Diablo Valley College is a community college located in Pleasanton, CA.

Mills College is an excellent private liberal arts offering undergraduate degrees to women and graduate degrees to women and men. The education is comparable to Stanford, UC, and CSU.

San Francisco State University often hosts lectures, exhibitions, shows, and musical events for the public.

One of the most spectacular university campuses you will encounter, Stanford University provides a day full of adventure for families including tours, and the chance to visit bookstores and an art center. Also hosts a variety of cultural events through it's Lively Arts program. The beautiful campus, predominately sandstone Spanish architecture, is situated on 8,180 acres of rolling hills, making it the second largest university in the world.

Stanford University was founded in 1891 by Leland Stanford Sr., a railroad baron who helped to build the Transcontinental Railroad, and his wife Jane, as a memorial to their son, Leland Stanford, Jr. The school has since grown to an enrollment of 14,000 students, roughly half graduate and half undergraduate.

Visitors' Center: For those unfamilar with the campus, consider starting at the Visitors' Center, located at Memorial Auditorium (different from Memorial Church), directly across from Hoover Tower. Here you can pick up maps, self-guided tour information and general tips on what's happening on campus.

Memorial Church: The church, completed in 1903 and recently renovated after the 1989 earthquake, houses magnificent stained glass windows and is open year round to the public 10am-5pm, except during religious services, weddings and holidays. Tours of the church are available on Fridays at 2pm.

Tours: Walking tours leave from Memorial Auditorium every day at 11am and 3:15pm, aside from mid-December through early January. For a more leisurely experience, take a tour by golf cart, which leaves Memorial Auditorium every day at 1pm. Golf cart tours cost $5. Call 650.723.2560 to reserve a spot.

Hoover Tower: One of the most recognizable and memorable sights on campus is Hoover Tower, which rises above the campus and is visible from the foothills surrounding the campus. Take the elevator to the outdoor 14th floor observation platform to get a fabulous view of the campus and the surrounding area. Open every day 10am-4:30pm. Admission $2 for adults, $1 for children.

White Plaza: From Hoover Tower, stroll up to White Plaza, the heart of student activity. You will pass - or perhaps your children will be unwilling to leave - dramatic water fountains, especially one in front of the Stanford Bookstore. While there, wander into the bookstore to stock up on Stanford clothing for tots and grown-ups or to browse the extensive book selection.

The Cantor Arts Center offers a wonderful array of paintings, sculture and artifacts from all over the world and the adjoining Rodin Sculpture Garden will enchant even the youngest.

New Guinea Sculpture Garden: A relatively hidden gem, particularly for kids, this garden is located at Santa Teresa and Lomita Drive and always open. Children will love the enormous totem poles and carvings tucked away in this eucalyptus grove.

Camps: Stanford University opens its luxurious facilities up to kids every summer by offering a series of different sports camps - roughly 20 in all - and at least one camp for Pirates on sailing ships. Most of the counselors are students at the college. Camps are run out of the Arillaga Family Sports Center (650.723.4591).

UC Berkeley's sprawling campus offers plenty of activities including sporting events, along with many theater, and music performances held at Zellerbach Hall throughout the year.

UCSF is the smallest of the nine UC campuses but it's one of the leading biomedical research and health science education centers in the world. It is the only one of the UC campuses dedicated solely to graduate and professional studies in the health sciences area.

What does that mean for families? The school opens its Millberry Health Center (on a limited basis) to families who want to learn how to swim in the Olympic-size swimming pool, and it hosts the Sea Lions and Explorer's day camps each summer.

The part of the University of San Fransico's campus that has the most relevance for local families is the state-of-the-art Koret Health & Recreation Center (415.422.6821). (Non-neighborhood families can drop in, but only local families can join as members.) Facilities include a swimming pool (with certified lifeguards), racquetball courts, dance and exercise room, volleyball courts, and badminton.

The school is also a good source for finding babysitters. The Career Center (415.422.6216) will fax or mail you a current list of students interested in babysitting or in part-time nanny positions. Requests are free and generally processed within an hour or so. The students are usually in their early 20's with varying degrees of child care experience. They are not screened in any way by the Career Center. Be prepared to be flexible with class schedules and transportation.

The USF School of Nursing also maintains a bulletin board on the 1st floor of Cowell Hall (near Fulton @ Cole Street). There, you'll find slightly more mature students advertising their availability on a board called Students with Cars Looking for Work. You must go there in person to get listings or to post an ad.

The University of San Francisco offers a variety of Soccer Camps for children ranging in age from six to 18. Camps run in June and July for players of every level, as well as position-specific camps for strikers and goalkeepers. Half-day, whole-day, and overnight camps are available. Camp fees range from $175 to $600. The camps take place at Negoesco Stadium on the USF Campus in the Haight/Cole Valley/Hayes Valley area. To learn more about the camps go to www.eteamz.com or call 415.519.2520.

A summer enrichment program for Girls in Computer Science emphasizes hands-on activities, including programming robots, talks by prominent women in the field of computer science, and a field trip to a local tech company. Participants must be rising juniors or seniors (ages 16 to 18). Call 415.422.2024 for more information.