Drop off your kid early so you can get to work on time! You can start dropping off kids at 7:45 am! There is no extra curriculum, and we will keep them off of the computers until camp starts. They should bring something to entertain themselves.

Our morning camps run from 9am until noon. There is a snack break and we go to a nearby park daily to get the zoomies out of everyone’s system. Each kid should bring a reusable water bottle and a snack (we have a vending machine as well). There may be some field trips (walking distance) for some camps.

If you are signed up for both Morning and Afternoon camps, you can leave your kid(s) with us and we will keep them safe during the lunch hour. Parents are responsible for lunch for their kids!

Afternoon camps go from 1pm to 4pm. We will go to the nearby park for a play and snack break. Kids should bring a reusable water bottle and a snack (we do have a vending machine as well). There will definitely be some field trips and outside activities for some of the camps!

Pick up your kid(s) as late as 5:15pm. There is no extra curriculum. We just keep them safe and sound for you.

Campers should always wear closed toed shoes with a wrap around heel. Sandals are fine, but they should have something in the back holding them onto the foot, and should cover the toes. Shoes also need to stay on for the full day. There are plenty of places you don’t want bare feet. Students should bring a hair tie if their hair is longer than shoulder length. There may be times we are using equipment that having hair tied back for is the safe choice. Other than that, they can wear what they feel comfortable in.

Each camper should bring (daily); a reusable water bottle, a snack for snack time, (one per camp if they are here all day) and a lunch if they are staying between camps. They can also bring money for the vending machine, but realize that the snacks they are going to get are not apples and protein bars. There is candy, chips, etc. The machine takes change and ones, it won’t take a $5 bill.

They should also bring sunscreen if that is something you want them to have (but THEY are responsible for applying it. They can ask for employee help, of course, but we will not be able to enforce them wearing it.) They can bring a handheld gaming device, a book, art supplies, etc. to entertain themselves during lunch or early drop/late pick-up. We sometimes will not allow them to use the computer lab before or after camps.

Good behavior is pretty mandatory. That does not mean kids can’t get frustrated or have a bad day, just that they can not take it out on others. There is a lot of equipment around that can be very bad for health if it is run into or used wrong. If they have behavior issues WE NEED TO KNOW. If they have been kicked out of other camps before, WE NEED TO KNOW. If they are on the autism spectrum that is great. We need to know ahead of time so we can make arrangements if they need a quiet space or a reset time if things get too hectic for them. If they have a paraeducator during the school year, they MUST have one for our camps as well. We are not a part of the school system, and we are not trained to be paraeducators. If you have questions, email [email protected] BEFORE you register so we can get the details worked out.

All campers MUST keep hands to themselves and not roughhouse. This is an ongoing problem with siblings. Even if there are two brothers who play-wrestle ‘all the time at home’ or have a habit of doing other sibling behaviors that they would not do to anyone else, they CAN NOT do those things at the Fab Lab. Other campers do not see two brothers being brothers, they see one kid beating up another kid and getting away with it. We have a zero bullying policy and we will enforce it. Kids sent home for bullying won’t come back and won’t receive a refund. Even if it is a sibling. Even if they were just having a bad day.

Along with bullying physically, the Fab Lab is a place where everyone should feel free to be themselves (as long as it is not practicing to be the next John Wick). We will respect the camper’s chosen name, respect their pronouns, and respect whatever your child wants to wear as normal every day wear. We won’t allow verbal abuse, although we do understand that everyone is human, and everyone can sometimes make mistakes, or be unaware they are being hurtful. That being said, purposeful hurtfulness is not tolerated.

If your kid(s) have medications they need to take, we need to know about it. If they are responsible enough to take it themselves with no adverse reactions, that is fine and it can be in their backpack or whatever. We DO need to know about it so we can check in to make sure it was taken on time. Also there are two people who can be responsible for medications at our camps; the kid themselves (if they are responsible enough, see above) or US. There is not a third option where another sibling also at the camp is burdened with the responsibility of making sure their sibling takes medication. We need to know.

Allergies are taken seriously as well. Let us know about any allergies, especially if there is a possibility of something needing an epi pen or something else life-threatening. If there is a mild peanut allergy, but they can be around nuts, let us know and we will make sure all the kids know at the beginning of the week. If they will swell up if they see a picture of a JIF (pronounced ‘giff’) peanut butter jar, we need to know so we can warn the kids AND the parents about lunch options, as well as making sure our vending machine is not full of allergens for that week. If they may need an epi pen, let us know. We can hold it or they can have it where they feel comfortable accessing it.

Our refund policy is pretty simple. If you need a refund on a camp that is more than two weeks away, you get a full 100% refund on that camp. If you have to cancel within two weeks of the camp, you will get a 50% refund on that camp. If you cancel within six days of the camp starting, you won’t get a refund for that camp.

The reason for this policy is that we are a nonprofit, and we rely on the funding from the camps to pay for the supplies, the staff, the rent, and that sweet, sweet air conditioning. If you cancel far enough in advance, we can find another camper to fill up that space. If you cancel right before a camp, we have already spent that money on our programming and have no hope of getting it back. That being said, there can be exceptions for unforeseen events and emergencies, of course.

We do accept scholarships, and sometimes we have some scholarship money available for a limited number of campers per year. If you want/need a scholarship from us, let us know by emailing [email protected] so we can give you the details. IF we have scholarship money to give, it is usually only half of the cost of one camp. There are outside scholarships that can cover the full amount, and we will try to keep a list of available scholarships for those who ask. It is completely the responsibility of the parent to get the scholarship if it is not an internal Fab Lab scholarship.

One more note on scholarships; No one involved in the camps knows who the scholarship recipients are. Kirk (the director of the Fab Lab) might know, but he sucks at names, so he still won’t know. Not even the summer camp staff know. It is no one’s business but yours.