By Rebecca Caraway
July 6th, 2026
Wesley Batson, left, who’s entering his senior year at UC Santa Barbara, says working at the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District’s summer camp at Children’s Park in Isla Vista has given him a chance to engage with a different part of the community. (Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo)
The Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District is seeking help from the community to renovate Children’s Park.
The district looks to raise nearly $1 million to start renovations on the butterfly-inspired park, adding new play equipment, a designed space for community gatherings and staff, a demonstration garden, picnic areas with barbecues, and new bathrooms.
Kimberly Kiefer, the district’s general manager, said the project will fulfill a longtime desire for Isla Vista families.
“We’re bringing a state-of-the-art playground,” Kiefer said. “You’re directly supporting a community, and this is what they want, and this will allow our families in that apex around Children’s Park to just be able to have their project come into fruition and realization.”
The district recently set up a fundraising page for people to donate to the project.
In 2021, the district received a $4.2 million state grant to renovate the park at 6681 Picasso Road, but with inflation making construction costs go up, the district needs a bit more help to bring the park to life, according to Kiefer.
The renovated park also will enable the district to expand its after-school and summer camp programs for local families.
There are 40 families involved in the summer camp this year, and more on a waitlist, marking a significant increase from last year when there were 30 families participating in the camp.
The growth in enrollment meant that the program had to move from Children’s Park to the Isla Vista Community Center at 976 Embarcadero del Mar.
The redesigned Children’s Park in Isla Vista will have new play equipment, a designed space for community gatherings and staff, a demonstration garden, picnic areas with barbecues, and new bathrooms. (Courtesy rendering)
Children’s Park currently has an outdoor shaded structure and a small building for storage. The renovations will develop a new indoor-outdoor building to give the program a more dedicated space.
The new building will allow the after-school program to continue operating on rainy days and allow for longer hours during the winter when the sun sets earlier in the day.
“Our after-school program will benefit heavily, because we’ll be able to operate throughout the year, no matter the weather,” said Luis Valerio, the district’s assistant general manager. “For summer, we can host more kids there.”
The Children’s Park project is set to go out to bid for a construction contract this fall, with construction likely to start in early 2027, according to Valerio.
Students participate in a hula hoop activity during the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District’s summer camp at Children’s Park. (Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo)
During the summer, the district offers a free nine-week summer day camp for kids in first through sixth grades with games, STEM projects, arts and crafts, free breakfast and lunch, and weekly field trips.
The camp also employs seven part-time employees and two full-time employees, most of whom are college students.
Wesley Batson, who’s entering his senior year at UC Santa Barbara, said working at the camp has given him a chance to engage with a different part of the Isla Vista community.
Crafts created by students during the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District’s summer camp at Children’s Park. Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo
“The kids are all amazing, and it feels really nice to just explore the community that I’ve been living in,” Batson said. “Because it’s easy to get separated between the college and Isla Vista, but there’s so much culture and community here that it’s really amazing to see.”
The camp runs from June 15 to Aug. 15, with each week having its own theme tied to what the children are learning about. The first week’s theme was mad scientist, the second week was pirate and the third week was rain forest.
Students also have taken field trips to the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, MOXI and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
The camp is completely free, with free meals provided by the Goleta Union School District.
