SF plans ‘Learning Hubs’ to bridge education resource gaps for disadvantaged students

San Francisco is planning to turn 40 facilities into Community Learning Hubs by Sept. 14 to support disadvantaged students during the fall semester.

Mayor London Breed announced Thursday the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families will launch the sites citywide, including in recreation centers, library branches, cultural centers and community organizations sites, pending approval from state and local health officials.

Acknowledging that many young students may not have the resources or space available to them to take part in distance learning, Breed said:

“It will take a village to address the wide range of learning needs for our City’s children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Community Learning Hubs will provide a much-needed resource for our most vulnerable students.”

The hubs will provide in-person support and access to technology for distance learning and educational programming, such science and literacy programs. The hubs will be organized to keep groups small and socially distanced, and will be located within walking distance of students’ homes.

The hubs will support approximately 5,000 to 6,000 children and youth, The Mayor’s Office said. They are intended to support children from low-income households, public housing and single-room occupancy hotels, youth experiencing homelessness, foster youth and English-language learners.

Enrollment will begin on August 15 and will continue until Sept. 15. The DCYF along with the school district and Human Service Agency will help identify students in need of support.

City Librarian Michael Lambert said in a statement:

“San Francisco Public Library is ready to support families during this challenging time. Libraries are sanctuaries of learning, and we look forward to welcoming students through our doors and doing our part to ensure a successful academic year.”

Additionally, the mayor announced that the Department of Recreation and Parks will offer emergency childcare services at five recreation centers to serve needs of frontline city employees starting on August 31.

Childcare services will be provided at the Glen Park, Richmond, Sunset, Hamilton and Potrero Hill recreation centers. Childcare will be offered by invitation only with priority given to families who enrolled in the program earlier in the spring.

More information about the learning hubs and city worker emergency childcare services can be found at https://dcyf.org/care.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.