Dear Community Partners,

As summer approaches, many families begin thinking about how their children will spend the months ahead. Safe, enriching summer activities help children grow stronger academically, socially, emotionally, and physically — and those benefits extend far beyond the season itself.


That is why we are proud to announce a new grant initiative in partnership with the YMCA focused on comprehensive water safety for children and families. This funding opportunity will provide lifesaving swimming lessons, water safety education, and lifeguard certification training. Teaching children how to be safe in and around water is especially critical here in Florida, where we are surrounded by bodies of water, be it pools, retention ponds, canals, or at the beach.
 
In addition, communities across the country have faced ongoing lifeguard shortages for years. By investing in lifeguard certifications, we are not only strengthening an important component in water safety, but also creating opportunities for leadership, workforce development, and community service.


Summer also presents another important challenge for children; the risk of “summer slide.” Without access to quality, structured activities during summer break, many students experience learning loss that can impact academic progress when they return to the classroom in the fall. We remain steadfast in our commitment to providing funding for safe, enriching summer programming for children. Our dedicated funding for summer activities allow children to remain safe around water, prevent “summer slide” and ultimately create stronger communities, and brighter futures for the children and families of Hillsborough County.

Dear Community Partners,


Summer is here, and Children’s Board-funded programs are in full swing, ensuring that children and youth have safe, enriching opportunities that promote healthy growth and development while helping prevent summer learning loss.


We are proud to continue our partnership with the Hillsborough County BOCC through the Summer Services grants, which co-fund program enhancements at six organizations in the areas of STEM, safety, character development, literacy, art, fitness, and nutrition. The Summer Passports program, which offers Children’s Board Family Resource Center members the opportunity to attend one week at one of six high-quality local camps, is serving 455 children. In addition, we doubled our investment in summer slots this year, providing 850 children with multiple weeks of summer camp. For more summer highlights, check out the article in 83 Degrees. Children’s Board funding expands summer camp access in Hillsborough County – 83 Degrees Media.


There are also activities children and youth can enjoy from home. MyOn is offering its Summer Reading Challenge, “Read on the Go,” for students in Pre-K through grade 12. 2026 Summer Reading Challenge – Hillsborough reading community.


Our friends at Hillsborough County Public Schools have also shared another way to support students through Hillsborough Virtual School (HVS), which offers more than 200 courses for K-12 students, all aligned with state and national standards. With flexible online options, HVS helps students improve their GPA in core subjects, explore advanced opportunities such as AP courses, world languages, and CTE, or recover credits—so they can stay on track, catch up, or get ahead. Learn more: Home | Hillsborough Virtual School


Wishing you all a safe, enriching, and fun-filled summer!

Rebecca