Citywide Tutorial Program, SFUSD - CDF Freedom School

Overview of Freedom Schools

The CDF Freedom Schools® program supplies a supplemental educational curriculum that is research-based and multicultural. The essential components of this resource for high-quality literacy and character-building activities include parent/family involvement, civic engagement/social action, intergenerational servant leadership development, and nutrition/ health.

The Citywide Tutorial Program will use the CDF Freedom Schools program model to boost African American student motivation to read, generate positive attitudes toward learning, and connect children and families to needed resources in their communities. 

Click Here to Enroll in Summer Literacy

Enroll in our summer literacy program here. This summer, we are servicing K-2 students. There is open enrollment (max of 30 students).

Welcome to CDF Freedom School Notification

Notification Dates

Welcome to CDF Freedom School Notification

April 22, 2023

May 12, 2023

Waitlisted Notification

May 12, 2023

2023 Citywide Tutorial Program, SFUSD - CDF Freedom Schools® provides enrichment through a research-based and multicultural curriculum.

Located at San Francisco Christian Center's Our Kids First

Summer Literacy Slots

The first two weeks are critical; therefore, we will use the waiting list for scholars who miss more than three days.

 

Attendance Goal Statement

Specific: Perfect attendance gives scholars all of the instructional and activity of the Freedom School program. Therefore, their love of reading will increase to at or above the current grade level that they are reading.

Measurable: A reading inventory will be given at the beginning and end of the Freedom School summer program. The amount and type of sight words and reading excerpts will determine scholastic achievement.

Attainable/Achievable: Post the vocabulary words, excerpts from the story books on the Word Wall, and anchor charts.   

Results-focused: The students will receive a book weekly and demonstrate their learning in writing and conversation throughout the program.  

Time-bound:  The program is six weeks for the integrated reading curriculum and other activities. Highlighted is the instructional literacy in the suggested daily schedule below. The lessons are 2.5 hours daily with 15 minutes of Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.), except for field trip days.  

Attendance impacts the benchmarks/data points for the program.

A Day in the CDF Freedom Schools® Program

As scholars enter the CDF Freedom Schools site at 8:00 a.m., they are greeted and served a nutritious breakfast by caring adults. With stomachs full, they move on to “Harambee!” a time of informal sharing when scholars and staff come together to celebrate themselves and each other.


In the classrooms where Servant Leader Interns facilitate classes of no more than ten scholars, scholars are engaged in reading and theme-based hands-on activities as outlined in the Integrated Reading Curriculum. Reading is a cornerstone of the program. Servant Leader Interns lead the scholars in reading several multicultural and inclusive children’s books throughout the summer. These books feature heroes, heroines, and settings reflecting the scholars' cultural images and history. Classroom activities related to the day’s reading use a variety of teaching models, including cooperative learning, role-playing, and group discussions. These teaching models include reading aloud, paired reading, creative writing, and visual arts. This range of activities ensures that children with diverse experiences, talents, and confidence levels actively engage in reading and verbal expression.


As the morning draws to a close, Drop Everything And Read (D.E.A.R.) time is announced and shared by everyone. To emphasize the importance and joy of reading, scholars and adults alike “drop everything and read” silently for 15 minutes, choosing from a rich selection of reading material available from the CDF Freedom Schools site library.


At lunchtime, the feeling of family and community spirit continues as the scholars join adults to eat a nutritious lunch. Afterward, scholars participate in CDF Freedom Schools Afternoon Activities. These are well-planned music, dance, or other culturally enriching activities related to the themes presented in the Integrated Reading Curriculum. Field trips that expand scholars’ horizons may also fill the afternoons. The scholars may also engage in social action projects and rehearse for the summer finale, which is performed for parents, friends, and community leaders.

CDF Freedom Schools® Training Manual

Daily Schedule

This page was last updated on October 3, 2023