April 10, 2023 – San Diego, CA – The San Diego Unified School District is celebrating its third year of Level Up SD, a free summer enrichment program available to district-enrolled students.
In collaboration with San Diego Foundation, San Diego Unified offers the free, top-tier summer programs to students in grades transitional kindergarten through high school. Programs include zoo camp, STEAM- and arts-based experiences, museum programs, leadership institutes, internships, and accelerated learning opportunities.
“Whether it’s visiting a museum, learning to play guitar, or participating in a sports camp, Level Up SD offers many students opportunities that were otherwise out of reach due to cost or transportation needs,” Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson said. “Level Up SD allows all of our students to have access to meaningful summer experiences and all that San Diego has to offer, so they can thrive during the school year and throughout the summer.”
All San Diego Unified students have access to free Level Up programs. Families that have been historically underserved received priority access to Level Up programs during an exclusive two-week registration period. This year, priority families were able to enroll their children in multiple sessions throughout the entire nine-week summer break.
More than 80 local nonprofits provide students with Level Up summer opportunities, as well as week-long camps. Level Up sessions will run from June 20 through August 18.
“Thanks to our nonprofit partners and San Diego Unified school sites, this summer we’re able to provide more than 14,000 opportunities for students throughout the county,” said Pamela Gray Payton, VP, Chief Impact & Partnerships Officer, San Diego Foundation. “Since Level Up SD began, we’ve partnered with more than 130 nonprofits to create 30,000 academic and enrichment opportunities and served 25,000 students.”
Registration for Level Up SD began March 21 for students UTK through eighth-grade and continues through the summer, as long as space is available in individual sessions. Registration for additional enrichment programs, accelerated learning opportunities, and internships for high school students will open April 17.
San Diego Unified and the San Diego Foundation helped kick off Level Up SD at Mann Middle School, where students will have access to dynamic summer programs, including Wildlife Conservation Camp organized by the Zoological Society of San Diego and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance; Movement BE Academy, which focuses on poetry, art, music and dance to empower students; the Coherent Development Research Institute’s “Releasing Powers of Expression and Thought,” which draws on skills that are essential to language, mathematics and science, and Youth Empowerment, which provides youth mentorship.
About San Diego Foundation
San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. The Education Initiative supports K-12 and higher education programs to extend opportunity to San Diego students as they prepare for success in life and work. For more than 47 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.4 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.
Contact
Communications Director Maureen Magee, mmagee@sandi.net
