Engaged, Supported, Seen: Keeping Kids Safe during Summer Break

As summer approaches, excitement builds for children across Johnson and Franklin Counties. Pools open, routines relax, and the long-awaited break from school begins. But for many families, summer doesn’t feel like a break at all—it feels like pressure.

At the 100 Families alliance meeting, community leaders gathered to confront a concerning reality: when school ends, so does a critical safety net for vulnerable families.

Frontline professionals included Kaitlynd Alston of Ozark and Charleston Libraries, Chad Haberer of Ozark Public Schools, Elizabeth Churchman of GFESC, and Tessa Garmany of the Division of Children and Family Services, and facilitator Kerry Bewley.

“Kids are excited about summer," opens Bewley, "But summer provides extra pressure on families that are already struggling.”

That pressure is especially heavy for ALICE families—those who are Asset Limited, Income Constrained, yet Employed. These are families who may appear stable on the surface but are living paycheck to paycheck, where even a small disruption can trigger a cascade of hardship.

Without the daily structure of school, families must quickly navigate new challenges. Childcare becomes both essential and often unaffordable. Grocery bills rise as school meals disappear. Transportation barriers make it difficult to access resources that may already be limited.

For children, the loss goes deeper than logistics. Schools provide consistency, supervision, and trusted relationships with adults who notice when something is wrong. When that disappears, so does a layer of protection.

Panelists described how quickly that absence can affect a child’s well-being—especially those already vulnerable to isolation or mental health struggles. Without school, many children lose access to the very environments that keep them engaged, supported, and seen.

In some cases, the impact becomes visible in community spaces like libraries, which have quietly become safe havens during the summer months. Staff shared that children often spend entire days there, not just for activities, but for stability and connection.

“We have children that hang out with us from start up to close,” said Kaitlynd Alston, Library Assistant–Outreach for Ozark and Charleston Libraries. “We want to be the safety net for them.”

But even these spaces have limits. Alston shared a moment that captured the urgency many children face:

“This past week I had a little girl saying, do you have more snacks?… I'm starving. I'm hungry.”

Stories like this highlight a difficult truth: while resources exist, they are often fragmented, inaccessible, or simply not enough.

Parents, too, are forced into impossible decisions. Without affordable childcare options, some must choose between maintaining employment or staying home with their children.

As Tessa Garmany of the Division of Children and Family Services explained, “You decide, 'do I need to quit my job and watch my child instead?' But then, as a single parent household, then what income do you have?”

Others piece together temporary solutions—relying on inconsistent caregivers or leaving older children home alone—just to keep food on the table and a roof overhead.

Meanwhile, the systems designed to protect children face their own limitations. Reports of concern often decrease during the summer, not because needs disappear, but because fewer adults are present to observe and intervene.

That’s why the conversation shifted toward what communities can do. The answer wasn’t a single program or solution—it was awareness, connection, and collaboration.

Community members were encouraged to pay attention to subtle changes and to step into the role of trusted adults. Elizabeth Churchman, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher of GFESC, emphasized the importance of noticing patterns and responding early.

“Knowing the kids that are in your communities," Churchman says, "which kids come in your business every day or every week and if you start seeing changes, if they stop showing up or if you notice different behaviors whenever they come in, those are definitely signs that, you know, something's different, something's off."

These small observations—children asking for food, spending long hours unsupervised, or suddenly disappearing from familiar places—can point to much larger struggles.

Local organizations are already stepping in where they can. Libraries offer daily programming and safe spaces. Churches host camps and events. Community gatherings create opportunities for connection without stigma. Some are even exploring creative solutions, like meal distribution through local hubs or building networks of trusted childcare providers.

No one entity can solve this alone.

Supporting children through the summer—and beyond—requires a community-wide response. It takes neighbors paying attention, organizations working together, and leaders willing to fill gaps where systems fall short.