Growing Together:

The DCYF Newsletter

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

The New School Year is (Almost) Here!

The DCYF Family would like to wish all students, families, teachers, afterschool program staff, and everyone who supports student success a school year filled with learning new things, discovering new interests, and making new friends!  

Be Here! Help Public School Students Thrive with Strong Attendance and a Sense of Belonging

As students return to school, DCYF is supporting Be Here! - a citywide campaign led by Spark SF Public Schools in partnership with SFUSD, to boost student attendance and foster a culture of belonging across San Francisco public schools. 

When students feel like they belong at school and show up every day, they’re more likely to stay on track, succeed academically, and build lifelong confidence. Missing just two days a month can make it harder for a kindergartener to learn to read, a middle schooler to stay engaged, or a high schooler to graduate ready for what’s next.

Did you know:

• Missing just two days of school each month adds up to missing 10% of the school year, a threshold known as chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is linked to lower reading and math achievement, increased risk of dropping out, and long-term negative impacts on college and career readiness.
• Public schools receive funding based on attendance, so strong attendance helps keep essential dollars flowing to our schools.
• Absenteeism is just as high in elementary school as it is in high school. Supporting students also means supporting families when life “happens.”
• We have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels of attendance. Getting back to pre-pandemic levels of attendance would recover almost 1.5 million hours of learning and over $18 million annually for SFUSD students. Now is the time to act.

Vibrant schools are the heart of a thriving city and economy. That’s why we’re proud to support the Be Here! campaign, as it brings together families, businesses, community leaders, and even local celebrities to send a united message:

Be Here! Because school is where students grow, connect, and thrive.

Learn more, join the Be Here! Social Media ShareOut campaign, access family resources, and find out how you can support student attendance at the Be Here! website. 

Resources and Opportunities

New to SFUSD? This Resource is for You

The San Francisco Parent Coalition has created an excellent guide for new SFUSD families! The guide covers or has links to everything you need to know, from what to do before the first day of school to navigating special education services. 

Internships, Programs, Scholarships, and Other Opportunities for Youth Ages 14-24

We have moved our Opportunities for Youth Ages 14-24 page to SF.Gov! The move makes the page more accessible for more people, because it can now be automatically translated into Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Filipino, and Vietnamese. There are several excellent opportunities on the site now, and many more will be added after the school year starts. Check back often!

If your organization has an opportunity that you would like to share on the page, please let us know at info@dcyf.org.

Our415 Resource Website

Use the Our415 website to find programs, services, and anything else you need to raise a family and grow up in San Francisco. 

Resources for Immigrant Children, Youth, and Families

DCYF and the entire City & County of San Francisco want to help immigrants, asylees, and refugees connect to resources, opportunities, and more. 

Immigrant Services and Resources Landing Page

Created by the SF Immigrant Forum, this page is a comprehensive source of services, resources, and events. 

The page includes Know Your Rights information, links to immigration legal help, healthcare access, housing and shelter support, financial assistance, and much more. The Immigrant Services and Resources Landing Page can be translated into Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Filipino.

Want to get involved? The next meeting of the SF Immigrant Forum will take place online on Wednesday, September 24. Learn more and register here. 

Welcome to Our New Oversight & Advisory Committee Members! 

On August 13, three new members of the Children and Youth Fund Oversight & Advisory Committee (OAC) were sworn in at City Hall: Yvette Edwards, Eloise Krehlik, and Prasanthi Patel!

We’re so pleased to bring Members Edwards, Krehlik, and Patel into the OAC, and we're looking forward to working with them to continue making San Francisco a great place to grow up!

We are still recruiting for the OAC seats that are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. Please visit our OAC page to learn more about the seats, and how to apply.

Announcements and Events

2025 Family Wealth Conference 

Join the SF Assessor-Recorder's Office for a day of expert-led presentations, 1-on-1 workshops, and a community resource fair, all focused on building financial empowerment for the whole family.

Meet with Assessor-Recorder staff one-on-one to answer your questions related to property taxes, Prop 19, transfers, records, and your notice of assessed value from the Assessor's office. Free and open to the public!

📅 Saturday, August 16, 10:00am to 1:00pm

San Francisco Pregnancy Family Village

Join the San Francisco Department of Early Childhood (DEC), the Bayview YMCA, and other community partners for the monthly SF Pregnancy Family Village! Build community, learn about services and resources, and receive incredible support for a healthy pregnancy and birth. There’s even a barbershop for the fathers!

There are three more SF Pregnancy Family Village events coming up in 2025. They will all take place at the Bayview YMCA, on Saturday, September 13, Saturday, October 11, and Saturday, November 8.

See You at the Heart of the Richmond Night Market!

The final Richmond Night Market of 2025 is coming up on Saturday, September 20! 

Clement Street between 22nd-25th Avenues will host delicious local eats, amazing local talent, and beautiful local goods.

If you come to the Richmond Night Market, stop by the DCYF table to meet with Emily from the DCYF Community Engagement & Communications Team, and get a demo of the new Our415.org website!

2025-26 Dignity Fund Community Needs Assessment

Help shape services for older adults and people with disabilities in SF! The Department of Disability and Aging Services wants to hear from you. Take an anonymous 10-minute survey, or join a community forum to share what your community needs most. Share your input and enter a raffle to win a $50 gift card!

Community Challenge Grants Program

Do you have an idea to beautify your block, energize a public space, or bring neighbors together?

The City & County of San Francisco's Community Challenge Grants (CCG) program is offering up to $150,000 for community-led projects that enhance safety, belonging, and resilience in San Francisco neighborhoods. From murals and gardens to block parties and greening, CCG can help make your vision real!

📅 Applications are due by October 9, 2025

SFUSD 2026-2027 Enrollment Fair

Families who will apply for PK, elementary school, middle school, or high school for the 2026-27 school year can come to the annual SFUSD Enrollment Fair to learn about the application process, meet school principals and other representatives, and access the resources provided by SFUSD and other city agencies and community organizations. DCYF will be there - be sure to stop by our table!

📅 Saturday, October 18, 2025 at Balboa High School, from 10am to 2pm.

2026 Summer Resource Fair

The annual Summer Resource Fair is the place for children and youth in grades K-8 and their families to start making summer plans! The 2026 Summer Resource Fair will take place on Saturday, February 28, 2026 from 11am to 2pm at the County Fair Building.

If you are part of an agency that would like to be one of our 100 exhibitors at the Summer Resource Fair, mark this date on your calendar: Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 11am: that's when exhibitor registration will open!

Know an SFUSD Senior that Recently Graduated? Tell Them to Claim their K2C Money!

SFUSD students in the Class of 2025, and in the Classes of 2023 and 2024, all have at least $50 in their Kindergarten to College (K2C) accounts, plus any contributions or incentives, to continue their education after high school.

Find Sites Near You Serving Free Meals for Children and Youth 

The CA Meals for Kids Mobile App can help you find sites serving free afterschool snacks and suppers all over the state of California! You can use the app to find sites by address, county, city, zip code and partial site name. Download it for free on your iOS, Android, or Microsoft devices.

Visit Museums for FREE with Museums for All 

Through the City’s Museums for All program, San Francisco residents with EBT or Medi-Cal cards can get free or reduced admission to more than 25 local museums and cultural centers! 

Visit the San Francisco Museums for All page to find out which museums are participating, and to learn how to get free tickets. 

Translation Requests

• If you need the Growing Together newsletter translated into any other language, please send a request to info@dcyf.org.
• Si necesita que el boletín Growing Together sea traducido a otro idioma, por favor envíe una solicitud a info@dcyf.org.
• 如果您需要將《Growing Together》電子報翻譯成其他語言，請發送請求至 info@dcyf.org。
• Kung kailangan mo ng pagsasalin ng Growing Together newsletter sa ibang wika, mangyaring magpadala ng kahilingan sa info@dcyf.org.
• Nếu bạn cần bản tin Growing Together được dịch sang ngôn ngữ khác, vui lòng gửi yêu cầu đến info@dcyf.org.

Land Acknowledgement Statement

The San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) acknowledges that it carries out its work on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone, the original inhabitants and stewards of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the government agency that stewards the Children and Youth Fund, we accept the responsibility that comes with resources derived from property taxes upon unceded and colonized land. We recognize the history and legacy of the Ramaytush Ohlone as integral to how we strive to make San Francisco a great place for life to thrive and children to grow up.

Learn about the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone.