Free Summer Opportunities for DC Youth
A wide variety of free programs are still open for registration, including but not limited to:
DCPS Middle School Summer Learning: Offers rising sixth through ninth grade students a variety of engaging academic and non-academic programs, from STEAM enrichment and math camps to career exploration and outdoor adventures.
DC Public Library’s Discover Summer: Hundreds of events available through August 31, including author visits, museum partnerships, the Know Your Power teen art contest, mobile programming and prize giveaways.
Late Night Hype and Late Night Drip: DPR’s weekly evening programming includes music, games, and extended pool hours for teens.
Junior Lifeguard Academy: Young people ages 13 to 17 can start their lifeguarding journey by gaining the skills needed to enter comprehensive lifeguard training. Meets twice a week for four weeks.
DPR Youth Field Trips: Free Saturday drop-off experiences for ages 7–12, including transportation, lunch and fun activities.
Roving Leaders Day: Annual day of games, moon bounces, biking, live animals, water games and much more taking place on Saturday, July 26.
Weekly Veggie Giveaways: DPR’s Communal Farms allow kids and community members to volunteer, participate in hands-on educational opportunities and receive free veggies four times a week at three locations across DC.
Fitness in DC Gardens & Parks: Taking place monthly on the second Wednesday at DPR parks and gardens. Fitness sessions include yoga, Zumba and meditation.
In addition to the programs listed above, families can explore even more DPR activities and events, including fitness classes, movies and neighborhood celebrations, at dprevents.com and dprprograms.com. A full calendar of citywide summer festivals and special events is available at summer.dc.gov/summerevents. For more DCPS-specific summer opportunities, families are encouraged to check in with their child’s school and visit most.dc.gov.
Some of the most popular summer options filled quickly this year, including DPR’s Camp Riverview, an overnight camp in Scotland, Maryland, featuring horseback riding, ATVs and fishing; DPR Boost Camps for tweens ages 11–13, offering hands-on experiences in robotics and journalism; the DC Summer Swim League; and DCPS Summer Acceleration Academies for students in grades K–4, along with high school original credit courses that help students get ahead.
In addition to camps and learning opportunities, families can beat the summer heat at DC’s free pools and spray parks, operated by DPR:
Indoor pools are available year-round across the city. Visit dpr.dc.gov/indoorpools for a full list of locations and hours.
Outdoor pools are now operating six days a week on individual schedules. For locations and schedules, visit dpr.dc.gov/outdoorpools.
Spray parks across the city are operating daily. Some spray parks may be offline for scheduled weekly maintenance. To find the closest spray park, visit dpr.dc.gov/sprayparks.
Visit heat.dc.gov to find information about the District’s heat emergency plan, locate cooling centers, and access important safety tips and available services. To stay informed about heat alerts and other emergency notifications, sign up for AlertDC at alert.dc.gov.
The Mayor’s FY26 Budget, Grow DC, invests in both classroom learning and year-round enrichment for students. The budget includes $2.8 billion for DCPS and public charter schools, $270 million for teacher pay raises, and $2 billion to modernize school buildings across the city. It also includes $27 million to support out-of-school time grants, ensuring more than 17,000 students can access free, high-quality afterschool and summer programs that keep learning going all year long. Learn more at budget.dc.gov.