Welcome from Our Executive Director

Horizons Greater Washington has been supporting DC area students for over 24 years. We focus on serving the whole child through a robust combination of academics (with a heavy focus on STEAM and project-based learning), swim instruction, field trip experiences, and guest speaker events during our summer and school year programming. At our heart, we operate on the belief that every kid deserves educational and enriching experiences that bring joy and help them THRIVE!

Imagine if every young person in the District had a trusted adult – a professional teacher – who got to know them during the summer and then communicated with their school year teachers to help them continue to thrive year-round. The best outcomes for young people come when out-of-school time programs, families, and schools work in concert with each other. Our families and school partners are at the heart of our success. We work side by side with our families to remove barriers to participation by providing reliable transportation to and from the program, daily meals, and all curriculum supplies needed. Our program features a 5:1 student/teacher ratio and is entirely cost-free for our families. We work closely with our school partners to select and support our students year-round for nine years.

Horizons is unique for our long-term commitment to our students. Young people enter our summer program as rising first graders and return each summer up until they begin high school. Over those nine years, that amounts to over a year’s worth of high-quality, intensive, and engaging learning experiences on top of a typical public school education. Our 80% year-to-year retention rate demonstrates how much our families value this.

Our students make gains in reading and math, but they also learn how to swim, work together in teams, and build their confidence – supported by a community and professional Horizons teachers.

We are so grateful to you for joining us on this journey!

Mike Di Marco
Executive Director