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 Jessica Miller, Marketing Manager at Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. to learn more about the summer programs they are offering this year.
Santa Barbara Trapeze Co.
Question: What is the name and focus of your camp or program?
Answer: The focus at Santa Barbara Trapeze Camp is teamwork and learning new skills in a safe, encouraging environment. Everyone will have moments to shine and succeed. Kids who do circus arts learn focus, discipline, and how to support each other while having the most fun possible.
Q: How long have you been running the program? Do you have any professional accreditations or certifications?
A: This will be our third season of camp at Plaza Vera Cruz! There are no certifications specific to circus arts as it has gained popularity so recently. Previously, it was an art form that was handed down orally through family lines. That being said, the senior staff members of Santa Barbara Trapeze Co. have run summer camp programs around the world using the flying trapeze as the centerpiece for 25+ years and the junior members of our team are personally trained at SBTC.
Q: What goals will the participants be working on to achieve?
A: Circus is an activity that allows each student to move at their own pace. We encourage all the kids to overcome their fears and conquer their goals one step at a time. For one child, that goal for the day may be getting to the top of the ladder of the flying trapeze. For another child who has been attending our program for longer, it may be completing a full somersault in the air. Everyone gets to progress through the program set by the SBTC staff at their own pace, support their peers as they smash their goals, and get inspired to do the next skill!
Q: How would you best describe the educational aspects of your program?
A: First and foremost, Trapeze Camp teaches specific skills and progressions of how they are taught and progress is easy to measure. Campers practice crucial physical skills like coordination and balance. Additionally, SB Trapeze Co.’s Trapeze Camp provides lessons in ancillary skills like how to work well in groups, talk to adults, and support their fellow campers.
SB Trapeze Co. is a great environment for your child to soar and learn that with the right information, people in key positions to guide and support them, all they have to do is take a leap and go for it as there is a net to catch them and they can always try again. We believe Flying Trapeze and Aerial Fitness are among the best mediums for teaching children grit and resilience.
SB Trapeze Co. is partnering with some of the top thought leaders and educators focused on experiential learning, social and emotional learning and STEM.
Q: Describe the types of activities a child would participate in on a typical day.
A: A typical day will start with a group physical warm up and icebreaker games. We will break everyone into groups by age and friend groups. Then we dive into circus activities! There are three rotations of flying trapeze, tumbling, trampoline, or aerial arts, broken up by snack breaks and lunch time.
Q: What is the typical age range for your camps?
A: Age range is 6 -14.
Q: Do you offer full day and 1/2 day options?
A: Our camp runs 9am-3pm Monday through Thursday, and 9am-1pm Friday. We want to make your child’s summer as amazing and memorable as possible. We try our best to accommodate schedules. Please contact us to ask about 1/2 day options!
Q: What is your policy regarding background checks and training for staff? What is the child to staff ratio?
A: The camper to counselor/instructor ratio is generally 4:1.
Our camp staff is background-checked, fingerprinted, first-aid/CPR certified and has done Sexual Harassment training. In addition to our top flight instructing team, we have office staff and interns available to be sure each child is having their best camp day ever.
Q: What is the cost of your camp? Do you offer any scholarships?
A: $599 resident rate per week. There is one scholarship offered per every ten students through the Parks and Recreation Department.
We are offering 12 weeks of summer camp and 6 weeks of camp that align with breaks during the school year. Best kept secret for those children that start school after labor day, we often run a bonus week at the end of August.
Q: Is there anything you would like to share about your program that was not already mentioned above?
A: The best part of Trapeze Camp is the sharing of a sport and art form that brings everyone such joy. There is nothing quite like the look on the face of a kid who has just flown on the trapeze for the first time and had a roaring applause from their fellow flyers on the ground. It’s exhilarating and great fun. For our team, it’s like giving a gift every day.
Click here to learn more about Santa Barbara Trapeze Co!