San Francisco residents have three more chances to tell the city what children, youth and families need. Free Family Summits are set for the Castro on Saturday, October 17, the Richmond on Thursday, October 22, and the Excelsior on Thursday, October 29.
The summits are part of the "This Is Your City" Family Summit Series, a run of neighborhood listening sessions organized by the city's Our Children Our Families Initiative (OCOFI). The city describes the series as one piece of San Francisco's first Citywide Community Needs Assessment. It says it is holding these talks with families in neighborhoods around San Francisco to learn what children, youth, young adults and families care about most.
Partner agencies named by the city include the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF); the Department of Early Childhood; Homelessness and Supportive Housing; the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development; the Department of Public Health; and the Department on the Status of Women.
Where and when
- Saturday, October 17, 1:00 to 3:30 PM: the District 8 Castro Family Summit, at Eureka Valley Recreation Center, 100 Collingwood Street, San Francisco, CA 94114.
- Thursday, October 22, 5:30 to 8:00 PM: the District 1 Richmond Family Summit, at Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121.
- Thursday, October 29, 5:30 to 8:00 PM: the District 11 Excelsior Family Summit, at Islais Place, 4840 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94112.
Residents do not have to attend the session for the district where they live. The city says people may go to any district's summit, so a family that cannot make an evening session could choose the Saturday afternoon one in the Castro.
If you go
Every summit is free and open to all San Francisco residents, according to the city's event pages. That covers parents and caregivers as well as teachers, counselors and youth workers who live in the city.
Free meals and childcare are provided, and interpretation is available. City listings say interpretation requests must be made at least 48 hours before a summit. By that rule, a request for the Castro session would be due by 1:00 PM on Thursday, October 15. For the Richmond session, the cutoff would be 5:30 PM on Tuesday, October 20, and for the Excelsior session, 5:30 PM on Tuesday, October 27.
What families said in Sunnydale
A summary the city posted from its District 10 session, held Thursday, September 17, at the Hub in Sunnydale, gives a sense of what these conversations cover.
According to the summary, participants said children and young people need steady support at every stage, from their earliest years into adulthood. They described gaps in school staffing and special education, in mental health, in guidance about college and careers, and in pathways into jobs. Some said they had grown tired of being surveyed.
The summary thanked District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, DCYF Director Sherrice Dorsey-Smith and partners such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco. Earlier sessions were also listed on a city calendar for the Fillmore on Saturday, October 3, and the Mission on Thursday, October 8.
How to take part
Residents who want to be heard can attend any of the three sessions listed above, and each event page carries the city's details and a registration link for that summit. It is not yet clear when the needs assessment's findings will be published.
From Saved by the Saddle
Mavericks, Saved by the Saddle's free program for at-promise youth, meets twice a month at Ocean View Stables in Daly City. Young people signed up by a school, counselor, case worker, youth organization or parent learn to read, lead, groom and care for horses from the ground. There is no riding, and a responsible adult stays for the whole session.
See dates and register For counselors and educators
Sources: sf.gov, "District 8 Castro Family Summit" (event page, accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); sf.gov, "District 1 Richmond Family Summit" (event page, accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); sf.gov, "District 11 Excelsior Family Summit" (event page, accessed Friday, October 9, 2026); sf.gov, District 10 Sunnydale Family Summit summary (Thursday, September 17, 2026)