FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2026
Venice Family Clinic Behavioral Health Expert Maria Jarquin Shares Evidence-Based Strategies to Keep Kids Healthy When School Lets Out
VENICE, CA – Venice Family Clinic, a nonprofit community health center providing health care to 45,000 people in need across the Westside of Los Angeles, Inglewood, the South Bay and everywhere in between, is offering advice for students and parents to avoid the “summer slide” and keep kids, regardless of age, mentally and physically healthy throughout the summer months.
Every June, students walk out of school having spent a full year building academic skills – and start losing them almost immediately. Studies from Brookings show that, on average, students’ achievement scores decline over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning – a phenomenon that can hit lower-income students, including many Venice Family Clinic patients (87% of whom live at or below the federal poverty line), even harder. In addition, without the structure and resources provided by schools, many students also see declines in their physical and mental health. With reduced access to school-based food programs, food insecurity rises – which research shows can lead to higher rates of depression, anxiety and behavior disorders. Students’ moderate-to-vigorous physical activity also drops 45% during summer holidays.
To help parents and students navigate these challenges, Maria Jarquin, LCSW, PPSC-SSW, who oversees the behavioral health program at the Clinic’s Sandy Segal Youth Health Center, shares the following series of tips:
Build Your Summer Blueprint: Families who best navigate summer are the ones who plan it together. In the absence of school-mandated structure, Jarquin points out that creating a set schedule with clear expectations for students is key. “Before the last day of school, sit down with your kid and ask two questions: what do you want to get out of this summer, and what would your ideal week look like? You’ll be surprised what they come up with, and you’re far more likely to get their buy-in when they help create the plan.” As Jarquin makes clear, the structure doesn’t need to be rigid: simply setting a consistent time to wake up, identifying a productive activity and ensuring they get nutritious meals at consistent times makes a big difference in creating and establishing good routines. “Check in every few weeks to see if the schedule is working and revise it together if changes are needed.”
Make Screen Time Work for You: Students can easily understand the temptation to scroll and stream all summer long – especially after a long school year. But not all screen time is equal, and deciding what’s acceptable ahead of time is the first step to balancing its pros and cons. “Before summer starts, take a few days to fully understand how your kids use their devices,” says Jarquin. “Go through them: review apps, contacts, content and screen time data. Reset parental controls. Then, when you hand the devices back, do so with a conversation. Not a lecture, but a mission statement: ‘This is a privilege. These are our family’s values around technology. These are the expectations.’” Jarquin also recommends that parents spell out their own rules for technology clearly, which could include boundaries on when screens are allowed, what kinds of content is appropriate, where devices charge overnight and what the consequences of breaking the rules will be.
Don’t Feed the Feed: Summer is when kids have the most time and the fewest built-in reasons to see their friends in person, and social media rushes in to fill that gap. As part of their summer blueprint, help your kids stay connected offline by regularly scheduling in-person meetups and encouraging them to make plans directly with friends. “Establishing in-person connections and experiencing the world outside reaffirms that social media is not real life,” says Jarquin. “Being on social media is a near-guarantee your child is comparing their life to the curated lives of influencers. Body image struggles, fear of missing out (FOMO) and unfiltered rants are part and parcel for today’s social media platforms. That’s not real connection. Instead, help them get off their phones and actually see their friends.”
It Takes a Village – So Use It! “You don’t have to recreate on your own what the city and county provide,” Jarquin reminds parents. In Los Angeles, many public systems step in during the summer to maintain key protective factors for children, including meals, supervision, routine and safe spaces. “Programs like ‘Lunch at the Library’ through the LA County Library and free summer meal sites through the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks offer free or low-cost meals for youth, along with structured, supervised environments during the day. These are drop-in, widely available and designed to meet families where they are.”
Build Confidence Through Life Skills: Summer is an opportunity to intentionally build confidence through developmentally appropriate life skills, especially in areas where many adolescents are showing growing gaps. In her clinical work with middle and high schoolers, Jarquin has observed a consistent pattern: heavy reliance on digital communication leaves many adolescents with limited practice in foundational interpersonal skills like sustained conversation, eye contact, verbal expression and thinking on their feet.
“Rather than changing everything at once, identifying one or two concrete skills to work on across the summer is a great start. For younger children, that might mean ordering food, speaking directly to an adult in public or just helping plan a simple errand. For teens, it might mean making phone calls instead of sending texts, handling something independently or navigating an unfamiliar situation without a parent stepping in.” Jarquin notes that some families are reintroducing intentional low-tech practices, like using a landline to help teens practice real-time conversation with an emphasis on tone, pacing and learning how to listen. “When adolescents feel supported in dealing with these real-world situations, they often show increased confidence, independence and emotional regulation. With consistent practice, these skills will extend well beyond the summer months.”
Check In (It Doesn’t Have to Be a Big Conversation): The transition out of school can be harder on kids than it looks, and a few minutes at dinner, on a walk or at bedtime can go a long way. Jarquin recommends parents look for withdrawal, irritability or changes in sleep, and warns they shouldn’t wait for something to feel wrong to connect. “Kids often don’t have words for what they’re carrying. When you make space without an agenda, they often find them. That consistency is what makes you a safe person to come to.”
Keep Bodies Moving, However That Looks for Your Family: “Movement is one of the most powerful tools families have this summer to address anxiety, depression, mood and sleep. It also helps build habits that follow kids into adulthood,” says Jarquin. “That can look different for every family: a pickup game, a bike ride, dancing in the living room, a stretch before bed – it all counts. Find what works for your space and your situation.”
Leave Room for Summer: “Structure and skills matter, but so do kids’ summers. Rest, play and unstructured time are part of that,” says Jarquin. “Summer should be fun, and there’s a fine but important line between rest and losing connection. Help them build the structure, then step back and let your kids breathe.” And parents: your kids are watching how you recharge too. “You can’t pour from an empty cup,” says Jarquin. “Find your version of rest this summer. Your kids will feel the difference.”
For additional mental health resources and helplines, see below:
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline– Available 24/7 via phone, text, or online chat. Call 988
- Teen Line – Call (800) 852-8336 or text “TEEN” to 839863
- Trevor Project Lifeline– For LGBTQ+ youth in crisis. Call (866) 788-7386
- Crisis Text Line– Text “LA” to 741741
- Brightline – Pediatric mental health services
- Soluna – Mental health app for young Californians
About Venice Family Clinic
Venice Family Clinic is a nonprofit community health center that is a leader in providing comprehensive, high-quality health care to more than 45,000 people in need annually, regardless of their ability to pay or personal circumstance. The Clinic serves an area that spans the Westside of Los Angeles, Inglewood, the South Bay and everywhere in between. It has a network of clinic locations and Early Head Start centers in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, Inglewood, Culver City, Redondo Beach, Carson, Gardena, Torrance and Hawthorne, plus mobile clinics and an expansive street medicine program to reach people experiencing homelessness. The Clinic’s comprehensive care also includes mental health services, dental care, vision services, substance use treatment, prescription medications, domestic violence counseling, HIV services, healthy food distributions, health education, health insurance enrollment, child development services and more. For more information, please visit VeniceFamilyClinic.org and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact:
Ryan Walker
ryan@mecoy.net
310-529-3214