By August, summertime will be winding down and vacations will be coming to an end, signaling that back-to-school time is near. It’s a time that many children eagerly anticipate — catching up with old friends and making new ones, and settling into a new daily routine.

The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2011 was $7.7 billion. Only in November and December were sales higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2011 totaled $2.4 billion, the strongest sales month of the year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2009, there were 28,520 family clothing stores, 7,092 children and infants clothing stores, 26,651 shoe stores, 8,945 office supply and stationery stores, 21,628 sporting goods stores, 9,390 bookstores and 8,663 department stores.

The number of children and adults enrolled in school throughout the country in October 2010 — from nursery school to college. – was 79 million. They comprised 27 percent of the entire population age 3 and older.

Seventy-two percent of children 3 to 6 enrolled in kindergarten who attended all day, as of October 2010.