After being separated from family, friends, and fun outdoor activities for nearly a year, many students will reconnect this summer through the San Diego Foundation’s free summer enrichment program Level-Up SD.

In partnership with San Diego Unified and over 65 nonprofit organizations, including Bayside Community Center, the San Diego Foundation expects to provide fun and engaging experiences for approximately 30,000 students this summer.

Regarding the importance of this program, Bayside’s Amy Zink says, “We know that education and health experts have all agreed that after the past year of lockdown, children really benefit from activities that focus on outdoor play, exercise, the arts and collaborative activities. This is an opportunity for them to have some outside enrichment in a program where we can help them deal with some of their stress and anxiety.”

This summer, Bayside served 45 students with two different summer programs; Garden Therapy in Linda Vista and the Academic Club. Level-Up SD programs will continue districtwide through the end of August. Read more about the program here.