Skate Program Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Isla Vista Recreation and Park District -
Recreation Program
- Children’s Park Recreation Program Monday – Friday 3-6PM (or dark)
This program, started in 1995, is an open-door, drop-in recreation program for “at risk” children in grades K through 6th. The program provides a variety of activities including arts & craft projects, educational games and toys, sports, contests, recreational games, and daily snacks.
- Cultural Enrichment Program
This program provides cultural enrichment activities for disadvantaged youth. Excursions include field trips to movies, music & dance performances, comedy shows, sporting events, art & cooking workshops, art exhibits, storytelling events, educational facilities, local festivals and special events. One hundred and seventeen Cultural Enrichment field trips were made last year!
- Children’s Adopt-A-Block
Recreation leaders take children on field trips twice each week to clean up local parks and the streets of Isla Vista. Eighty-six Adopt-A-Block field trips were made last year. Many thanks to IV Drip and Woodstock’s Pizza for providing treats for our young volunteers!
- The Hiking and Exploration Club
Children who volunteer for the Adopt-A-Block Program are given first priority for Hiking and Exploration Club excursions. Field trips are made to parks, preserves, sanctuaries and hiking trails in the Santa Barbara area. Twenty-two Hiking and Exploration field trips were made last year.
- Summer Swim
This program provides swimming field trips to the UCSB Recreation Center once a week throughout the summer.
- Food Distribution Program
The Isla Vista Public Improvement Corporation’s grant for “Children at Risk”, provided by the FoodBank of Santa Barbara County, allows The District to offer a food distribution program serving low-income families throughout the year.
- Summer Sequoia Excursion -Volunteering with The US Forestry Service
Each summer the District’s Recreation Division takes children on a five-day camping trip to Sequoia. The group volunteers with the US Forestry Service, proudly helping to preserve this national treasure for future generations. Excursions within the National Forest generally include swimming at Hume Lake, climbing Moro Rock, hiking to the General Sherman Tree, touring the Crystal Caves, visiting Grant’s Grove, swimming in the Topoka River, hiking to Panoramic Point, visiting the Lodgepole Visitor’s Center, and touring Crescent Meadow.
- Family Festivals
In collaboration with other local agencies, groups and organizations, The District hosts local festivals such as Dia De Los Niños. Recreation leaders to provide arts & craft projects, play activities, games and relay races.
- Family Fun & Fitness Program at Isla Vista School
This program provides one-hour of simple, fun activities, silly games, team building exercises, aerobic dancing, relay races and sports. The goals and objectives of the program are to build strong families, to provide healthy recreational activities, to encourage exercise and to promote a healthy life style. The program is offered in the multipurpose room at Isla Vista School starting at 6:30PM on the second Tuesday of every month October through May.
- Youth Soccer
The District negotiates a discounted price on behalf of our low-income families, which allows underprivileged Isla Vista youth to participate in the Goleta Boys and Girls Club spring & fall Soccer Programs. Practices are held twice a week and games are played on Saturdays.
- Home Depot Woodcraft Workshop
On the first Saturday of each month, Home Depot provides a free woodcraft workshop for children ages 5 to 12. Recreation staff and volunteers walk the children from Children’s Park to Home Depot and assist them with constructing their projects. After the workshops, the children are treated to a small lunch at McDonald’s restaurant.
- Summer Academy
This new academic program, which provides a simple curriculum of reading, writing and arithmetic, is offered in conjunction with the afternoon program at Children’s Park during the summer months. Children complete math-fact sheets and write daily journals or book reports which they read to each other. Small prizes are given as incentives.
- High School Community Service Program
Working alongside District recreation leaders, high school students have the opportunity to earn community service hours toward their graduation requirement by volunteering with eight different programs, projects & special events: Children’s Adopt-A-Block, the Nature Corps Program in Sequoia, the Tutoring Program, the Cultural Enrichment Program, the afternoon Recreation Program at Children’s Park, Dia De Los Niños, the Hiking & Exploration Club and the Home Depot Wood Workshops.
- After School Tutoring Program
UCSB’s Family Literacy Program provides volunteer tutors for The District’s afternoon recreation program at Children’s Park. In addition to providing tutoring, these UCSB students read stories, listen attentively while children read, lead educational games, and use flashcards to help the children improve their phonics and math skills.
Please contact Annie Aziz if you interested in learning more about the District's recreation programs or have any questions.
