Students at Carpinteria Unified School District were welcomed for United Way's free Winter break program, Bridge the Break, this year from January 2-8th. Over 45 students joined educators and staff for the week-long enrichment program, with STEAM and enrichment activities, literacy practice, field trips, and more.
As United Way's newest program within its Academic Achievement initiative, the Bridge the Break program offers daily literacy practice, STEAM activities, social-emotional learning, outdoor recreation, and community exploration and engagement for students in TK–5th grade during the winter and spring break. Each session is created in collaboration with the participating school district, providing a localized and engaging program track that is fine-tuned to the local needs and goals of each district.
Built on United Way's data-driven and award-winning academic model established for out-of-school time programs like Fun in the Sun, students participating in the Bridge the Break program enjoy engaging activities and experiences that create a comprehensive and exciting learning experience over the course of the week-long program.
"We can't thank you enough for providing such an exciting fun-filled week for our students during Winter Break” stated Superintendent Diana F. Rigby of Carpinteria Unified School District. “We greatly appreciate the engaging programs and support for our students as they deserve the best!”
This pilot program was part of a planned expansion of United Way’s full Academic Achievement program suite within the district. In 2024, CUSD has partnered with United Way to integrate programs like the Fun in the Sun summer learning program and the United Learning Center tutoring program into the district’s offerings for all students. The Fun in the Sun program has operated within the district for many years and expanded as the district’s primary summer school offering for all students in 2024.
“We are deeply appreciative of our partnership with CUSD and are thankful for their willingness to grow together to serve more students and families within the district” said Frances Contreras, Director of Programs and Partnerships at United Way. “We’ve already seen significant benefits of collaborative data-sharing, staff, and outcomes at the district level, which has exponentially grown the potential of United Way’s programs and the ways they are able to support the district in reaching their goals for local students.”
Bridge the Break program is now celebrating its second school-year implementation within the district for the 2024-2025 program. United Way looks forward to offering the program’s proven infrastructure to support additional districts in the county.