SUMMER 2025 Sneak Peek!
Registration opens March 3rd! Please look below to see what we are offering for half and full day creative programs for rising K-6 students.
FOR CERAMICS INFO CLICK HERE.
Summer Studio and Imagination Stage: A Great Combination!
The two anchors of Summers at FYA are Summer Studio, our visual arts program, and Imagination Stage, our theater arts/creative storytelling program. To maximize space in these programs and to provide more age specific curriculum, we have split these programs into two age groups: K-2 and 3-5.
Below you’ll find a layout of the programs we will offer, descriptions, and age ranges, as well as financial aid and adaptive assistance information and a growing list of FAQs.
Summer Program Weeks:
June 23rd – August 22nd, Monday-Friday
Skips June 30- July 4
Morning Programs: 9:00-12:00
Summer Studio Grades 3-5
Our Summer classic keeps getting better!
Summer Studio is a semi-structured program that balances material exploration, creative problem solving, critical thinking, and art appreciation, while enjoying the same creative self-expression that is always the hallmark of any FYACS experience.
By limiting this group to grades 3-5, we will be able to scale our projects to offer more creative challenges. Each day focuses on a different medium. Various styles and new artists are used for inspiration for our work each week, and opportunities will arise for special projects and guest artists. We’ll use both two and three dimensional materials, and each artist will get to explore at their individual level. Each week will culminate with an art show for students and families at 11:30.
Imagination Stage Grades K-2
When imaginations lead, the show that follows is always an adventure!
From your child’s imagination straight to the stage, this program brings kids together for a common goal that respects individuality. It’s a great space for active, creative kids with big imaginations and a flair for the dramatic!
Lunch Bunch: 12:00-1:00
AT THIS POINT, LUNCH BUNCH IS RESERVED FOR FULL DAY ONLY. If space and staffing are available, we will email half day families to offer lunch spots on a week-by-week basis.
Lunch bunch is run by our fantastic creative team of high school studio assistants, and the group eats picnic style outside, runs around in the playground, and does other “classic” FYA summer activities like chalk, friendship bracelets, gnome home building, and tons of improv games.
If you would like to create a full day of programming, you must add a morning program, lunch bunch, and an afternoon program to your registration. Lunch bunch will NOT be added for you! Families provide their own lunch.
Afternoon Programs: 1:00-4:00
Summer Studio Grades K-2
Our Summer classic keeps getting better!
Summer Studio is a semi-structured program that balances material exploration, creative problem solving, critical thinking, and art appreciation, while enjoying the same creative self-expression that is always the hallmark of any FYACS experience.
By focusing our afternoons on our younger artists, we will be able to scale our projects and creative challenges to more effectively meet them where they are. Each day focuses on a different medium. Various styles and new artists are used for inspiration for our work each week, and opportunities will arise for special projects and guest artists. We’ll use both two and three dimensional materials and each artist will get to explore at their individual level. Each week will culminate with an art show for students and families on FRIDAYS at 3:30.
Imagination Stage Grades 3-5
For creative kids, from one theme comes infinite possibilities!
Financial and Adaptive Assistance
Adaptive Assistance: Our vacation programs have a 5:1 student to staff ratio, and we do not have a full-time nurse on staff. If your child benefits from additional assistance that would require staffing beyond that ratio due to cognitive, physical, medical (beyond food allergies) or emotional needs, we can work with you! Please fill out the Adaptive Assistance form BEFORE you register so we can be sure to put additional support in place to best serve your child’s needs. Our Arts for All program provides individualized adaptive assistance for students with disabilities, mental health needs, or translation requirements to ensure access to FYACS programs.
Financial Assistance: Through Arts for All, financial assistance is available for qualifying youth, including EBT/WIC card holders as well as households that fall within certain income brackets. Round 1 of financial assistance applications for Summer 2025 are due February 15th. Financial assistance is awarded on a rolling basis based on need and available funds. If you require financial assistance click here.
FAQs: Some things we can answer for you now
Age Ranges: Do you take pre-K? 6th grade? Where does my rising 3rd grader go?
We will accept rising kindergarteners into our programs, provided they will be 5 by September 1st. Rising 6th graders are welcome (and common!) in our grades 3-5 programs, and we scale our curriculum accordingly. Rising 3rd graders can technically go in either place, depending on the needs of the child. Please do NOT put your rising 3rd grader in a full day of either Summer Studio or Imagination Stage. If they need a full day of programming, please pick an age group and stick with it!
How Does Lunch Bunch work?
Lunch bunch is an add-on item to bridge the morning and afternoon programs. Initially, Lunch Bunch will ONLY be for full day families. If space allows, we will open spots to extend your child’s half-day program by one hour. This program is limited in size but will have enough staffing to accommodate all full day students. Families provide their own lunches.
How many weeks can I sign up for?
Technically, you can sign up for all 8, however, we don’t advise it. We’ve found that 3 weeks is a good maximum for our programs. We change curriculum weekly — the themes, stories, projects are different week to week, but the overall structure is the same. We have had studio kids for as many as 5 weeks, but in general 1-3 weeks is the sweet spot.
Are there sibling discounts?
We have a family membership discount that gives you 10% off every program for every family member. If you buy a family membership for $90, that will still provide a savings for two kids in one week of program (and then you get a discount all year long!).
How do I go to an art show AND a theater show at 11:30 if my kids are in both programs at the same time?
If you have a child in both programs, come at 11:25 for a special “sneak peek” of the art show, then take your artist to go see their sibling’s show next door. After the show, come back to the Big Yellow House to collect all of your child’s art. We promise, it works!
Do the programs do anything together?
We go outside for snack and play every day as a team. That means Imagination Stage and Summer Studio see each other each day for about 45 minutes. Lunch Bunch is a single program, so if you have two kids at FYA for a week they will have lunch together.
We really want program A for week Z but there’s only room in program B. Can you squeeze them in? Please??
Sigh….we really wish we could. The truth is that, in order to provide the quality programming we do for your child, the level of training/support for our High School staff that we insist on, and the lack of room in our building, we max each program at 15. We will make an occasional exception if siblings are registered and only one is on the waitlist, but that is a case by case basis depending on staffing and the number of kids in the program.
But there’s only room in Imagination Stage and my kid isn’t a “theater kid!”
We’re going to ask you to trust us here. We’ve heard that statement dozens of times in the 4 years we have been running Imagination Stage, and 100% of the time, at the end of the week, the family is happily surprised at how much fun their child had. 80% of the time (we looked it up!) the child returns for another week! Again, we do NOT allow children to be in a full day of either Summer Studio or Imagination Stage.
How much do the programs cost?
Each half day program is $270/week, and lunch bunch is $50/week. Programs are added a la carte, so a full week of programs from 9-4 pm is $590. Member price is $531/week for a full day. Please see below for more financial information.
Do you offer financial assistance?
Yes. We do our best to accommodate financial constraints and family budgets. Our Arts for All Program can support financial assistance ranges from 10-80% of tuition depending on need and available funds. It is a quick and straightforward form. If a discount would be helpful for you, please fill out this form before you register. In order to register when programs open March 3rd with financial assistance, you must fill the application out by February 15th.
How about early bird/late pickups?
While we understand that some families need fuller day, our program is not designed to be longer than 9-4. In order to keep the quality of programming at the level we insist upon, and to minimize staff turnover, we keep our program to a 7 hour day. Studio kids can be dropped off no earlier than 8:55 and must be picked up by 4:05 or families risk an additional fee.
Our plans have changed! Can I cancel/switch weeks?
If there is room in another program, we can make ONE SWITCH with no fee. If a cancelation is requested up to 21 days prior to start date, we will provide a full refund minus a $25 processing fee per program (lunch bunch doesn’t count as a program). Within 21 days of the start date, we will provide a 50% refund unless we can fill the spot, in which case you will receive a refund minus $25 processing fee per program. Within 4 days of start date, there are no refunds or exchanges. This means cancelations for 50% refund must be made before Wednesday at 5 pm the week before your program starts.