Committee forwards $22.9M (plus $500K gift) authorizations for Summer Together program

The Budget and Finance Committee unanimously recommended that the full Board approve retroactive authorizations to accept philanthropic support for the Summer Together program, including a Crankstart donation (about $15.9 million, with up to a $7 million private match potentially bringing total support to roughly $22.9 million) and a $500,000 gift from David and Catherine DeWilde for literacy and math programming.

Director Hsu (Department of Children, Youth and Their Families) said Summer Together began during the pandemic and scaled quickly; the department served roughly 25,000 children in 2022 and estimates operating costs of about $64 million for full‑day programming. Hsu described program elements including literacy supports, social and emotional learning, mental‑health partnerships (UCSF and DPH), career and college supports, and differentiated tracks for elementary, middle and high school age youth.

Supervisors praised the program and asked about program fees and scale. Hsu said programming is not 100% free: it remains free for families who need it, while some CBOs use a sliding scale so families that can pay help expand capacity. She said the program blends DCYF funds with philanthropic donations and that sustaining a full‑scale program year to year would be challenging without continued private support.

There was no public comment. The committee moved to forward both items to the Board with positive recommendations.

Next steps: The full Board will consider accepting and expending the donations and DCYF will continue to coordinate programming with Rec & Park, the public library, the school district and community‑based organizations.