Levelling-up summer: using summer holiday programs to support child health and wellbeing – a Delphi study

Background: Children’s health behaviours tend to worsen during the summer holidays, with declines in physical activity, diet, sleep, and mental wellbeing. Structured summer holiday programs may help counter these trends, while also supporting families and reducing inequalities. The purpose of this study was to establish the interest, perceived importance, and key preferences for structured summer programming in Australia and explore potential delivery models with an emphasis on sustainability, scalability and supporting families living on low incomes. Methods: A three-round Delphi study was conducted between November 2024 and April 2025. The Delphi panel consisted of stakeholders from government, extended care, research, education and parenting backgrounds. Round 1 explored perceived importance, barriers, and facilitators; Round 2 examined program features, and delivery and funding models; and Round 3 focused on priorities to improve access for families living on low incomes. Consensus was set a priori at 80%. Results: Sixty stakeholders agreed to participate, with an average response rate of 65%. There was consensus that summer programming is important for children’s physical and mental health, and social skills. Program cost, access (availability, transport) and awareness were identified as key barriers to participation. Participants agreed that programs should run for the entire working day and offer accessible, inclusive, enrichment-focused activities. For families on low incomes, providing meals and snacks was viewed as essential. A daily family contribution of $1–$10 was considered acceptable to encourage attendance and perceived value. There was no single preferred delivery model, stakeholders emphasised the need for flexible, locally adapted approaches that build on existing community infrastructure and partnerships. Top barriers to national scale-up included lack of sustainable government funding, high operational costs, and workforce shortages. The most popular angles for advocacy were supporting children’s socio-emotional and mental wellbeing, and positive ways to spend time. Conclusion: There is clear stakeholder support for expanding structured summer holiday programming in Australia, particularly to benefit children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Programs have the potential to promote health, wellbeing, and equity, but realising this will require government investment, local partnerships, and delivery models that reflect community needs. These findings may inform similar efforts in other countries where summer programs are not equitably available.