Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible?

Any student who has completed kindergarten through 5th grade can participate in Spark Summer learning program regardless of where they go to elementary school. Students with special needs will be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that adequate staffing is available to meet each student’s needs.

 

Can I choose my weeks?

YES! We’d love to have your child(ren) every week of camp, but you are free to choose however many weeks – and which weeks – work for you.

 

Where is the camp located?

The 2023 Spark Summer camp will be located at Pound Middle School, 4740 S. 45th Street, Lincoln, NE.

 

What are the days/hours of operation?

Typical camp weeks run Monday-Friday. The exception is the week of May 31-June 2 (Wednesday-Friday) and July 5-7 (Wednesday-Friday).

Students can arrive at Pound Middle school beginning at 7:30am and can be picked up as late as 6pm. There will be a late pick-up charge of $20 assessed if a parent is late for pick up. The core programming will begin at about 9:00am and will be complete by about 5:00pm.

The program will open on May 31, 2023, and run through August 4, 2023. Spark will NOT be open July 3-4 for the holiday.

 

What does it cost?

Full time enrollment will be $250 per week + $10 activity fee. We have a 10% discount for siblings. Additionally, we are working to secure private funding to provide scholarships.

 

What are my payment options?

We will only take scheduled electronic payments. When you enroll, you can choose either ACH or credit card payments. A $50 deposit is required at enrollment for each child, each week. Full payment is due the Wednesday before specific camp weeks start.

 

What if we have a change of plans and need to withdraw from camp?

In the event the family wishes to cancel prior to the start of the program, the family must: 

• Give two weeks (14 days) written notice prior to the first day of the camp for which they are withdrawing. Any weekly fees already paid will be refunded, minus the $50 deposit. 
• Complete the Spark Summer Learning Withdrawal form. This form is available from the Foundation for Lincoln Public Schools located at 5905 O Street or by calling 402.436.1612. 

Should you choose to withdraw within one week (7 days) of the start of camp, you will forfeit your weekly fee/deposit and $10 activity fee. 

 

What will my student be learning?

YES! The Spark Summer Learning program is filled with hands-on, age-appropriate lessons. Our curriculum is STEAM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). We’ll be exploring each of these areas through project-based lessons... we’ll dive into physics and engineering by designing water slides. We’ll explore ecology and biology by creating new animals and designing a zoo habitat for them! And, so much more! Check out our weekly themes for more information on what we’ll be doing each week!

But don’t worry... exploring and learning won’t be the only fun we have! Each Wednesday, we’ll head out for field trips and pool time!

 

What is served for breakfast, lunch & snack?

Spark will provide nutritious meals balanced meals provided by Kinder-Bites. (see www.kinder-bites.com for sample menus etc.).  If your child has a food allergy, please be sure to include that on the registration form within the Medical Information section. Families may also choose to send meals with students to school.

 

How can parents be involved?

We love it when parents come into the classroom when dropping off or picking up their child(ren). This provides a great opportunity to see what your child(ren) are doing, meet and get to know their teacher and maybe even tinker with our amazing STEAM resources!

Plus, we will be doing weekly expos of student learning at the end of each week. Parents are welcome to come join us to celebrate what Spark kids have accomplished that week.

 

Will my child have time to just play and relax?

Sure, our days will be packed with engaging activities, dreaming, engineering and plenty of games. But we know some down time is important, too. As our day begins (7:30-9am), students will have time to warm-up with individual activities, reading and small group activities. Then, after lunch, we’ll take some time to relax before we resume our action-packed explorations. Finally, we’ll end the day with a bit more down time (5-6pm) where students can again work on individual or small group activities, read or play STEAM-based video games.

 

What does a typical day look like at Spark Summer Learning?

• 7:30-9:00am: Students arrive, Breakfast (8:00-8:30), Students work independently and in small groups on gathering activities
• 9:00-10:00am: Students will gather with age-specific groups in smaller classrooms to explore, wonder, design and build! Oh, and play, engineer, laugh and learn!
• 10:00-10:15am: Snack and restroom
• 10:15-11:00am: We’ll head outside or to the gym to expand our learning through play!
• 11:00-noon: Head back to our classroom to continue our learning... and fun!
• Noon-1pm: Lunch and free time
• 1:00-2:00pm: Dive deeper into our learning, exploring and fun!
• 2:00-3:00pm: Back outside or to the gym! No shortage of play at this camp!
• 3:00-3:15pm: Snack and restroom
• 3:15-4:00pm: Spend more time with activities, explorations and investigations of the weekly theme.
• 4:00-4:45pm: Keep up the action! More play time outside or in the gym!
• 4:45-5:00pm: Students work collectively to clean classrooms and group areas.
• 5:00-6:00pm: student pick-up, Students work independently and in small groups on gathering activities