Summer planning is already well underway, and we wanted to share our good news early.
Every year we ask our families what they loved about BASE Camp and what we can do to make BASE Camp a better experience. While we love hearing words of praise, we also learn so much from your critiques. A few key themes emerged, so we got busy brainstorming.
Here are some takeaways and next steps:
- LESSON: We need to offer more seats in our most popular camps to avoid the uncertainty of waitlists.
- SOLUTION: We are expanding BASE Camp to five weeks this year, from June 20 to July 22, which will allow for more sections of fast-selling camps. We also expect that capacity in many (but not all) camps will increase to reflect pre-pandemic levels.
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LESSON: Our registration process can be nerve-wracking, with so many families signing up at once and registering new campers in a system with so many choices.
- SOLUTION: We will open general registration in two phases, with the first day for campers in grades 1-4 and the second day for campers in grades 5-8. We will also allow new families to register for an account and complete camper information forms in advance – saving them precious minutes as they scramble to select their first-choice camps. We expect these changes will level the playing field for families with multiple children and those new to our system.
- LESSON: We need to communicate early to give families more time to plan their summer options.
- SOLUTION: Our camp schedule and offerings will be posted on our website in mid January, 2022. The registration site will open at noon on Feb. 2 for grades 1-4 and at noon on Feb. 3 for grades 5-8. Pre-qualified scholarship families will be able to register early for limited spots on Jan. 31. MARK YOUR CALENDARS for those dates and stay tuned for more details.
- LESSON: We need more BASE Camp options that appeal to middle schoolers, who are more selective than our younger campers about their summer experiences.
- SOLUTION: We are looking to bring back our popular mural and robotics camps, and revamp the curriculum for our biking and sailing camps. We are recruiting new teachers to develop specific science and arts camps that incorporate field trips and team learning.
Mark your calendars now for a special summer of learning and share the latest with friends and neighbors.