Description
Looking for summer enrichment activities can be a daunting task especially if you are on a tight budget. SFkids.org has compiled a list of FREE and inexpensive camps, most of which are right here at home in the City. (*Note that 2010 information for some camps are not yet available.)
FREE Camps:
826 Valencia
African American Art & Culture Complex
Aim High
Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts & Technology (BAYCAT)
CAIS Institute
Chinese Newcomers Service Center
Good Samaritan Family Resource Center
Handful Players
Kara's Camp Erin
La Casa de las Madres
Marina Middle School Summer Camp Program
Mission Learning Center
San Francisco Police Youth Fishing Program
Summerbridge at San Francisco Day School
Summerbridge San Francisco, a Breakthrough Collaborative Program
Vietnamese Youth Development Center
Young Musicians Program at UC Berkeley
(by audition only)
Low Cost Camps:
Your first stop should be the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department's SFRecOnline. Camps are offered at many parks and recreation centers throughout the City, including an interesting variety offered at Golden Gate Park. Day camps at neighborhood rec centers have an average resident weekly cost of $122 plus $45 for extended care. That's a bargain! Here's the complete 2010 Catalog.
ABADA-Capoeira San Francisco Brazilian Arts Center ($225 per week)
Acrosports
($235–$250 per week)
ArtLabbe ($250 per week)
Bay Area Shakespeare Camps
($420 per two weeks, $295 for kids ages 4 to 6)
Bay Area Writing Project
($400 for three weeks)
Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation Department
(varies but some under $200)
Buchanan YMCA
($189 per week for K–5, $149 per week for 6–8)
Circus Center
($250–$270 per week)
College for Kids
($385–
$399 for three weeks)
DancEsteem at MoBu Dance Studio ($175 per week)
Dance Mission Theater
($275 per week, $475 per two weeks)
Donaldina Cameron House ($470 and up per six-week session or $90 and up per week)
Embarcadero YMCA
($220–$240 per week)
Everyday Magic ($200 per week)
Family Day Camp at Ms. Patty's Place
($175–$200 per week)
Gay-Straight Alliance Network (up to $100 sliding scale)
Growth and Learning Opportunities (GLO)
($230 per week; $310 with swimming classes)
Gum Moon/Asian Women's Resource Center
($536 for eight weeks)
Hunters Point Community Youth Park Foundation ($5 per day; no one is turned away for lack of funds)
Japanese Community Youth Council ($150 per week)
Kids' Carpentry
($96 per week)
Koret Health & Recreation Center
($230 per week; $280 with swimming classes)
Marsh Youth Theater
(sliding scale $35–
$200 per week, $60
–
$595 per two weeks)
Mission Science Workshop of San Francisco
($50–$100 per week)
Mission YMCA
($170 per week)
OMI/Excelsior Neighborhood Beacon Center
($25 donation)
Our Kids First
($200 for the whole six-week session)
Portola Family Connections
($175 per session)
Providence Foundation of San Francisco
($150 per session; $25 off for siblings)
Richmond District Neighborhood Center ($250 per week (full day); $125 per week (half day)
Root Division
($50 per week; 2pm–5pm)
Rotary Nature Center (Oakland)
($211 per non-resident)
Russian-American International School ($280 per week)
Salesian Boys' and Girls' Club
($150–$165 per week, $100 per sibling)
Salvation Army Golden State Division
($30–$260 per week; sleepaway $20 per camper)
San Francisco Arts Education Project
($415–$460 per two week session)
San Francisco Ballet Center for Dance Education ($250 per week)
San Francisco Opera ($750 for three weeks)
San Francisco Seals ($275 per week)
San Francisco State Community Youth Sailing and Kayaking Program ($195 per week full day, $110 per week half day)
San Francisco State University Gator Youth Sports Summer Camp
($175 per week; $800 for six weeks)
St. Elizabeth School Summer Program
($96 for 3 weeks, $530 for 4 weeks)
Stonestown Family YMCA
($86–$329 per session)
Summer Strength and Conditioning Camp at Lincoln High School ($100 for the summer for SFUSD students; $50 per week for all others)
Swivel Arts
($265 per week)
Synergy School Summer Program
($250 per week)
Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center ($12.50–$110 per week; fees are based on a sliding scale)
The Association of Chinese Teachers (TACT)
($300 per six-week session)
The First Tee of San Francisco ($100 per week)
The Hypnodrome Creepshow Camp ($395 per two-week session)
TILT (Teaching Intermedia Literacy Tools) ($750 for 3 weeks)
USF Dept. of Computer Science Summer Enrichment Program
($40)
Young Performers Theatre
($400 per two-week session)
YWCA San Francisco and Marin
($70 per week)