Growing Together:

The DCYF Newsletter

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Haga clic aquí para leer este boletín en español.

點擊此處閱讀此通訊的中文版本。

I-click dito upang basahin ang Newsletters na ito sa Filipino.

Nhấn vào đây để đọc bản tin này bằng tiếng Việt.

Message from our Interim Director, Sherrice Dorsey-Smith

Change is inevitable, and how we respond to it defines our future. As this quote reminds us: “Yesterday says, ‘Forget me, but learn from me.’ Today says, ‘Embrace me, yet utilize me.’ Tomorrow says, ‘Anticipate me, then prepare for me.’”

At DCYF, we are embracing change - not just in words, but in action.

We are excited to introduce our refreshed look and logo, which symbolize a renewed reflection of our commitment to children, youth, and families. And as we look ahead, we’re also moving forward, literally! After 18 years at Fox Plaza, our office has relocated across the street and down the block to 1455 Market Street.

Beyond these changes within DCYF, we recognize the larger shifts happening around us, some inspiring, others deeply concerning. Across the country, policies are being enacted that threaten to take us backward, creating fear and uncertainty for many. But San Francisco remains steadfast. We are a city that learns from history, navigates the present with purpose, and prepares for the future with determination. We will not waver in our commitment to ensuring that every child, youth, and family—regardless of background—feels supported, valued, and safe in our City.

As a department, we will endure, we will adapt, and we will lead. We will continue our work with our grantee, City, and School District partners to stand with our community, showing up, supporting, and strengthening the programs and services that help young people thrive. Together, we will continue to make San Francisco a great place to grow up.

See You at the Summer Resource Fair!

The annual San Francisco Summer Resource Fair is coming up on Saturday, February 22, 2025. The Summer Resource Fair will feature representatives from 100 summer programs - including many of our wonderful grantees! - and other services for children and youth in grades K-8. The Fair is free, fun, and an excellent way for families to kick off their summer planning. No registration or ticket is required: just show up at the County Fair Building (1199 9th Avenue) between 11am and 2pm. We hope to see you and your family at the Fair! 

Opportunities for Youth Ages 14-24

Spring is almost here, which means applications for some of the City's best programs for youth ages 14-24 are open now, or will open soon! 

If you know of a great program for San Francisco youth ages 14-24 that is not listed here, please send it to us at info@dcyf.org. 

OPEN NOW: Linking Individuals to their Natural Communities (LINC) Summer Program

LINC is a six-week program hosted by the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy that brings high school youth from across the Bay Area together for a variety of outdoor experiences themed around service, youth agency, recreation, community building, and professional development. Upon successful completion of the program, all participants receive up to a $2,400 education award.

Applications are due by March 18, 2025.

OPEN NOW: 2025 Superintendent’s 21st Century Scholarship Award

The 2025 Superintendent’s 21st Century Scholarship Awards will be granted to six graduating SFUSD seniors who exemplify a particular strength in one or more of the characteristics of the SFUSD Graduate Profile. Winners will each receive a $3,000 scholarship and be honored by Superintendent Dr. Maria Su at an event on May 7, 2025. 

Applications are due by March 27, 2025.

OPEN NOW: DreamSF Fellowship

The DreamSF Fellowship is a paid San Francisco-based leadership and professional development program for immigrant students and aspiring professionals who seek to gain real-world experience with social justice change-makers in the Bay Area. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, and be currently enrolled, planning to enroll in, or recent graduate from an educational program such as a 2 or 4-year university or trade school.

Applications are due by April 4, 2025.

OPENING SOON: Mayor's Youth Employment & Education Program (MYEEP)

MYEEP provides paid work opportunities, academic support, and tools that youth need to succeed in the workplace. MYEEP offers general participant, Counselor-in-Training, and Project Coordinator opportunities for youth in grades 9-12 and first-year college students. MYEEP also offers workshops and trainings, mentorship opportunities, field trips and site tours. 

Applications will open on Friday, February 14, 2025.

OPENING SOON: SF YouthWorks

SF YouthWorks provides incoming 11th and 12th graders with paid job readiness workshops, training, and internships at different departments of the City & County of San Francisco. SF YouthWorks interns who successfully complete their first year can apply to join the Youth Leadership Team, a paid position that helps plan and facilitate workshops for new interns.

Applications will open on Friday, February 14, 2025.

OPENING SOON: Opportunities for All (OFA)

OFA provides paid internships with partner employers and community groups for youth ages 13-24 who live or go to school in San Francisco. Internships run from June 23 to August 1, 2025. 

Applications will open on Friday, February 14, 2025.

OPENING SOON: Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) Mini-Grants

YEF awards over $100,000 annually in mini-grants supporting projects initiated and led by youth ages 13-18. Young people in San Francisco can apply for funding up to $10,000, three times a year to fund their unique ideas and vision addressing important community issues and need.

Applications will open later this month.

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.

In addition to the Immigrant Services and Resources page, we want to highlight some resources that people in San Francisco may find helpful if they or someone they know is detained by U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE): 

Call the San Francisco Rapid Response Hotline. If you or anyone you know is detained by ICE in San Francisco, call the local Rapid Response 24-Hour Network Hotline: (415) 200-1548.

Have Kids? Have a Plan. Have a plan to take care of your children if you are detained. Make a plan with an adult family member or friend with legal authorization to be in the United States, and who you can contact in an emergency to take care of your child. As soon as you can, ask the ICE agent to let you call that person to take care of your child.

Be Prepared. Have the number of an immigration attorney with you, both programmed in your phone and written on a slip of paper in your wallet. There is no right to a free attorney unless you are charged with a crime. Visit the Immigrant Services and Resources Landing Page to find an immigration attorney.

Recruiting Now: Children & Youth Fund Oversight and Advisory Committee

The Children, Youth and Their Families' Oversight and Advisory Committee (OAC) are community members working together to improve access and quality of services for children, youth, and families. The OAC ensures that the Children and Youth Fund is administered in a manner accountable to the community.

Open OAC Seats Appointed by the Mayor

• Seat 3: Parent of a youth that is under 18 years old and enrolled in the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).
• Seat 4: Person with expertise or substantial experience working in services and programs for children ages 5 and younger
• Seat 5: Person with expertise or substantial experience working in the field of children and youth services in communities that are low-income or underserved. 
• Seat 6: Person who has demonstrated commitment to improving access and quality of services for children, youth, and families in communities that are low-income or underserved. 

Open Seats Appointed by the Board of Supervisors

• Seat 8: Parent of a child that is enrolled in kindergarten through 8th grade at the time of appointment. They are from a low-income community or has expertise or substantial experience working to promote the interests of communities of color. 
• Seat 9: Person with expertise or substantial experience working in the field of children and youth services in communities that are low-income or underserved.

Visit the OAC page on the DCYF website to learn more about the open seats, and how to apply for them.  

Announcements and Events

Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit 

Registration for the third annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit is now open! Kaiser Permanente Northern California and the Black Men in White Coats Organization seek to provide underrepresented minority youth with exposure to the medical field through robust discussion topics led by content experts. The Summit will take place on Saturday, March 1, from 9am to 3pm, at Las Positas Community College, 3000 Campus Hill Drive, in Livermore, CA. Hurry: registration closes on Friday, February 14!

Registration Opening Soon: Support for Families Information & Resource Conference

The Information and Resource Conference is a FREE annual conference for families of children with disabilities, the professionals who work with them, and community members. The Conference will take place on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at John O’Connell Technical High School, 2355 Folsom Street. Registration for the Conference will open later this month. 

Find Sites Near You Serving Free Meals for Youth 

The CA Meals for Kids Mobile App can help you find sites serving free afterschool and summer meals 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. 

Free Tax Preparation Help

If you earned a maximum of $67,000 in 2024, the SF Human Services Agency's nonprofit partners can help you safely and securely file your taxes for free! Free tax services can save you an average of $300 on tax preparation, and can help you claim tax credits, including:  

• $250 from the SF Working Families Credit
• $8,050 from federal Earned Income Tax Credit
• $2,000 maximum federal Child Tax Credit per qualifying child.

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.