give youth the work experience and opportunity for skill development needed to transition into the labor market and prevent points of disconnection, such as involvement in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. (11) Evidence suggests that summer youth employment programs may help in-school youth remain connected to the education system. A 2014 study of the New York City Summer Youth Employment Program found that youth older than age 16 increased their school attendance by 4 or 5 additional days after participating in a youth summer employment program. This attendance increase represented 25 percent of the total days students were permitted to miss school and still continue on to the next grade. (12) Evidence shows that participation in summer youth employment programs also reduces the rate of violent crimes arrests. For example, a 2014 study of the One Summer Chicago Plus program shows that the program reduced violent crime arrests among at-risk youth by approximately 43 percent, with crime reduction benefits lasting more than a year after the program had ended. This reduction can have a significant impact for young people, given the impact of a criminal record on future employment prospects and wages. (13) Despite its benefits, summer youth employment declined by more than 40 percent between 1999 and 2013, at a loss of more than 3,000,000 summer jobs for young people in the United States. A J.P. Morgan Chase study of 14 major cities in the United States found that summer youth employment programs were only able to provide opportunities for 46 percent of applicants in 2014. (14) According to research by Measure of America, the overwhelming number of youth disconnected from school and work come from disconnected communities marked by high adult unemployment, poverty, and racial segregation, as well as low levels of adult education attainment. These communities often lack the resources and supports needed to prevent and reverse youth disconnection. (15) Many at-risk or opportunity youth, finding that