It’s time to think about summer. The City of Milwaukee, in partnership with Milwaukee Public Schools, is launching its Hello Summer effort earlier than usual this year, to help families and students have a plan for summer before school lets out.

Hello Summer is the City of Milwaukee's way to connect youth and households with summer employment, summer school, programming, childcare, camps, and enrichment opportunities.

The kickoff for Hello Summer is getting an earlier jump this year; the city’s goal is to get more young people involved in positive programming.

"Summer is coming. We are ready, and we want to make sure our kids are ready, too," Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said.

"I know firsthand what a summer of opportunity can do for young people,” the mayor said at the official kickoff on Monday, March 23, at North Division High School. “I grew up in Milwaukee and had summers that shaped me. I had somewhere to go. I had a job and had people who were invested in me."

At the kickoff, MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius, EdD, called Hello Summer "a wonderful demonstration of a city that is uniting around its young people."

"As educators, we know summer isn't just a break. It is an extension of learning. It can accelerate a child's growth," Dr. Cassellius said.

"Planning now helps our families move into summer with a clear path for students to continue learning and staying connected with our communities," she added.

Among the options are summer classes through Milwaukee Public Schools’ Summer Academy, free to children living in the city of Milwaukee. Summer Academy helps children hold on to the skills they learned in the current school year so they can start strong in the fall. They also can learn new skills, in classes such as lifeguarding or cricket and pickleball, and have fun.

Families can enroll online for Summer Academy classes, which are held weekday mornings from July 6 through July 30 at 15 schools around the city. Breakfast and lunch are provided, and before- and after-school childcare and recreation programs are available through Milwaukee Recreation.

Other Hello Summer resources and opportunities are featured on the city’s website at Milwaukee.gov/HelloSummer. They include jobs and internships for older teens, free museum days, family events, the Milwaukee Public Library’s Summer Reading Challenge, and camps for activities from boating to ballet.