra expenses, disrupted routines, fewer enrichment opportunities, and increased isolation. While the school year offers structure, meals, and access to resources, the holiday break can strip away some of these supports.
- During times when school is out (such as winter breaks), many children in low-income households lose access to the meals provided by schools. One report noted: “When schools close for winter break … we have millions of kids who lose access to free or reduced-priced school meals.”
- For example, one article reported that about one in five children in the U.S. “don’t know where their next meal will come from” and that their out-of-school breaks risk missing the meals they’d get during school days.
- More widely, during summer months when school meal programs are not always accessible, only about 15.3 children received a summer lunch for every 100 who received a free or reduced-price school lunch during the 2022-23 school year.
- When it comes to educational enrichment, the “summer slide” phenomenon shows that breaks from school (including holiday-type risks) can disproportionately affect students from lower-income families. For example, the “achievement gap between children from high- and low-income families is roughly 30-40% larger among children born in 2001 than among those born 25 years earlier.”
Though much of the research focuses on the long summer break, the mechanisms are instructive for the winter holiday season too: when school is out, support systems are thinner, enrichment and structure are reduced, and low-income families may feel the squeeze.
Why This Matters for Education
These holiday-period pressures are not isolated—they feed into larger and longer-term educational inequities.
- Regular access to nutritious meals is a foundational support for learning. According to one policy brief: “Food insecurity is a key determinant of children’s success at school … children who face food insecurity are more likely to experience poor school attendance, worse developmental trajectories, memory and cognition challenges, difficulty paying attention at school, diminished performance in their school subjects.”
- On the learning-loss front: one source notes that children lose, on average, about 20% of their school-year gains in reading and 27% in math during summer breaks.
- The “summer slide” research also shows that learning rates are more variable during summer than the school year, and that gaps between students attending low- and high-poverty schools are especially concerning.
Thus, the holiday season can be a “gap amplifier”—a time when the advantages enjoyed by higher-income students (structured vacations, travel, enrichment programs, technology access, adult availability) contrast sharply with the limitations faced by their less-advantaged peers. These differences can carry over when classes resume: reduced readiness, lower engagement, and more stress can all make the restart harder.
How Bridge the Gap for Kids Can Make a Difference This Holiday Season
Here at Bridge the Gap for Kids, we have the opportunity to turn this holiday challenge into an opportunity for connection, stability, and hope. Some strategies we can emphasize:
- Ensure food security & healthy routines
Even short term disruptions (lack of healthy meals, erratic schedules) affect student focus and memory. Providing holiday-support meals or food boxes helps families maintain stability so students return to school ready. - Provide enriching resources & structured activities
- Distribute holiday learning kits (books, workbooks, access to technology) so kids can keep their minds active.
- Host or partner with local organizations for holiday-time enrichment (arts, STEM activities, reading clubs) to prevent stagnation.
- Offer programs that bridge the holiday break into an academic mindset rather than a complete stop.
- Promote emotional well-being and celebrate belonging
Feelings of exclusion or difference (“everyone else got that gift”, “we didn’t go on the trip”) can hurt self-esteem and engagement. Create inclusive holiday celebrations, goal-setting sessions for the new year, peer connection programs—so every child feels seen, supported and ready for what’s ahead. - Engage families and caregivers
Holiday stress often sits with caregivers—jobs, childcare, financial strain. Equip families with tips and resources (budgeting, community events, free local activities) to reduce strain and create stability that helps students. - Prepare for the return to school
We can use the holiday time to build “bridge” programs: light preparation sessions, orientation, access to supplies so that when school resumes, students don’t start behind. Consider donation drives for winter-school supplies, backpacks, or technology access.
Our Call to Act
As we move into the holiday season, our ask to our community is clear:
- Donate — whether it’s food, books, backpacks, holiday gifts, or funds to support enrichment programs, your contribution helps fill the gap.
- Volunteer — help with holiday events, mentoring, reading buddies, holiday-learning kits distributions.
- Spread the word — share this message: The holidays are a time of heightened vulnerability for students living with fewer resources—but they are also a time of immense opportunity. Our support now can set the stage for their next school year.
- Advocate — connect with local schools, libraries, nonprofits and policymakers to highlight that holiday-time support isn’t optional—it’s essential to educational equity.
In Closing
For many children, the holiday season should be a pause, a gift, a time of joy. But for students in under-resourced families, it can instead become a time of hidden costs—skipped meals, fewer books, less enrichment, disrupted routines, and anxiety about what comes next.
At Bridge the Gap for Kids, we believe the holidays can instead become a bridge—a bridge from hardship into hope, from opportunity denied to opportunity embraced. By coming together now—as donors, volunteers, caring neighbors—we can ensure that every child in our community enters the next school year not at a disadvantage, but with support, momentum, and belief in their potential.
Thank you for standing with us this holiday season and beyond. Because when we lift up children during their most vulnerable times, we change not only their holiday—we change their future.
