How CHOC Community Impact Is Helping Resident Kids With Nutrition and Activities This Summer
When kids go on summer break, many face a lack of access to affordable and structured summer programming. Being away from school can contribute to learning loss, isolation, and a lack of supervision. Many families in affordable housing communities often cannot afford traditional summer camps or full-day programs.
That’s why CHOC Community Impact has created a Summer Enrichment Program to help bridge the gap. By offering free, safe, and engaging programming, Community Impact is making summer a season of growth and connection for kids across our affordable housing communities.
Check out our collaboration with Palm Springs USD in our latest Instagram Reel:
What the Summer Enrichment Program Offers
CHOC Community Impact’s Summer Enrichment Program operates from June to August during summer break, serving youth between the ages of 5 and 17 who are living onsite at several of our California affordable housing communities. Our free programming offers enrichment activities, literacy time, field trips or virtual tours, and summer meal services to youth. Each week, our program features a different theme – for example, one week is Nature Week while the next is Kindness Week. Themes like these help keep our resident kids engaged and excited to come back.
At literacy time, our youth have the chance to focus on reading through group read-alouds and fun BookNook sessions. They also have the opportunity to track their progress by logging their reading goals. Activities range from literacy time and STEM projects to arts and crafts, games, and group discussions, giving all participating resident kids a consistent mix of fun and learning all summer long.
Beyond keeping kids engaged, Community Impact’s summer meals programming also fosters peer-to-peer connections and emotional well-being. Working families can rest assured knowing their kids are in a safe and structured environment during the summer months, helping lessen the summer learning slide.
The Impact of a Summer Meal
Summer hunger is real. When school cafeterias close for the summer, a meal can mean so much. It means a full stomach, which brings a sense of comfort and stability for kids. It’s also a relief from financial stress for parents. Our Summer Meals Program, made possible in partnership with local school districts, is one of the most impactful parts of our Summer Enrichment Program because it offers free breakfasts and lunches, right where families live.
One program assistant shared the following:
“It's been eye-opening to see how many kids are being served, as well as how they love being here to do some of the fun [CHOC Impact] activities and crafts that we run between breakfast and lunch. It's definitely been a positive experience.”
The meals offered through our program help kids just be kids in the summer – so they can learn, grow, and play. The real impact comes through creating a space where kids feel safe and supported all summer long.
What School District Partners Are Saying
The success of CHOC Community Impact’s Summer Enrichment Program wouldn’t be possible without the support of dedicated school district partners who help make it all happen. In Northern California, Woodland Joint Unified School District is one of the districts working with CHOC Impact to bring summer meals to children. Our housing-based model brings meals directly to where families live, eliminating access barriers.
Spencer Springer, Director of Child Nutrition at Woodland Joint USD, shared:
“The impact we have seen on students and families has almost always been a positive one as it continues the battle against food insecurity, especially in nearby “food deserts,” which are more common in rural areas. That is one of the reasons it is important to continue providing access to healthy meals over the summer months when kids are not in school. One of the other very important reasons is to maintain healthy resources for kids to grow, learn and thrive.”
Partnering with programs such as CHOC helps to expand access to nutritious foods and meals to help promote positive outcomes for the community. Additionally, it is encouraging to receive feedback from those that appreciate and participate in the program to help further its longevity and overall objectives.
Terri Smyth Canillo, Vice President of CHOC Community Impact, adds:
“The Summer Meals Program is a vital support for families in affordable housing, helping prevent food insecurity during the summer months. This summer, we are serving meals across six housing communities through invaluable partnerships with four school districts who prepare and deliver the meals. Our on-site Resident Services teams create safe, welcoming spaces for daily meal service, combined with enrichment and literacy activities. With this collaborative work, we’re addressing both hunger and the summer learning slide and building stronger, healthier communities.”
The partnership between Community Impact and school districts reflects a shared vision and commitment to youth wellbeing. The aim is to support kids in both body and spirit, preventing both summer learning loss and summer hunger, simultaneously.
Why It Matters
For working families living in affordable housing, CHOC Community Impact’s Summer Enrichment and Meals Program eases the pressure of finding care, meals, and meaningful activities for their kids when they’re not in school. It offers a safe space to read stories, make friends, explore creativity, and simply be kids.
We’re grateful for our collaborative partners who help make it possible for our team at Community Impact to work side-by-side and meet kids where they are. At the end of the day, every action makes a difference. Stronger, healthier communities are being nurtured – one summer meal at a time.
Founded in 1984, Community Housing Opportunities Corporation (CHOC) is a non-profit affordable housing developer, energy, services and property management provider headquartered in Fairfield, CA; we create and manage equitable communities for individuals, families, seniors, and those with special needs. CHOC believes that economically integrated affordable housing is key to self-sufficiency and achievable with enriching, supportive programs that instill pride in residents, stabilize families, and improve local economies. Visit CHOCHousing.org.