Summer Programs

Summer 2021 at FASPS

FASPS is proud to offer summer camps for children 2½ years old through middle school. All of our camps offer French language learning in a fun, supportive environment. Whether your camper has no French experience or is a native speaker, camp activities, games, projects, and more are adapted to maximize learning and excitement. We keep group sizes small in order to prioritize social interactions and allow individualized attention from group leaders and assistants.

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We Offer Four Programs

This summer we are excited to offer a variety of programs to our community:

Camp des Lucioles (Fireflies Camp): A 7-week on-campus program for our youngest campers, from 2-5 years old.
Camp d'été (Summer Camp): Our classic on-campus day camp for campers entering grades 1-5 in the fall of 2021.
Classe Aventure (Adventure Class): An exciting in-person program designed just for middle schoolers, entering grades 6-9 in the fall of 2021.
Les Navigateurs (Navigators): A dynamic, virtual program for campers entering grades 1–9 in the fall of 2021.

General Information

Check out our "Before You Register" guide here!

Camp Structure: The in-person camp day varies between more structured activities (like crafts, science, and music) and free playtime for all age groups.

Camp des Lucioles includes daily nap/rest time in the afternoon.

Les Navigateurs virtual programming includes large and small group time, screen breaks, and ideas for offline activities.

Bilingual and Immersion Approaches: All FASPS camps are open to any child regardless of experience with French. While students aren’t expected to become fluent just from their camp experience, they can usually understand quite a bit and say a few words and phrases.

Bilingual camps (Camp des Lucioles, Les Navigateurs) include English interactions, and a gentle introduction to French.
For immersion camps (Camp d'été, Classe Aventure), all activities are led in French. For campers with little or no French experience, context, repetition, and peer support help them integrate quickly. Occasional English may be used to ensure everyone feels included.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Crisis: Impact on Summer Programs

Our community’s health and safety is our top priority. In order to provide the best summer programs we can in this challenging situation, we have implemented rigorous health and safety protocols to mitigate as much risk as possible.
Our COVID-19 protocols for Summer Programs 2021 can be found here.

FAQs

List of 10 frequently asked questions.

Is it possible to do a tour / warm-up time for our child before summer programs start?

We will be offering a virtual warm-up for all camp families to meet summer camp staff and ask any questions they may have about summer programs this year.
How much screen-time is expected for Les Navigateurs? What does the camp day look like? Does the camp require adult supervision?

The camp day will run 9:30am-2:30pm, with built-in screen breaks in between most meetings, including a long lunch/recess break midday. Campers will meet in various combinations of large groups, small groups. Activities will vary by age group, but will include both online and offline activities.

Les Navigateurs is designed for students to participate as independently as possible. We do encourage a parent/guardian to be nearby, particularly for younger students, in case they need assistance.
What is the staff-to-camper ratio? How many campers per group?
- - Camp des Lucioles groups are staffed by 2 adult summer staff members, and the group size is limited by DCYF ratios (7-10 campers per group).
  - Camp d’été groups are staffed by 1-2 adult summer staff members, and the group size is limited to 10 children per group.
  - Classe Aventure is staffed by 2 adult summer staff members, and the group size is limited to 10 children.
  - Les Navigateurs groups are limited to 6-8 children per group
What are your COVID-19 policies? Do you require any COVID-19 testing?

Our full COVID-19 policies can be found here. We do require weekly testing, either through our surveillance program or through an independent PCR test.

Though we are hopeful for conditions to improve into the summer months, we are committed to continuing the same level of rigor for summer programs as during the school year.
For what reasons would FASPS cancel a registration?

FASPS may cancel an in-person Summer Programs registration if a government mandate were to order all daycares to close, or if we were to have an outbreak of COVID-19 on campus, forcing us to close and clean.

We may also cancel any Summer Programs registration if we do not meet minimum enrollment.
What is included in camp costs?
- Camp des Lucioles includes snacks, activities and projects, and a camp t-shirt.
- Camp d'été includes activities and projects and a camp t-shirt.
- Classe Aventure includes bus transportation to/from field trips, bike rental (if applicable), any other activities and projects, and a camp t-shirt.
- Les Navigateurs includes a "camp in a box" containing all materials for their activities, all online meetings/resources, and a camp t-shirt.
Is the summer programs staff the same as the school year staff?

Yes and No: most of our summer programs staff are current FASPS faculty members, but some staff members do come from the outside community. They have gone through a rigorous hiring process and meet all our requirements and standards for excellence.
Do you offer lunches? Are snacks provided?

This question is still under review for 2021. Please check back later.
NOTE: FASPS summer programs adhere to a strict no-peanuts policy.

Camp des Lucioles: morning and afternoon snacks will be provided.
Is there nap / down time every day?

Kids in Camp des Lucioles participate in nap / rest time for about an hour every day. If children need longer to sleep, we let them rest longer.
What happens if I need to change or cancel my registration?

Requests to change or cancel your summer programs registration should be sent to Summer@FASPS.org.