Noozhawk’s ParentNooz Camp Guide is officially here and we made sure to make things easy when planning your child’s summer!
To give parents the tools to help make informed decisions about Summer Camps for their kids in Santa Barbara, Noozhawk has conducted a series of interviews with representatives of local programs for this year’s Summer Camp Guide.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Jen Faust, CEO at Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, to learn more about the summer programs they are offering this year.
Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara
Question: What is the name and focus of your camp or program?
Answer: Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara offers TK-6, Teen and Gymnastics Summer Enrichment Camps. Our TK-6 Summer Enrichment Camp offers hands-on enrichment fun in a pro-girl environment! Team building and leadership, sports and movement, STEAM, and more!
Our Teen program is for grades 7-12 and offers new and exciting academies every two weeks that include a focus on art, Olympics, STEM, and leadership. Last but not least is our amazing gymnastics camp that features instruction on all events for beginner to intermediate levels by our certified gymnastics coaches.
Q: How long have you been running the program? Do you have any professional accreditations or certifications?
A: Girls Inc. has been serving the greater Santa Barbara community for 65 years! We are excited for this new era of Girls Inc. as all of our campuses join forces on one campus in Goleta. Our trained and trusted professionals mentor girls in a safe, inclusive, pro-girl environment that fosters respect and amplifies the voices of girls.
Q: What goals will the participants be working on to achieve?
A: Our evidence-based programming provides opportunities for girls to follow their curiosities, cultivate their strengths and build leadership skills.
Q: How would you best describe the educational aspects of your program?
Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold, providing more than 140,000 girls across the U.S. and Canada with life-changing experiences and real solutions to the unique biases and obstacles girls face.
Q: Describe the types of activities a child would participate in on a typical day.
A: With our TK-6 Summer Enrichment Camps, we focus on creating community, strong minds and healthy bodies, smart thinkers and bold powerful leaders. For our Teen Summer Enrichment Camp, we offer brand new academies that include art, Olympics, STEM and leadership. Our Gymnastics Summer Camp features fun themes each week paired with formal gymnastics instructions on each event, games and activities.
Q: What is the typical age range for your camps?
A: Our TK-6 Summer Enrichment Camp is just that, for transitional kindergarten to 6th grade. Teen programming is for grades 6-12th. Gymnastics is ages 5-12.
Q: Do you offer full day and 1/2 day options?
A: Our TK-6 Summer Enrichment Camps run from 8-5PM. Our Teen Summer Enrichment Camp runs from 8:30AM-4:30PM. Our Gymnastics Summer Camp runs from 9-3PM.
Q: What is your policy regarding background checks and training for staff? What is the child to staff ratio?
A: Our extensive staff interview and onboarding includes a criminal background check and DEI training as well as facilitator training to foster a pro-girl environment in every classroom. Our TK-6 and Teen Summer Enrichment Camp has a 14:1 girl-to-staff ratio, girls enjoy trusting relationships with their mentors. Our Gymnastics has a 1:6 Pre-school Coach-to-gymnast ratio, 1:10 all other classes coach-to-gymnast ratio.
Q: What is the cost of your camp? Do you offer any scholarships?
A: TK-6 Summer Enrichment Camp is $280 per week. Teen Summer Enrichment Camp is $200 per week. Gymnastics Summer Camp is $345 per week.
Yes, we offer scholarships for TK-6 and Teen programs.
Q: Is there anything you would like to share about your program that was not already mentioned above?
A: After a lot of changes in 2022, we are so excited to continue to serve our Santa Barbara community, our youth and their families. We look forward to an epic summer season with all of our programs in one place, at our Goleta Valley Center. Our incredibly dedicated coaches, facilitators and staff remain serving at the highest level of quality.
Click here to learn more about Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara’s Camps and Programs!