Making the Most of Summer is a resource for providers who want to improve the quality of their summer programs by meeting the academic and youth development needs of their participants. The handbook contains a variety of easy-to-use planning tools designed to help summer programs be able to do the following: (1) incorporate the characteristics of effective summer learning programs; (2) implement engaging thematic units that meet challenging academic and youth development standards; (3) improve the quality of summer staff development opportunities; and (4) evaluate the success of their programs and services; and e) develop a long-term strategy for sustaining their work.