SEEDlings Summer Camp Handbook

SEEDlings Summer Camp Handbook

Mission and Vision

Founded in 1994, SEEDS is a two-acre urban learning farm and kitchen classroom in the heart of Durham. SEEDS develops the capacity of young people to respect life, the earth, and each other through growing, cooking, and sharing food.

In line with the mission of SEEDS, the vision for SEEDlings is to:

  • Provide kids with valuable life skills, such as how to grow and prepare food.
  • Develop children’s social/emotional skills. We interact with children to empower them to communicate their needs and feelings, to work together in community with one another, and develop their potential for leadership.  
  • Teach children sustainable methods of interacting with the world around them through growing organic food in the safest, healthiest, most environmentally friendly way.  
  • Enhance children’s cooking knowledge, so that they can develop a variety of nutritious, delicious, and low-cost meals.
  • Connect lessons learned in the kitchen and garden environment to children’s academic studies and provide literacy assistance and homework help.
  • Have fun! Children learn by doing and the best learning experiences are fun, engaging, and relevant.

 

Program Policies

Registration

Registration opens March 1, 2018 and is first come, first served. Registration is available on www.seedsnc.org through our partnership with Active.com. If you prefer, you may make an appointment with Heather Hill hjhill@seedsnc.org to register in person or over the phone.

 

Waitlist

If registration is full, you will be given an option to add yourself to our waitlist. In the event of a cancellation, we will contact the next person on our waitlist.  

Costs

  • $175 per week for the main day of camp (8:30am-3:30pm).
  • $50 per week for optional aftercare (3:30-5:30pm).
  • A registration fee of 6% will be added to your total cost.
  • A sibling discount of 20% will be subtracted from the total cost.

Payment

Payment will be made via our registration platform Active.com. There will be an option to pay in full or choose a payment plan. The payment plan will require an initial deposit and then divide the remainder of the total cost into three equal installments due on April 1, May 1, and June 1. All fees for summer camp must be received by June 1, 2018.   

 

Refund and Cancellation Policies

  • 90+ days prior to the first day of camp: If cancelling, a $25 administrative fee will be charged per child, per camp. Cancellation fees will be capped at a maximum of $100 per individual order. Minus this fee, either a full refund or a dollar-for-dollar credit is available.
  • Less than 90 days, but more than 14 days prior to the first day of camp: If cancelling, a $25 administrative fee will be charged per child, per camp. Minus this fee, a dollar-for-dollar credit is available.
  • Less than 14 days prior to the first day of camp: No refunds are available for cancellations. Instead, your registration cost will be converted into a tax-deductible donation to SEEDS.  

Scholarships  

We offer scholarships based on household size and annual income. Once you complete the scholarship application form, you will receive a coupon code to enter at check-out during registration. It is important that you are committed to attending the weeks registered as a scholarship recipient. If cancelling, please let us know at your earliest possible convenience, so we can make your scholarship available to another student.   

Scholarship Fund  

SEEDS is committed to making our programs accessible to all Durham families. If you would like to support this effort, you may make a tax-deductible donation to SEEDS. There is an option during registration to add this donation (as the “Send a Kid to Camp” add-on), or you may make it online via our website www.seedsnc.org.  

Attendance Policy

We strongly encourage you to ensure your child is here for each day of camp. If they are going to miss days during camp, you must notify Heather Hill hjhill@seedsnc.org prior to the absence.  If a child is out sick, please send an email the morning of camp letting us know that they will be missing. If a child misses camp without notification, we reserve the right to offer the spot to  those on our waiting list.  

Times, Drop off, and Pick up

Camp Hours: 8:30am-3:30pm; Aftercare: 3:30-5:30pm

Drop off: 8:30-9:00am  

Please drop your child off at SEEDS no later than 9:00am, as we will begin programming promptly at that time.   

Pick-up: 3:00-3:30pm  

Unless your child is enrolled in aftercare, you must pick up your child no later than 3:30pm.

Aftercare: 3:30-5:30pm

Aftercare is a quieter time of day with a smaller group. This time will include indoor and outdoor facilitated lessons, a snack, and self-directed activities with adult supervision.

Aftercare Pick-up: 5:00-5:30pm

You must pick up your child no later than 5:30pm.  

Reading and Rest Hour  

We include a quiet hour in our day right after lunch. This is a time intended for quiet, individually focused activities. In particular, we would like to have campers work on their summer reading during this time. We have books on site here at SEEDS, but we also encourage you to pack quiet activities and books that campers can work on during this time. Please no electronic devices, our camp is unplugged !

Food

  • Snack: We will provide a mid-morning snack each day, prepared by campers using some of SEEDS’ produce. Aftercare campers will receive a mid-afternoon snack.
  • Lunch: This year, SEEDS will be providing garden-fresh, healthy, and tasty lunches for kids. This is an option you can opt in for during registration. We ask for a small fee of $10 per week to offset the cost of food. If you decide to pack a lunch for your child, please label it, and we will keep it in our cooler. The menu will be prepared with garden produce as the center of the meal. We find that that most kids love what we prepare and are more inclined to eat food they harvested themselves.     

Here is a sample menu of the type of lunches that will be served:  All will include a vegetable, grain, and protein component.  

Monday: Garden Salad, Vegetable Fried Rice

Tuesday: Seasonal Vegetable Side, Veggie Tacos

Wednesday: Garden Salad, Rice and Beans, Fresh Cheese and Herbs

Thursday: Vegetable soup, Veggie and Cheese or Nut Butter and Jam Sandwiches

Friday: Homemade Pizza or Baked Pasta

We will make an effort to minimize use of ingredients that are common childhood food allergy triggers.  However, we will not have the capacity to accommodate all dietary needs. If your child has a serious food allergy, dietary requirement, or limited preference for foods, we recommend you pack their lunch.    

Attire

We believe that outdoor play and education are essential to learning. Please dress campers casually and comfortably, in clothes and shoes that can get dirty. Please have your children wear closed-toed shoes.  

Toys and Tech

Please leave personal toys and tech devices at home. Children may bring books, writing, and coloring/drawing materials for use during our rest hour after lunch. SEEDS program space will be set up with interactive stations like arts/crafts, building blocks, puzzles, games, and books for campers to engage with during unstructured time.

Sunscreen and Mosquito Repellent

The hot sun and pesky mosquitos are part of summertime living! We will have a selection of sunscreens and mosquito repellent available. Please send your child to camp already sunscreened and ready to go. We will take time out to reapply throughout the day. If you have a preference for sunscreen and repellent types, please send these labelled with your child’s name.   

Water

Please send your child with a reusable water bottle that is labelled with their name. We have a water fountain where they can refill throughout the day.  

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