We're teaching the coders of tomorrow, right here in the heart of the Tenderloin.

Despite living almost next door to some of the world's largest and most successful tech companies, children in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco wake up every day in the neighborhood with the highest crime rate in the city. In the face of such challenges, we want to provide them with a tool that could one day break that cycle: coding. 

De Marillac Academy is a tuition-free school for children in grades 4-8, in the middle of the Tenderloin. With your help, the Digital Literacy program at De Marillac will make sure that every student is able to learn how to code, giving them the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, and even join the ranks of those tech companies that are so close, yet can feel so out of reach. 

From De Marillac's Librarian and Technology teacher, Ms. Alicia Tapia:

"Putting thes​e tools and opportunities in their hands levels the playing field, giving them access to the same learning opportunities they might receive growing up in a different neighborhood."

Early instruction in digital technology will plant a seed in De Marillac students, allowing them to continue to gain practical skills and someday be meaningfully employed -- breaking the cycle of poverty. Digital Literacy instruction will ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn how to code. This will increase diversity in the tech industry by equipping underprivileged students with the computing skills to pursue 21st century opportunities. Further, when underprivileged students become digital natives, they will enter high school well prepared to graduate and go on to live lives of choice, meaning and purpose.

Established in 2001, De Marillac Academy is a school for grades 4-8 with additional support for graduates up to the age of 23. Located in the Tenderloin neighborhood, where the crime rate is the highest in all of San Francisco, 100% of our students come from low-income households. In response to the unsafe setting for school aged children in the Tenderloin, De Marillac Academy provides a tuition-free education focused on academic excellence in a values-based environment.

De Marillac Academy prepares students to complete high school with the skills, support, and self-awareness to pursue the next productive life choice. In their 15th year we De Marillac Academy is proud to report that 87% of students have graduated high school*.