Before you click the enroll button to send your son or daughter to a spring or summer educational program, make sure that you are choosing the best option available to provide your child with the safest and most meaningful experience possible.
As a parent, you want your child to gain new skills and knowledge, and in-depth exposure to careers such as medicine, law, business and engineering. It all starts with doing your homework to find a top-notch program provider.
Here are nine must-ask questions to ensure you are choosing a great career program, camp or event:
1. Is the program safe for my child?
Beware. Not all out-of-school career exploration programs are legitimate. Does the program provider have an established track record for safety? Are accommodations staffed and monitored sufficiently? What is the student-to-staff ratio? Are safety procedures and oversight processes in place? How will your child be picked up at the airport? Where will students reside while attending the program? Are night monitors available? Safety should be a top priority of the program provider, as it is for you as a parent.
2. Is the organization a reputable education provider?
If the program or event you are considering has never been held before, use extreme caution. There are a growing number of “one-and-done” educational programs out there. Many are fly-by-night events that are rich in promises but poor in meaningful results. You should look for reputable program providers with 10, 15 or 20-plus years of experience, with curriculum designed by expert educators.
3. Is the program interactive?
The program you choose should be experiential, which means it should be highly engaging and feature plenty of hands-on exercises, site visits, workshops and simulations of real-world challenges. Does the program only feature speakers? If so, students will be required to sit and listen for long periods of time in an auditorium setting. Students should take an active role in their learning and development for an experience to be valuable and memorable.
4. Does the organization answer the questions you care most about?
Websites are great resources for information, but they do not tell the whole story. Where will your child stay during the program? How many students are invited? What is the organization’s safety record? What are the activities and goals of the curriculum? If the program provider cannot answer the questions that are most important to you, look for other options.
5. Who will be taking care of your child?
The qualifications and experience of the program staff is vitally important consideration. After all, these are the people who will be responsible for taking care of your child over a multiple-day period. Does the program provider conduct background checks? Are they qualified as educators? Staff makeup is often overlooked, but is a critical component of a program’s overall educational experience.
6. Is the organization associated with prominent partners?
If the organization that invited you to attend a program or event claims to be partnered with top universities, educational institutions or other prominent organizations, you should contact those organizations to verify those claims.
7. Is the program offering college credit and through which university?
If college credit is being offered, what is the process to receive it? Is an accredited university offering the college credit? What is the cost of the credit?
8. Is the program worth the cost?
Are you paying for a complete educational experience that can serve as a pathway to future success? Or, are you simply paying for speakers? Speakers, alone, do not create a complete learning experience. Also, be sure to drill down on the total program cost. Make sure the program you choose includes housing, meals, transportation, supporting materials, supervision, etc.
9. Does the program provider offer scholarships?
The most reputable programs offer scholarships towards program tuition. Be sure to ask about scholarship opportunities for your son or daughter. Also ask if there are payment plans, fundraising opportunities and other ways to make the experience obtainable on any budget.
At Envision, we encourage students to expand their horizons by pursuing as many out-of-classroom opportunities as they can – especially those that provide hands-on experiences and opportunities to develop real-world career skills. But do your homework.
Once you have evaluated a program using the questions above, you can be more confident that you are sending your child to a safe, worthwhile and enriching experience!
For any questions about Envision programs, please contact our Office of Admissions at (877) 587-9659 or email ProgramInfo@envisionexperience.com.
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