In partnership with local school districts, United Way of Santa Barbara County has kicked off its national award-winning, free summer learning program for students across the county.
Santa Barbara, CA, June 24, 2025 – Over 300 children are back on campus this summer for United Way of Santa Barbara County’s 2025 Fun in the Sun summer learning program. The program kicked off at all sites on Monday, June 23rd at campuses across the county, celebrating over 28 years of providing families with its national award-winning summer program that offers daily literacy and math practice, hands-on STEAM and enrichment activities, field trips, outdoor play and activities, and more. The free, full-day program has become an important community resource for families throughout the county who may struggle to find accessible and enriching learning programs for students to keep up key literacy and social enrichment skills over the summer months.
“The partnership with United Way is one of the most amazing things I’ve experienced as an educator. Being able to have that support for our district and our families is invaluable,” said Principal Brett Weiberg, principal at Aliso Elementary School in Carpinteria. “Fun in the Sun is a program that we really count on for the success of students. When they go back to class, the teachers notice that there’s a difference. A lot of kids who participated in Fun in the Sun are coming back ready to start the school year.”
Since 1997, Fun in the Sun has provided thousands of Santa Barbara County students with an engaging and enriching learning environment for six weeks every summer, earning an award in 2012 from the National Summer Learning Association in recognition of its consistent achievement of academic outcomes for participants. The program operates countywide, and provides individualized literacy and math instruction, daily meals and snacks, community field trips, hands on STEAM activities, swimming and biking lessons, social-emotional learning curriculum, and more. The program also includes parent workshops and a Leaders-in-Training track for high-school students, offering leadership development, mentorship opportunities, and college and career exploration and campus visits.
“This program has become a true pillar of our community’s support for families over the summer,” said Frances Contreras, Director of Programs & Partnerships at United Way. “It’s not only a proven academic tool that our educators rely on to keep kids learning and engaged over the summer but has also developed into an invaluable hub for families to access the resources they need to build a stronger foundation at home.”
This year’s program will welcome partners like Art with Louie, the Music Academy of the West, and experiences available to students in the program such as fishing trips on the beach, weekly swimming lessons at local pools, and art classes on campus from a local artist.
In recent years, the program has also grown into an important community partner hub, welcoming United Way’s network of service agencies and nonprofit partner organizations on campus to serve students and their families. Agencies like Community Friends (formerly Assistance League of Santa Barbara), Hospice of Santa Barbara, and Family Service Agency work together alongside United Way to connect these families with the resources they need to build a stronger foundation for the students at home.
At the request of local school districts, United Way recently expanded the summer program to serve new grade levels (Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and 1st grade) in addition to its existing demographic of 2nd-6th grade students. In addition to the new grade levels at the partnering districts, United Way has also contracted to provide service for additional hours, adapting the program to better serve working families and caregivers.
Fun in the Sun has operated as a longstanding partnership between the thousands of volunteers, community partners, workplaces, and educators who come together each summer to support the program. Community members and supporters are encouraged to get involved through the Lunch Bunch on-campus volunteer mentoring program, or support networks like Women United, a membership that supports Fun in the Sun through fundraising and volunteer opportunities for the program each year.
The 2025 Fun in the Sun program will run from June 11th through August 1st, 2025. Community members looking for current program information for enrolled students, or who would like to learn more about the opportunity for students and upcoming volunteer activities are invited to visit www.unitedwaysb.org/FITS.
About United Way of Santa Barbara County
Since 1923, United Way of Santa Barbara County has been a key leader in local efforts to support children, families, and communities through its own unique collaborative programs and initiatives, partnership convening efforts, volunteer development, and funding. United Way’s mission is to enrich the lives of children and families and build resilient communities by leading local programs and partnerships that improve academic achievement, financial security, and community resiliency. To learn more, please visit unitedwaysb.org.
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