San Francisco’s District 9 Celebrates National Summer Learning Week

SF Department of Children, Youth & Their Families

5 min readJul 29, 2024

Every year, summer programs all around the country participate in National Summer Learning Week, hosting events that celebrate and elevate the importance of summer programs for children, youth, and working families.

In San Francisco, non-profit, community-based organizations (CBOs) are one of the primary providers of summer programming for thousands of the City’s children and youth. These programs prevent the learning loss that can happen during the months that school is out, and they are a vital support for San Francisco’s working families, who can rely on these programs to keep their children engaged in learning, safe, and having fun throughout the summer. In 2024, every CBO that is funded by the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF) to provide comprehensive, all-day summer programs for children and youth in grades K-8 hosted events to celebrate Summer Learning Week.

San Francisco’s District 9, which includes the Mission, Portola, and Bernal Heights neighborhoods, hosted eight Summer Learning Week events. Read on to find out how summer learning was celebrated in this part of San Francisco!

Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) — Junipero Serra Elementary

BACR’s Juniper Serra students got together for a fun carnival to celebrate Summer Learning Week. They made jewelry, had their faces painted, played games, won prizes, and snacked on yummy popcorn.

Bay Area Community Resources (BACR) — Paul Revere Elementary Beacon

Bumper cars! Jumpers! Music! Games! That’s how BACR’s Paul Revere Elementary Beacon students and their families spent a beautiful sunny Mission District day celebrating Summer Learning Week.

Buena Vista Child Care (BVCC)

Nature exploration was the theme for BVCC’s Summer Learning Week event, and they did it in style with a field trip to Presidio Tunnel Tops. BVCC partnered with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy to line up art and science activities, games, hikes, and a BBQ for campers and their families. A wonderful day with beautiful views, adventure, and fun times with friends!

Family Connections Centers, Inc.

Family Connections Center used their own lovely backyard for inspiration for the Summer Learning Week event. Students spent a gorgeous sunny day creating nature-inspired paintings in the Family Connections Center garden, which the students and their families help maintain throughout the summer and school year.

Jamestown Community Center — Cesar Chavez Elementary Beacon

The Jamestown Community Center hosted a block party in the Mission District, bringing to life their theme “In the City, Anything is Possible.” Students showcased their talents in dance, singing, and the arts, drawing inspiration from San Francisco’s energy and endless opportunities. Through their performances, youth will embodied the spirit of ambition, community, and artistic expression that thrives in the City.

Mission Education Projects, Inc.

MEPI’s students have been spending their summer becoming Mission District lepidopterists: learning all about the life cycle of the butterfly! MEPI’s campers have live caterpillars in their classroom, and are keeping journals in which they record daily observations of their caterpillars’ metamorphosis. During Summer Learning Week, older students gave presentations on what they have researched and learned about the life cycle and anatomy of butterflies, and younger students presented drawings they made of their butterfly observations. After giving their presentations, students created rubber band flying butterflies, and made their way to the park to launch them into the sky. MEPI’s summer program will conclude at the same time as the end of the butterflies’ full metamorphosis cycle, and students will celebrate their return to school by setting them free!

Mission Graduates — Flynn Elementary Beacon

Mission Graduates’ Flynn Beacon summer program ended on the final day of Summer Learning Week, and they celebrated by bringing together students and their families for a potluck-style BBQ at Golden Gate Park. In addition to lots of delicious food, Mission Graduates hosted art stations, water balloon fun, games, and a piñata full of treats!

Mission Neighborhood Centers

Mission Neighborhood Centers celebrated Summer Learning Week with arts and adventure, making play-doh sculptures early in the week then taking a field trip to Six Flags Great America. Bonus: a treat day with fancy donuts!

Curious about DCYF’s investment in District 9? Here is a full list of our District 9 CBO grantee agencies, with links to their websites:

Check out our entire Summer Learning Week 2024 series on Medium to learn more about how all of our CBO grantees make San Francisco a great place to grow up!