DEEP Summer Learning Program

The Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP) is a collaborative of community leaders and organizations committed to improving educational outcomes for children living in a cluster of southeastern San Diego neighborhoods commonly referred to as the Diamond Community.  During the summer of 2013, the Diamond Educational Excellence Partnership (DEEP) partnered with the California Reading and Literature Project (CRLP), Young Audiences of San Diego, the San Diego Science Project (SDSP), Groundwork San Diego, the Jackie Robinson YMCA, the Malcolm X Library, READ/San Diego, UPforEd to design and implement Summer Readers – Future Leaders, a 5-week summer learning program based in the Diamond Community of Southeastern San Diego. DEEP offered 84 rising second and third graders from Chollas-Mead Elementary School opportunities for reducing summer reading loss by building reading skills, increasing motivation to read, improving social-emotional development and physical health, and engaging in hands-on science activities linked to the preservation of natural resources. The Jacobs Family Foundation, the Parker Foundation, the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, and the San Diego Unified School District provided financial support for this unprecedented collaborative of community organizations. The end-of-program evaluation revealed that Summer Readers-Future Leaders achieved or exceeded most of its targets.  Read more in the attached program research brief or the full report of outcomes.