Licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)

1st-6th Grade Outback Summer Program
Kindergarten Outback Program

1st-6th Grade Outback Summer Program
Outback typically begins the last week of June or first week of July and runs for eight weeks. We offer a daily variety of engaging visual arts, drama, dance, music, and sports activities for children entering kindergarten through sixth grades in September. Licensed by the EEC for 110 children, Outback provides a small, safe, neighborhood atmosphere. Outbackers participate in cooperative games, have the opportunity to deepen their appreciation for the arts, and are part of a community with a long history of making every child feel welcome.  At Outback, children have the opportunity to be immersed in the arts and let their inspiration guide them!

Our Staff
At Agassiz Baldwin Community (ABC) we have been educating and entertaining children for over three decades. Our staff is a diverse group of artists, athletes, and childcare specialists with skills in everything from printmaking to cartooning to soccer. Many summer teachers are recruited from our afterschool program. Morning arts specialists, who are professionals in their fields, will guide students in deepening their appreciation and skill level in dance, drama, and visual arts. The staff is trained in both first aid and CPR. The staff is assisted by youth from the Counselor-in-Training (CIT) Program and the Cambridge Mayor’s Youth Program.

Our Space
Outback takes place in the tree-shaded backyard outback of the historic ABC building. We are located at 20 Sacramento Street, off Mass. Ave. between Harvard and Porter Squares. Outback also has access to Sacramento Field (across the street) and the Maria L. Baldwin School, which is just down the street. Outback uses the Maria L. Baldwin location during rainy or hot weather, where we have use of the community room (includes a kitchen), gym, music and Spanish rooms, and cafeteria.

This summer, Outback will continue the use of the 3D studio in the brand new Maud Morgan Arts Center. Our new play space includes a sandbox with water component, children’s garden, and bocce court. For our sports lovers, the backyard now offers an adjustable basketball hoop, cement four-square court and a dedicated wall ball board. Let the games begin!

Choices, Choices, Choices!
Outback staff present choices that engage specific interests and age groups during community meetings, allowing children to create their own daily schedules. Activities are based on weekly themes that present art and physical activities within a multicultural context. Participating in these stimulating activities helps children set the stage for learning in the fall, while exercising their minds and bodies. Each week,  staff plan special collaborative projects such as an egg drop, a hula hooping workshop, parachute design or  a theme-based celebration. The 9-11 year old group  have special choices and clubs that support more focused interests, including ceramics class twice a week in the Maud Morgan Arts Center. This age group also serve as role models for the younger children and have the opportunity to build their leadership skills through mentoring and by wearing Outback “Ask Me” buttons. Outback Fridays include the “Wally and Beaver Cleaver” awards ceremony, family performances and our beloved Councilor-in-training (CIT) vs. staff games.

Outback 2011 Theme: Tranformations
Activities are planned to engage a sense of wonder about the world we live in through science, art, cooking, sports, drama and dance. This summer, our Transformation theme will have Outbackers using their imagination and creativity to transform ideas into action, materials into art, and our physical space into new worlds.

Outback 2011 Schedule & Themes:
Week 1 (July 5-8): From Our Space to Outer Space (Kick off the summer with Outback & head into space)

Week 2 (July 11-15): Lights, Camera, Action! (Technology explored through video, music & electronics)

Week 3 (July 18-22): Outback Olympics (An Olympic arena with games for the mind & body)

Week 4 (July 25-29): Centaurs, Fashion Stars & Avatars (Costumes, fashion design & characters)

Week 5 (Aug 1-5): Mind Benders (Puzzles, games, arts & sports based on – shhh – math!

Week 6 (Aug 8-12): Trash into Treasure (Art & fabrication with recycled materials)

Week 7 (Aug 15-19): From Garden to Grub (Gardening & cooking with local fruits/veggies)

Week 8 (Aug 22-26): Circus Week (Outback will celebrate the last week of the summer circus-style)

In addition to themed activities, choices include:
•    Plenty of arts, crafts, and games
•    Free swim at War Memorial Pool (Tuesday &  Wednesdays)*
•    Cooking with local fruits and veggies
•    Jewelry Club
•    4-6th Grades: Ceramics, Outback Newsletter, Cooking choices

* Free swim is a choice and due to popularity does fill up. Outback does our very best to give each child an opportunity to swim at least once per week, and twice if at all possible.

Specialist choices (9:00 am-12:00 pm):
•    Drama: character development, improv, play writing, performances
•    Visual Arts: cartooning, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation
•    Dance: creative modern, jazz, hip hop, international
•    Science (full day): experiments, nature exploration, inventions
•    Individual piano or cello lessons (*additional cost)

A Sports Specialist is on-site all day and offers:
Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Capture the flag, Four Square, Wall ball, Cooperative games, and many more.

Field trips:
•    Thursday trips to different local beaches (Crane Beach, Spectacle Island, Singing Beach, etc.)
•    Tuesday trips to the Harvard Farmer’s Market
•    Cambridge Public Library
•    Natural History Museum
•    Harvard Yard sprinklers
•    9-11 year-old group: Roller World, Forest Hills Cemetery, Franklin Park Zoo

*Individual cello or piano lessons are available for an additional cost. Please inquire for details.

Schedule (please note new ending time for regular day)
Outback starts July 5th and runs Monday-Friday 8:30 am-3:00 pm for eight weeks, with the option for extended day enrollment.

Tuition:
Weekly tuition rates for the Outback 2011 Summer Program are as follows:
•   Regular Day – 8:30 am-3:00 pm (please note the new regular day schedule)
$285 per week

•   Extended Day – 8:30 am-5:30 pm
$340 per week

•    Families may sign up for individual weeks or for the full eight-week program.
•    Families with more than one child attending will receive a 10% discount on tuition on each additional child.

Registration
To register, please submit a completed registration form, a $50 registration fee per child ($25 for each additional child) and 50% of the total tuition for the weeks you would like to register. Balance of payment for all registered weeks is due by April 30th, 2011. For full details, see the Tuition and Refund Policy, which can be downloaded below. Families that receive financial assistance through the Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) voucher program or who are applying for a scholarship will not be required to pay a registration fee. Outback registration fills quickly on a first-come-first-served basis, so we encourage families to send in their registration forms and deposits as soon as possible.

Outback accepts registrations throughout the entire summer. We maintain a wait list for each week and will inform families if a space opens for them.

Scholarships are available for the Outback Summer Program. Please see the Scholarship page for more details on guidelines and how to apply.

Tuition and Refund Policy 2011

Contact the Outback Summer Program
Questions?  Contact Maria Laine, Director of Children’s Programs, at (617) 349-6287 x11 or mlaine@agassiz.org.

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Kindergarten (K) Outback Summer Program
Kindergarten students are part of the larger Outback Program but have a dedicated staff and age-appropriate activities. Students must be four years and nine months old by the first day of Outback and be entering K1 or K2 in the fall to take part in the program. Our staff is sensitive to the fact that this may be your child’s first summer program experience. Activity times are age-appropriate and rest time in built into the day to allow children a comfortable daily schedule. Our priority is to make all incoming children feel welcome in this new setting by grouping children into smaller cohorts and minimizing transitions throughout the day.

Our Staff
The K Program is led by our Early Childhood Education Site Director in collaboration with Outback teaching staff and Mayor’s Youth. Our staff is a group of creative, caring, and engaging educators, many of whom are recruited from our Kindergarten Afterschool program. Each staff member is certified in first aid and CPR and exceeds the qualifications of an EEC verified teacher.

Our Space
The K Program takes place in the tree-shaded backyard of the historic ABC building. We are located at 20 Sacramento Street, off Mass. Ave. between Harvard and Porter Squares. In addition, the K Outback Program also uses a dedicated space at the Maria L. Baldwin School with access to the gym, cafeteria, and kitchen.  Daily activities may also be held at Alden Park (the tot lot) and Sacramento Field.

Choices, Choices, Choices!
Daily choices focus on the different parts of the world through creative movement, dance, drama, music, and the visual arts. The Kindergarten Outback Program will follow the weekly themes as seen above. The programming is arts-based, with opportunities for cooking, cooperative games, nature discovery, and water play on hot days.

Field trips
We will go on outings around the neighborhood and take local field trips each week.

Field trips include:
•    Thursday trips to different local beaches (Crane Beach, Spectacle Island, Singing Beach, etc.)
•    The Boston Nature Conservatory
•    Belkin Family Lookout Farm
•    Porter Square Books
•    Harvard Yard sprinklers
•    The Harvard Farmer’s Market

Schedule & Registration
Please see the registration process for the 1st-6th Grade Outback Program above.

Contact the Kindergarten Outback Summer Program

Questions? Contact Kim Baldasaro, Early Education Site Director, at (617) 349-6287 x14 or kbaldasaro@agassiz.org.