San Mateo Medical Center sends 230 young patients home with summer learning kits
San Mateo County, California – A doctor’s visit is not usually where a child expects to leave with books, magnets and blocks. But for 230 young patients across San Mateo County, a pediatric appointment came with something extra this summer: a toolkit designed to keep curiosity alive while classrooms were closed.
The final kits have now been handed out, ending San Mateo Medical Center’s first summer effort to push back against a familiar problem. Research shows students can lose 20 to 30 percent of the reading progress they made during the school year over summer break, with the steepest effects often falling on children from low-income families.
San Mateo Medical Center distributed 230 Super Summer Learning Kits to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten patients at five pediatric sites: Coastside Clinic, Daly City Health Center, South San Francisco Clinic, Fair Oaks Health Center and San Mateo Medical Center.
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The kits were donated by the San Mateo County Health Foundation. Each one included books, letter magnets, blocks and a family activity guide with ideas parents and caregivers could use at home. The goal was simple: give children something engaging to do during the summer while giving adults practical ways to support early learning.
The program was built into regular pediatric visits rather than offered as a separate event. Children received the kits during appointments, while providers used a few moments to explain the activity guide and encourage families to make reading and play part of their summer routines.
“As a pediatrician, there is nothing I love more than seeing a child’s delight when I hand them a book,” said Dr. Tatum Sohlberg, pediatrician at Daly City Health Center.
“It reinforces our counseling to avoid spending the summer on an iPad or watching TV when we can hand the child an alternative activity that they are excited about. And parents are equally excited to have new ideas on how to engage with their kids over the summer and support their learning.”
That reaction was part of what made the effort meaningful for clinic staff. The kits were not only educational materials; they also created a positive moment during an ordinary health care visit and gave providers another opening to discuss childhood development.
“I am thrilled to have more tools to help support early childhood education,” said Kara Ramos, nurse practitioner at Daly City Health Center.
“I also love seeing patients light up when they get their kit.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics has identified literacy promotion as a core part of pediatric primary care. That approach reflects a broader view of children’s health, one that includes language development, school readiness and the habits that shape learning before a child enters a classroom.
For San Mateo Medical Center, the summer kit program fit naturally within that mission. The medical center is a division of San Mateo County Health and operates the county’s public hospital and clinic system, serving Medi-Cal patients and other publicly insured residents. Its work emphasizes prevention and education alongside medical treatment.
With the last kits now distributed, the boxes may be gone from clinic shelves, but their purpose continues at home. A book opened before bedtime, letters arranged on a refrigerator or blocks stacked on a living-room floor can become small defenses against summer learning loss — reminders that learning does not have to stop when school does.
