Outback Summer Program
Licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC).
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The lottery period for 2026 Outback Program enrollment will be January 6-January 21.
Please visit on our online enrollment portal for instructions on how to join the lottery.
Outback is a high-quality summer experience for families who value creativity, culture, and community. We specialize in building community through creative explorations and strive to strike the perfect balance of structure and freedom for a safe yet fun summer. Outback is for rising Kindergarteners (must be 5 years old by start of the program) through rising 6th graders. Families register by session (regular day from 8:30am-3:00pm) and may add an extended day option (3-5:45pm) for an additional fee.
Regular Day (8:30 AM-3 PM) – $505 per week ($490 if paying by check/ACH)
Extended Day (8:30 AM-5:45 PM) – $695 per week ($675 if paying by check/ACH)
To help us offset burdensome credit card processing fees, we offer a discount to families who opt to pay by automatic withdrawal (ACH) or check. More on our tuition policies can be found here.
Outback is committed to being accessible to families from all income levels. We offer full and partial scholarships based on income and family size, and accept childcare vouchers. Learn more about financial aid.
Week 1: June 29-July 2 (closed on July 3) *This week includes a beach trip for 2nd-6th graders Please note that the week of August 17th will have a lower capacity for enrollment, as we will not have access to the Baldwin School.
Week 2: July 6-10
Week 3*: July 13-17
Week 4: July 20-24
Week 5*: July 27-31
Week 6: August 3-7
Week 7*: August 10-14
Week 8: August 17-21
Our Staff
Our staff is led by a strong leadership team with expertise in child development, health and safety, curriculum development, family communication, and supporting positive social-emotional growth in children. The teaching team is a dynamic and diverse group of artists, dancers, athletes, musicians, and childcare specialists with skills in everything from printmaking to soccer, committed to building relationships with children, leading a range of engaging activities, and providing an overall fun, welcoming, supportive environment that allows children to explore their interests, make friends, learn new things, and have a great summer experience. All staff are CPR/First Aid certified and participate in a rigorous orientation. The teaching staff is supported by high school Mayor’s Youth students, and middle school Counselors in Training.
Curriculum/Activities
Outback curriculum is tailored to the interests of the children in the program and provides plenty of opportunities for children to choose their own activities, flex their creativity, and spend time with peers. We offer several activity periods each day called “choices” and children get to choose their activities. Typical choice offerings include a mix of structured activities such as sports and games, ceramics, visual arts, performance arts, and the more care-free summer activities like playing in the sandbox, running through the sprinkler, reading, crafts, and more!
Families are asked to send their child with a morning snack and lunch. If this presents a challenge for your family, we will work with local resources to provide breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to families in need. We also provide a healthy afternoon snack for children in Extended Day, and we often serve a special snack of fresh fruit or popsicles on really hot days.
Age Groups
Outback age groups are based on the grade your child is entering in Fall 2026. While there are times when all ages are together, Kindergarteners and 1st graders will do most of their activities separately from the 2nd-6th graders. 2nd-6th graders are also often split into two groups based on age for activities. However, there are many opportunities at Outback for siblings and friends in different age groups to be and play together!
Field Trips and Special Events
On Thursdays during weeks 3, 5 and 7, all 2nd-6th grade Outbackers will visit Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea. There will not be any beach trips weeks 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8. The K-1 group will not go on these trips and will have a fun day on site with special activities and full access to our yard. There will also be a mix of other field trips and on site special events throughout the summer.
Outback beach trips are highly organized to ensure safety and fun for everyone, and were a favorite part of Outback for many over the years! These trips are staffed by our teachers, CITs, Mayor’s Youth and Site Directors, and in the past we’ve also had parents volunteer as chaperones. We have also either hired someone with or sponsored one of our teachers to obtain lifeguard certification. Outbackers are closely supervised in the water and on the sand. We create clear barriers of cones and rope and even human barriers in the water, to make sure all students stay within eyesight of an adult. Learn more about Outback beach trips here.
Questions? Please contact:
Milo Proscia
Registration Coordinator
617-465-2940
registration@agassiz.org
