Summer Lunch Program

The Jacksonville Children's Commission and the Florida Department of Education/USDA make nutritional lunches and snacks available to all children 18 years old and younger at no cost to parents during the summer from Monday, June 14 through Friday, Aug. 13.

Any Duval County child under the age of 18 can receive a lunch by visiting one of the summer lunch sites across the city.  A "Free Lunch Served Here" banner is posted at each site with the meal times indicated. Children do not need to be enrolled at the site (for example, if it is a club or program) to receive a lunch or snack -- they just need to show up during meal times.

Each year, more than 12,000 Duval County children may receive nutritious snacks and lunches at no cost to parents through the Summer Lunch Program.  

Interested in having a Summer Lunch site at your location? Please check back soon (mid-March) for our 2010 application. 

To qualify as a Summer Lunch Program sponsor, sites must be in a geographical area where there is a school with at least 50 percent of its students enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program during the school year.  Nutritionally-balanced meals will be provided to all children regardless of race, color, sex, disability, age or national origin, there will be no discrimination in the course of the meal service, during summer vacation when school breakfasts and lunches are not available. 

For additional information, contact the Summer Lunch Program at (904) 630-6400 or (904) 630-2732. 

Summer Camp Program
The Jacksonville Children's Commission provides grants to several nonprofit organizations that run summer camp programs.

Children participating in the free/ reduced lunch program or who have documented special needs or are recipients of the McKay Scholarship are eligible for seats at selected camps.

Parents must contact most camps of choice directly for information about the application process and availability; however, JaxParks camp registration must be completed online.

Camp locations for 2010 have not been finalized, please check back soon for our Summer Camp locations. 

Note: Parents who receive subsidized child care will lose their funding and be placed onto the wait list if enrolling the same child into a summer camp program. Please call an eligibility specialist at 630-3647 for details.

Summer School Opportunities
Duval County Public Schools will offer free summer school opportunities for children and youth, dates for 2010 will be released soon. 

Options are available for grades one through eleven.

Students scoring at Level 1 or Level 2 on the Florida Comprhensive Assessment Test (FCAT) are strongly encouraged to attend summer school for future school success.

Click here to learn more.

Summer Youth Employment

Every year Work Source partners with local businesses to provide summer employment for the youth in Jacksonville.  This year with the Economic Stimulus money, Work Source has hundreds of jobs available.  The age range is 14-24. 

The Summer Youth Employment application for 2010 is not yet available.  Please check back soon. 

Note: This program is funded by Work Source.