Recreational Preschool, Coyote Hills and Youth Sports Camps; scholarships available

By Antioch Recreation Department

The City of Antioch Recreation Department offers a variety of youth day camps throughout the year designed to encourage growth and provide an enriching experience for young participants. Summer Camps include Preschool, Coyote Hills and Youth Sports Camps.

Trained Recreation Staff guide participants through daily activities, games, challenges, and/or craft projects relating to the theme of the camp. Campers have the opportunity to enjoy field trips, live performances, hands-on demonstrations and the best of what Antioch Recreation has to offer!

Antioch Recreation Preschool Camp

Monday-Thursday | Ages 3.25 to 5 | 9:00am to 1:00pm | $172R/$189NR | Antioch Community Center

Antioch Recreation Preschool Camp is the perfect place for children ages 3.25 to 5 to learn, play, and grow in a safe and nurturing environment! This fun-filled program is designed to inspire creativity, foster social skills, and encourage curiosity through exciting weekly themed activities tailored to your little one’s interests and developmental needs. Our counselors guide campers through carefully planned games, crafts and projects that support early learning milestones while making new friends. 

Get ready for a week full of fun, friends, and adventure!  Each week brings a brand-new theme packed with exciting activities like crafts, science experiments, sensory play, and weekly cooking circle, outdoor games, and splash-tastic water play on our playground! Grab your swimsuit and towel and come make some summer memories with us!

2026 Themes 

• June 22-June 25 — Outer Space
• June 29-July 02 — Stars & Stripes
• July 06-July 09 — Mad Science
•  July 13-July 16 — Safari
•  July 20-July 23 — Under the Sea
• July 27-July 30 — Fairy Tales

Coyote Hills Summer Day Camp

Monday-Friday | Ages 5 to 12 | 9:00am-4:00pm | $243R/$267NR | Antioch Community Center 

Camp Director: Zakiya Adams Email Zakiya Adams

Recreation Supervisor: Jaylyn Valenzuela Email Jaylyn Valenzuela

Overview: Coyote Hills Summer Day Camp is an engaging and adventurous summer program designed for youth ages 5 to 12. Key features include age-appropriate activities where campers are grouped by age to ensure each activity is tailored to their developmental stage and interests, fostering fun and inclusivity. Each week a new theme is introduced, ensuring a fresh experience each week with new activities, new craft projects, new games, and new friends!

• Discovery Group: Youth entering grades K to 1
• Explorer Group: Youth entering grades 2 to 3
• Adventure Group: Youth entering grades 4 to 6

2026 Themes & Dates

Coyote Hills: Mad Scientists [June 22-June 26]

Get ready to tinker and explore with Coyote Hills Mad Scientists Week. This week invites campers to step into the lab and discover the excitement of science through hands-on experiments and creative exploration. Each day, campers will conduct age-appropriate science activities, create messy concoctions, and solve wacky challenges that spark curiosity and imagination. In addition to science fun, campers will enjoy games, crafts, and outdoor play that encourage teamwork, creativity, and confidence.

Coyote Hills: Stars and Stripes [June 29-July 2*]

Celebrate the upcoming holiday with Coyote Hills Stars and Stripes Week! Throughout the week, campers will enjoy classic games with a festive twist, design star-spangled art projects and participate in group challenges that build confidence and friendships. With plenty of movement, imagination, and summer fun, this week is all about shining bright, working together, and making memories.

Coyote Hills: Junior Rangers [July 6-July 10]

Coyote Hills Junior Rangers week encourages campers to learn more about the outdoors as they explore nature. Throughout the week, Junior Rangers will learn more about outdoor safety and local wildlife as they enjoy age-appropriate games, nature hikes, scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, and environmental education activities. Whether your child dreams of becoming a park protector or wildlife explorer, Coyote Hills Junior Ranger week will spark curiosity and interest in protecting the environment.

Coyote Hills: Junior Rangers [July 13-July 17]

Get ready for a wild adventure! Coyote Hills Into Jumanji invites young explorers to step into a jungle-inspired world filled with games, teamwork, creativity, and nonstop fun. Campers will work together to survive the jungle by solving puzzles, completing quests, and earning rewards. Throughout this week-long day camp, campers will embark on exciting daily challenges, obstacle courses, themed games, and imaginative activities that bring the spirit of adventure to life. In between adventures, participants will enjoy arts and crafts, group games, and time to make new friends in a safe, supportive environment.

Coyote Hills: Aqua Adventures [July 20-July 24]

Make a splash this summer with Coyote Hills Aqua Adventures. Campers will dive in the wonders of the water as they explore ocean life and underwater worlds. Each day brings a new aquatic adventure encouraging teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity in a safe environment through water conservation games, themed art projects, team challenges & activities and trips to the Antioch Water Park.

Coyote Hills: Ultimate Showdown [July 27-July 31]

Get ready for an action-packed week of friendly competition and big fun with Coyote Hills: Ultimate Showdown! Campers will compete in various challenges, from classic games and relay races to brain teasers, art battles and surprise showdowns. Each day brings new and exciting challenges that encourage campers to try new things, cheer each other on, and celebrate their strengths.

Multi-Sport Camp: Pros and All-Stars (Ages 7-14)

Antioch Youth Sports Summer Camp is a fun-filled program designed to introduce young athletes to the fundamentals of a wide variety of sports while learning about teamwork, health and wellness. Each week will consist of fun drills and games designed to introduce campers to a variety of sports such as basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, volleyball, football and school yard games. Each week features two visits to the Antioch Water Park for swimming and water play. 

Summer Camp Scholarships

Antioch Recreation is excited to offer a new scholarship opportunity this summer. The RaSi Holds Hands scholarship is open to eligible households, including those that have already received 2026 Antioch Recreation Youth Activity Scholarship. Funding is provided by a donation from RaSi Holds Hands Inc. Click for the Application.

For more information visit Camps | Antioch, CA and for inquiries about camps, please contact the front desk of the Antioch Community Center at 925-776-3050 or email the Recreation Department at recreation@antiochca.gov.

Application Deadline: May 15th

By Antioch Recreation Department

Step up, stand out, and be part of something amazing this summer!

We’re looking for energetic, motivated teens to step into the role of Junior Recreation Leader (JRL) and help bring our summer programs to life.

From leading activities to creating memorable experiences for the community, this is your chance to build skills, make friends, and have a blast while making a difference.

Don’t wait – applications close May 15th!

JRL Program Overview

The Antioch Recreation Junior Recreation Leader program provides youth ages 13 through 15 with the opportunity to gain leadership skills and work experience by volunteering at local recreation centers and working with trained recreation staff. Participants gain professional experience beginning in the application and interview process, receive training in a variety of leadership and youth development skills, and go on to volunteer at our Coyote Hills Summer Camp, Youth Sports Camps, and Antioch Senior Center. 

Youth work under the direct supervision of the Program Coordinators, Camp Directors, and Recreation Staff. It is essential for participants to be committed, responsible, and engaged. Junior Recreation Leaders (JRLs) are program volunteers who shadow part-time staff, assist when directed, and gain valuable experience connecting with peers and their community.

This year, the program will run for 6 weeks, from June 22, 2026 through July 31, 2026. Program hours are generally Monday through Friday, between 8:30 am to 4:00pm. Occasionally, hours will adjust to 8:30am to 1:00pm, depending on the site. There will be occasional field trips and off-site visits to local businesses. Junior Recreation Leaders are expected to be punctual and must be picked up on time at the end of the program day. Ask staff about available transportation options, if needed.

Applicants need to indicate their availability for the summer. We understand that families schedule vacations and other activities over the summer, so a short period when the applicant is not available does not disqualify the applicant. However, scheduling to miss 10 or more days of the program will affect applicant ranking.

Space is limited. Failure to attend the mandatory training on June 9th to 11th will result in dismissal from the program. Application must be fully completed; incomplete applications will not be considered. The application deadline is May 15th at 5 pm. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

For Application Documents visit www.antiochca.gov/645/Junior-Recreation-Leader.

If you have any questions, please email recreation@antiochca.gov.

Cleanups at Nick Rodriguez Community Center and Antioch Skatepark then plant a tree on Arbor Day; participate in the #KeepAntiochBeautiful Photo Raffle

By City of Antioch Recreation Department

From Earth Day to Arbor Day, let’s work together to build a stronger, cleaner, more beautiful Antioch! Starting Earth Day, join us as we begin our service to the community. Gather friends and family to brainstorm a beautification project for your home, neighborhood, classroom, or local business, and put it into action! Don’t forget to capture your efforts with a photo and send to the Antioch Recreation Department! On Arbor Day, join our Parks and Rec Department as we plant trees at a local park. Be part of the volunteers who will serve in downtown Rivertown at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center and at the Antioch Skatepark in Prewett Community Park before enjoying a volunteer lunch.

What Is Earth Day?

First held globally on April 22, 1970, Earth Day promotes worldwide demonstrations of support for environmental protection. Attention is drawn to the achievements made by the environmental protection movement and awareness is brought to methods of protecting the Earth’s natural resources. Celebrated by billions around the world, Keep Antioch Beautiful is just one of the ways our community celebrates Earth Day.

What Is Arbor Day?

First celebrated in the U.S. in 1872, Arbor Day encourages public attention to the importance of trees in our ecosystem. Planting, relocating, and even climbing trees are encouraged, along with learning more about the myriad of ways trees function in our environment and help us all to exist.

Join us for Arbor Day 2026 as we come together to plant trees and invest in a greener future.

Plant a tree. Grow our future! Friday, April 24, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM.

This Year’s Community Services

• Trash Cleanup at Nick Rodriguez Community Center
• Landscaping Projects at the Antioch Skatepark in Prewett Community Park
• Plant Trees for Arbor Day at Prewett Community Park
• Join the Social Media Photo Raffle

Note: Please bring work gloves.

#KeepAntiochBeautiful Photo Raffle

From Earth Day (April 22, 2026) to Arbor Day (April 24, 2026), show us how you and your family #KeepAntiochBeautiful. Post a picture of you, your family, friends, or coworkers performing an act of beautification for the city with the hashtag #KeepAntiochBeautiful and tag the Antioch Recreation Department (@antiochrec_ca) to be entered into our raffle. On Arbor Day, three lucky entries will be chosen to each win a prize dedicated to them and their efforts toward the beautification of our lovely city!

Sponsored in part by Antioch Rotary Club, Rotary Club of the Delta-Antioch and Celebrate Antioch Foundation.

Click to Register for all three activities.

For more information visit Keep Antioch Beautiful | Antioch, CA

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

For “emotional, mental, and psychological…injuries, disability, losses, and damages suffered” due to 2019 incident

By Allen D. Payton

During a special Closed Session meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, the Antioch City Council will discuss a lawsuit by a former Antioch Unified School District student with a heart disorder who almost drowned in a City pool for “emotional, mental, and psychological…injuries, disability, losses, and damages suffered.” The lawsuit was filed against the City, District and Antioch Water Park by “Jayson Robinson, a minor (at the time), by and through his Guardian Ad Litem, Philana Stearne.”

According to the lawsuit, after being transported by bus to the water park during a school sponsored activity, Robinson was allowed to go swimming even though Stearne had provided written notice that he could not swim and was not allowed to swim during the excursion. After an unknown amount of time Robinson was found at the bottom of the pool unconscious. He was extracted from the pool and found to be “pulseless and apneic”. Lifeguards performed four rounds of CPR to revive Robinson who was then airlifted and rushed to UCSF Children’s Hospital in Oakland.

According to the lawsuit documents, “From approximately 2012-2020, PLAINTIFF (Robinson) was a student at Jack London Elementary School…Dolores Williams was the principal… On or about May 28, 2018, PLAINTIFF was in the fifth-grade and assigned as a student in Shelly Travers class.

According to the First Amended Complaint for Damages demanding a jury trial filed Nov. 23, 2021, “PLAINTIFF is a fifth-grade student with Wolff-Parkinson White Syndrome and a learning disability. PLAINTIFF is enrolled in special education instruction classes which entail his removal from class 10 times a week for help with academics and to be provided extra educational resources.”

The lawsuit also reads, “On May 28, 2019, PLAINTIFF attended school sponsored activity with his class to Antioch Water Park located at 4701 Lone Tree Way, Antioch, CA 94531. While at the water park, PLAINTIFF was concurrently under the direct supervision of Defendants employed by Defendant ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, and employees of Defendant ANTIOCH WATER PARK. Students were transported via bus from the school to Antioch Water Park. PLAINTIFF’S Guardian Ad Litem, PHILANA STEARNE, provided written notice to Defendants that PLAINTIFF could not swim, and was not to be allowed to swim on the excursion. Defendants ignored the written notice of PLAINTIFF’S Guardian Ad Litem, PHILANA STEARNE, and through failed supervision, PLAINTIFF entered the pool. Due to lack of supervision, PLAINTIFF was found at the bottom of the pool unconscious after an unknown amount of time. PLAINTIFF was extracted from the pool and found to be pulseless and apneic. Lifeguards performed 4 rounds of CPR and PLAINTIFF finally awoke. Robinson was then airlifted and rushed to UCSF Children’s Hospital in Oakland.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a heart condition present at birth. That means it’s a congenital heart defect. People with WPW syndrome have an extra pathway for signals to travel between the heart’s upper and lower chambers. This causes a fast heartbeat. Changes in the heartbeat can make it harder for the heart to work as it should.

“WPW syndrome is fairly rare. Another name for it is preexcitation syndrome.

“The episodes of fast heartbeats seen in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome usually aren’t life-threatening. But serious heart problems can occur. Rarely, the syndrome may lead to sudden cardiac death in children and young adults.”

The lawsuit documents also read, “On or about November 5, 2019, PLAINTIFF presented to ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, by mailing to ANTIOCH UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, a written claim for the injuries, disability, losses, and damages suffered and incurred by him by reason of the acts and omissions described” and that Robinson “was harmed and suffered extreme physical, emotional, psychological and economic damages.”

The lawsuit seeks the following relief:

“a. For damages for past and future medical, psychotherapy and related expenses according to proof at the time of trial;

b. For general damages for physical and mental pain and suffering, and severe and extreme emotional distress in a sum to be proven at the time of trial;

c. For damages for future lost wages and a loss of earning capacity according to proof at the time of trial;

d. For damages for past and future education costs according to proof at the time of trial;

e. For attorney’s fees;

f. Any appropriate statutory damages;

g. For prejudgment interest pursuant to statute;

h. For the costs of suit herein; and,

i. For such other and further relief as the Court deems proper.”

Meeting Details

The Council’s Closed Session meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. inside the Council Chambers located at 200 H Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown. It will be followed by the regular meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. The beginning of the Closed Session and entire regular meeting can be viewed via livestream on the City’s website or on Comcast cable TV channel 24 or AT&T U-verse channel 99.

Try your hand at operating a train!

By David Epling

Our FREE ADMISSION, Semi-Annual Public Open House. Come see HO scale trains traveling across our large layout. New for this event is for a 5.00 fee, we will give you a throttle and let you run one of our trains. Additionally, we will have our model train swap meet in the parking lot.

Date: Saturday, April 18, 2026

Time: 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

Location: 425 Fulton Shipyard Road, Antioch

For more information visit www.blackdiamondlines.com or contact David Epling at info@blackdiamondlines.com or (209) 337-2639.

Important Race Update!

By Antioch Rotary Club

Attention Participants:

The location for the Antioch Rotary Bunny Hop 5K Run/Walk race has changed! The event will now be held at the Worth Shaw Community Park, 801 James Donlon Blvd., Antioch.

Please update your plans accordingly.

Registration will be open until Race Day. Special Thanks to the Rotary Club of the Delta for preparing a free Pancake Breakfast for everyone on Race Day! If you like to be part of community video, please email your picture to rdeloso@yahoo.com.  Like us and see up to date notices on Facebook @AntiochBunnyHop5K.

For more information about the race scan the QR code in the flier above or visit 10th Antioch Rotary Club Bunny Hop 5K a.k.a. Antioch Rotary BunnyHop “X”.

For more information about the Antioch Rotary Club visit antiochrotary.net.

With four Easter Egg Hunts!

By Antioch Recreation Department

Antioch families, plan to hop on over to your neighborhood park for a community-wide egg hunt on Saturday, March 28th!

The Recreation Department invites residents to enjoy a free egg hunt and festive photos with the Easter Bunny at a park near you. We will be coming to each district in the city, so gather your baskets, bring your friends and neighbors, and celebrate the season right in your own backyard. Take a look at our list of parks to locate the park closest to you:

Eggstravaganza – Easter Egg Hunts

Saturday, March 28, 2026

10AM-11AM

Contra Loma Estates Park | Mahogany Way

Gentrytown Park | Monterey Drive

12PM-1PM

Meadow Creek Park | Vista Grande Drive

Diablo West Park | 2000 Prewett Ranch Drive

For inquires contact recreation@antiochca.gov or call our front desk at (925) 776-3050.

Let’s fill our parks with smiles, laughter, and community spirit. We can’t wait to see you there!

Co-founded by NFL running back Najee Harris and his mother, Tianna Hicks, Da Bigger Picture Foundation is a reflection of family, perseverance and giving back. What started as a vision between mother and son has grown into a mission focused on service, youth empowerment and creating real impact where it’s needed most.

Donations fuel every foundation program — from Get Fitted to youth camps, fun events like the Bay Rideout and community drives.

Da Bigger Picture Foundation – Where Confidence Meets Opportunity! Creating access and opportunity for youth through community programs, school partnerships and events that build confidence. For more information or to donate visit https://dabiggerpicture.com