Summer is fast approaching - and this year, it's bringing excitement and new opportunity to San Diego Unified families like never before.

Earlier this week, San Diego Unified opened online registration for parents wishing to sign up children for in-person morning instruction with San Diego Unified teachers at neighborhood schools. These programs fill up quickly, so parents are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible.

Next week, students will be able to register their children for free afternoon activities and programs with some of the most sought-after organizations in the city, including Girl Scouts San Diego, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, Junior Achievement of San Diego, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Elementary Institute of Science, La Jolla Playhouse, and many more.

Level Up SD is open to all K-12 students in San Diego Unified schools. This means thousands of kids from every corner of the city can now take advantage of summer school and opportunities beyond the classroom, like learning to kayak or learning to fly a drone, for the first time.

Given the disruption to in-person instruction and closure of youth-serving community centers and services over the past year, there is an increased need for summertime learning environments to accelerate learning and address the social-emotional needs of youth, especially for those student groups most impacted by COVID-19.    

“This process of helping students recover from what they’ve been through will be ongoing, but we see Level Up as an outstanding and critical step that will help our students catch up while boosting their social and emotional well-being," said Board of Education President Richard Barrera. “Level Up goes well beyond what many of us think of as summer school.”

Free lunch will also be provided to all students participating in morning academic programs. PrimeTime after school services will be available on a limited basis at some locations to all families with children in elementary (TK-5), middle or TK-8 schools participating in the summer academic program.

Only students enrolled in San Diego Unified schools for the fall are eligible to take part in this exciting free program. Parents interested in the afternoon summer enrichment programs can visit LevelUpSanDiego.org to request an email alert when enrollment begins.