Free Summer Programs Available For Thousands Of Students In San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN/CBS SF) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Monday kicked off the start of city-sponsored summer programming for kids and teens, which offers some 26,000 public school students free in-person programs for the first time.
Under the city's Summer Together initiative, the city and its nonprofit and community organization partners will operate several sites across the city, providing several options.
The programs include in-person learning opportunities, summer camps, online learning classes and independent learning programs. In-person learning opportunities will be held at places like community centers, commercial sites, and spaces owned by the San Francisco Unified School District and the Recreation and Park Department.
"Today's launch is a celebration of how our city has come together to support our children and young people and make sure they have the resources and tools to succeed within and beyond the classroom," Breed said in a statement. "The last year has been so hard on our young people, and we know we have a lot of work to do to support them.
"As we prepare to reopen our public schools for in-person learning this fall, we must continue to provide these opportunities for youth to not just pass their classes, but also expand their horizons, their goals, and shape their futures, regardless of their background," Breed said.
"We are excited about all the options our students have to continue their learning this summer. As a result of our collaboration with the city and many community agencies, students are earning college credit, engaging in paid work-based internships, diving into literacy, and so much more," said SFUSD Superintendent Vincent Matthews.
One of the Summer Together programs is the Summer High School Hub program, being hosted at the headquarters of tech company Stripe, located in the city's South of Market neighborhood. The program is set to serve more than 150 public high school students working summer credit recovery or early college programs, city officials said.
The initiative for free summer programs was proposed by Breed and other city leaders in March in response to the prolonged closure of San Francisco public schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although most of the city's public elementary schools opened this past spring, all SFUSD schools, including high schools and middle schools, are set to resume in-person learning in the fall.
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