UAS Summer 2020
**IMPORTANT UPDATE, JUNE 11, 2020**: all summer programs through July 31, 2020, will now become online-only programs. We have not yet made any decisions about our August programs. See below for information about refunds and credits for registered families, and about joining our summer online!
--Families who are already registered for in-person programs: please click this link to complete a Google Form to let us know how we should handle your registrations/credit/refunds: Refunds/credits for registered July families
--Families who are NOT registered for in-person programs but who would like to join us online, please click here to create a new account or log into your existing account.
First-time users must create an account (this is required for registration for all UAS programs); returning users can access their accounts to register for additional programs, or make account changes.
Online content for each week will reflect the original themes (please scroll down on this page to see the description of each week).
These online programs will offer a minimum of 10 live sessions a week with UAS educators and special guests. Live sessions take every morning, from 10-11am, and every afternoon, from 2-3pm. We'll add occasional bonus sessions to foster relaxed social time (e.g., lunch groups, trivia and other games, read-alouds, hands-on projects).
TYPICAL SUMMER ONLINE SCHEDULE (beginning week of 6/22)
Monday through Friday
Morning live session: 10:00-11:00am
Afternoon live session: 2:00-3:00pm
Occasional bonus sessions (during lunch or after 3:00)
Each week will offer a minimum of 10 hours of live sessions as well as occasional bonus sessions to strengthen social bonds with casual activities, where children can socialize, play games, or create together. These may include lunch groups, trivia games, art time, or open-mic events.
PROGRAM FEES. We are offering a tiered, pay-what-you-can fee structure. Families who are unable to pay can request a full scholarship. ALL program fees provide direct support to our programs (research, development, instructional time).
**IMPORTANT UPDATE, JUNE 11, 2020**: all summer programs through July 31, 2020, will now become online-only programs. We have not yet made any decisions about our August programs. See below for information about refunds and credits for registered families, and about joining our summer online!
--Families who are already registered for in-person programs: please click this link to complete a Google Form to let us know how we should handle your registrations/credit/refunds: Refunds/credits for registered July families
--Families who are NOT registered for in-person programs but who would like to join us online, please click here to create a new account or log into your existing account.
First-time users must create an account (this is required for registration for all UAS programs); returning users can access their accounts to register for additional programs, or make account changes.
Online content for each week will reflect the original themes (please scroll down on this page to see the description of each week).
These online programs will offer a minimum of 10 live sessions a week with UAS educators and special guests. Live sessions take every morning, from 10-11am, and every afternoon, from 2-3pm. We'll add occasional bonus sessions to foster relaxed social time (e.g., lunch groups, trivia and other games, read-alouds, hands-on projects).
TYPICAL SUMMER ONLINE SCHEDULE (beginning week of 6/22)
Monday through Friday
Morning live session: 10:00-11:00am
Afternoon live session: 2:00-3:00pm
Occasional bonus sessions (during lunch or after 3:00)
Each week will offer a minimum of 10 hours of live sessions as well as occasional bonus sessions to strengthen social bonds with casual activities, where children can socialize, play games, or create together. These may include lunch groups, trivia games, art time, or open-mic events.
PROGRAM FEES. We are offering a tiered, pay-what-you-can fee structure. Families who are unable to pay can request a full scholarship. ALL program fees provide direct support to our programs (research, development, instructional time).
- Tier 3: Wood Thrush (D.C.'s official bird): $300 per family, per week
- Tier 2: Scarlet Oak (D.C.'s official tree): $200 per family, per week
- Tier 1: Potomac Bluestone (D.C.'s official rock): $100 per family, per week
UAS SUMMER 2020 sessions
You can find our weekly themes and activities listed below. Though we begin planning our summer activities and adventures in January, we leave flexibility in each week’s schedule for exciting opportunities that may arise to partner with another organization or guest educator for things like canoeing adventures, charter bus rides to special locations, and other exciting hands-on learning opportunities. We are a Squad that stays flexible to provide the best possible opportunities for our students!
No matter the theme, we are an outdoors-focused education organization. We emphasize structured and unstructured time outdoors each week.
JUNE 22-26: POP-UP RESTAURANT
*This program is now an online session*
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
Squad members will go behind the scenes at local restaurants and--under the guidance of food industry professionals--create their own concept and menu for a Squad Pop-up Restaurant! The Squad will work with guest educators from local food establishments to create different kinds of food throughout the week, leading to their Squad-run pop-up where students take turns working at the restaurant and being guests. We’ll develop an understanding of the science and math of cooking by experimenting with different ratios of ingredients to demonstrate the role each ingredient plays in a recipe and focus on how to limit food waste in all aspects of cooking and baking.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JUNE 29-JULY 3
NO PROGRAM OFFERED THIS WEEK
JULY 6-10: FITNESS AND WELLNESS WEEK
*This program is now an online session*
It’s time to run, dance, breathe, stretch, and play at Gallaudet University. At Urban Adventure Squad, we value physical activity and time spent outdoors. Did you know these things are not only fun, but they’re GOOD for you? We’re going to learn how our brains and bodies react to playing sports, hiking in the woods, and taking time to rest. Guest educators will help us train our minds and bodies to perform their best in preparation for our Fun, Fit Friday Field Day! Through mindfulness, movement, and munching on nature’s goodies, Squad members will learn different ways to be fit and be well with UAS.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JULY 13-17: PROTECTING THE ANACOSTIA: WATERSHED STEWARDS PROGRAM
*This program is now an online session*
Have you ever wondered why we can’t swim in the Anacostia River? Do you want to have a positive impact on your local environment? In this program, we’ll examine our local watersheds up close and learn how we can protect them! Squad members will explore local waterways, understand how our daily choices affect the health of our waterways, talk to experts in the field, and propose our own ideas for community stewardship. Located on Gallaudet University’s campus, this hands-on program is ideally situated to access natural places along the Anacostia River. At the end of the week, we’ll even organize our own community waterway cleanup!
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JULY 20-24: URBAN PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION DESIGN
*This program is now an online session*
At the Squad, we love to hike and explore Washington, D.C. because we know that it is good for our bodies, our minds, and the environment. If you've ever been to a UAS program, then you know how we walk for safety: in the Squad Sandwich! We take pedestrian safety seriously, find solutions to city challenges, and advocate for improvement. This summer, we'll focus on the design of our transportation systems, and identify great improvements (protected bike lanes!) and areas that need attention (crosswalks and pedestrian traffic hazards). We'll consult the experts, take a series of transportation-related field trips, and propose creative and meaningful solutions to real problems. At the end of the week, we'll create a showcase of our research and culminating projects to help make DC a safe place for pedestrians and bicyclists.
JULY 27-31: STORYTELLING AND SPOKEN WORD WORKSHOP
*This program is now an online session*
Everybody has a story to tell, and here at the Squad, we want to hear yours! In this workshop, we’ll spend time learning all about writing, performance, and the importance of the spoken word. Storytelling connects people across cultures, countries, and time. By visiting local venues and working with artists and performers, Squad members will develop some serious orating and writing skills! Of course, we’ll also be hiking in nearby parks to connect with the natural world and help focus our thoughts. After a week of working together, we’ll have a performance opportunity to listen and celebrate each other’s ideas and inspirations.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
AUGUST 3-7
NO PROGRAM OFFERED THIS WEEK
AUGUST 10-14: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Program location: Tudor Place, 1644 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007
We’re looking forward to our second year partnering with Tudor Place for a spectacular week of hands-on learning at one of the first National Historic Landmarks in America. Tudor Place and UAS are combining forces to offer a unique, hyperlocal historical experience that will be enriching, exciting, and physically active. We’ll explore how waste management and eco-friendly practices have changed over time by learning how the Peter family got rid of their waste, heated and powered their home, and took care of stormwater management, and then find out how if these things are done differently now. This week’s Squad members will become citizen scientists by recording important local data to be shared with professional scientists and they’ll work on a service project to improve the garden at Tudor Place. This program will include off-campus adventures--trips between 1 and 4 miles on-foot and using public transportation--and plenty of outdoor time.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)*
*Aftercare IS available for this program. Aftercare extends the day for one hour, until 5:30, and costs $50 per week. You can register for aftercare through your account.
AUGUST 17-21: FOOD AND CULTURE
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
You don’t have to pack your bags and travel the world to learn about different food traditions--we have a world of food right here in Washington, DC, thanks to the city’s diverse communities and many immigrant-owned restaurants. Squad members will learn how the restaurant industry and immigration have been connected in America and why diverse cuisine is so important and influential in American history. We’ll fill up a culinary UAS passport by visiting immigrant-owned restaurants in DC and making different recipes in the kitchen at Temple Micah. Squad members will think about how weather and climate impact the types of food grown and eaten in a community and why different utensils are used from forks to chopsticks, bread to hands. We’ll compare the same food from different places by making different recipes; for example, how does southern macaroni and cheese compare to Caribbean macaroni pie?
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)
*NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK*
AUGUST 24-28: PILLOW FIGHT WEEK
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
The Great UAS Pillow Fight is a friendly and fun event for all ages, and there's a role for everyone! Squad members will practice and hone their sewing skills throughout the week to create pillows using old t-shirts. But it doesn’t stop with pillows: we’ll explore different methods of making textiles from weaving to macrame to paper making. The week will also include local hikes and finding great places to cool off. On Friday, Squad members have the choice to compete using their homemade pillows, or to be coaches, cheerleaders, timekeepers, or emcees all in the name of some wacky Squad fun! There will be three final champions as Squad members battle it out in the “ring” with the support of their fellow Squad members. Are YOU the next Great UAS Pillow Fight champion?
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:45am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)
*NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK*
This language in gray is from our in-person program registration process and policies. We leave it here for reference, and in case in-person programs are restored in August:
Registration process
SUMMER PROGRAM HOURS: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)*
FEES and EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION.
Regular price: $385 per child, per weeklong program. When families register one or more siblings, they receive an automatic 10% discount per child, dropping the price, per child, to $346.50 per week.
Families registering for summer programs before March 1 automatically receive an additional 15% discount on their entire order at checkout.
AFTERCARE. We can offer aftercare ONLY when our community spaces can accommodate us and when we have sufficient registration to support committing additional staff for an extended day. Summer aftercare costs $50 per week, per child and extends the program by one hour, to 5:30pm. You will be able to register for aftercare as part of the registration process. We are sorry that we can't offer individual and drop-in days for aftercare.
Aftercare: $50 per week, per child. When families register one or more siblings, they receive an automatic 10% discount per child, dropping the price, per child, to $45.
TUITION ASSISTANCE AND PAYMENT PLANS. When you go through the registration process, you will have opportunities to request tuition assistance or a payment plan. This will not affect your reservation for your programs.
If you are able to make a donation of any amount to UAS to support our programs and our ability to support families who need it, we'll put every dollar to good use! Registering families can make a donation through your account, or you can do it here:
MAKE A DONATION TO UAS
FAIR PROCESS. We strive to make our processes as smooth and fair as possible. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; families are not judged on their ability to pay. Enrollment is based on our ability to safely bring students on hiking trails, across city streams, to waterways, and on public transportation.
WAITLISTS. Registration begins with a set number of spots for each grade level. The programs listed as available in your account are those that have space for a student in that particular grade level. Once those spots are full, you can add your Squad member to the waitlist. You'll find programs for which you can add your Squad member to the waitlist by scrolling to the bottom of the list of available programs. If space becomes available, you'll receive an email offering you a spot, which will be held for just 48 hours. Please be sure to check your spam filters. Emails often land in them, and we cannot be responsible for emails that land in spam folders.
Enrollment numbers are based on safety, and, specifically, on our ability to safely chaperone students on hiking trails, through the city, and on public transportation.
SUMMER CANCELLATIONS, CREDITS, AND REFUNDS. You can cancel or change any of your reservations by logging into your UltraCamp account. Once you have canceled a reservation, you'll see a negative amount in red next to "Account balance," which shows that you have this amount credited to your account. You can use this credit if you would like to register or get on the waitlist for other programs, or wait and use it toward future programs. The UltraCamp system is not able to automatically issue refunds for any of its clients; only UAS staff can do that. So just send us an email if you'd like a refund.
Please consider your plans carefully. We cannot offer any refunds for summer programs after April 1, 2020, and once we have completed the initial round of January registration, we will put in place a cancellation fee (to be announced soon)* for all cancelled summer registrations. This is because we base staffing and programs on attendance, and we cannot sustain our programs with high numbers of changes and cancellations.
*Our cancellation fee for summer programs that are canceled after March 1 is $50 per child, per reservation. That is, cancelling one weeklong summer session for two children after March will incur a $100 cancellation fee. We cannot offer any refunds after April 1, 2020.
UAS needs a minimum of 15 registered students to run a program. Please note that we must have a minimum of 15 confirmed/paid students for each week-long program by March 1, 2020. We have never had to cancel a summer week, but we want to be transparent about our policies and the importance of being able to cover our costs. If we must cancel a program due to underenrollment, we will issue refunds to all registered families.
SUMMER PROGRAMMING AND AGE RANGE
UAS summer programming is geared toward children entering 1st grade through 8th grade in fall 2020.
Students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are eligible to participate in our Middle School Leadership Program.
High school students can join the Squad as volunteers, working alongside UAS Squad Leaders. Volunteers generally work a maximum of three days per week.
UAS reserves the right to hold spots for each age group to ensure an appropriate level of age diversity and appropriate staff-to-Squad member ratios for our urban and trail hikes, and when riding public transportation.
As with our school-year programs, we always have indoor back-up plans, but we are generally out and about for most of the day, in all kinds of weather.
For more specific questions or concerns that are not address on our Frequently Asked Questions page, please email us with questions.
Urban Adventure Squad summer programs focus on exploring the city through our outdoors-focused, community-based, hands-on learning model. Our days are filled with joyful learning and new adventures--around the block and across the city. Unless we have specific funding for private bus trips, we take all of our trips on foot or by public transportation.
We spend the first months of 2020 researching and meticulously preparing each program. This summer, we'll partner with community organizations, guest educators, and schools to:
open a pop-up restaurant
explore the science of movement and exercise
perform spoken word
get hands-on with urban planning and transportation design
investigate our watersheds
discover the science of sustainability
practice mindfulness
examine the intersection of food and culture
and of course...run the Great UAS Pillow Fight!
IMPORTANT: We have changed our registration process by integrating a new registration system, which is powered by UltraCamp. We ask for your patience as we sort through the inevitable bumps. For regular updates and program announcements, please join our email list, and/or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (both are @UrbanAdvSquad).
GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION
Click here to: create a new account or log into your existing account
The link above takes you to our registration site, which is powered by UltraCamp.
First-time users must create an account (this is required for registration for all UAS program);
returning users can access their accounts to register for additional programs, or make account changes.
To learn more about a typical program day, see our FAQs page.
For specific questions, please email us.
To receive announcements when we open registration, join our email list.
For questions about what we do, why we do it, and
how you can join the Squad as a participant or an employee,
check out our About and FAQs pages.
To avoid more pressing tasks and learn fun facts about
D.C.'s history, neighborhoods, urban farms, and the wonderful
local businesses and organizations that we visit and learn from,
check us out on Twitter or Facebook (@UrbanAdvSquad).
You can find our weekly themes and activities listed below. Though we begin planning our summer activities and adventures in January, we leave flexibility in each week’s schedule for exciting opportunities that may arise to partner with another organization or guest educator for things like canoeing adventures, charter bus rides to special locations, and other exciting hands-on learning opportunities. We are a Squad that stays flexible to provide the best possible opportunities for our students!
No matter the theme, we are an outdoors-focused education organization. We emphasize structured and unstructured time outdoors each week.
JUNE 22-26: POP-UP RESTAURANT
*This program is now an online session*
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
Squad members will go behind the scenes at local restaurants and--under the guidance of food industry professionals--create their own concept and menu for a Squad Pop-up Restaurant! The Squad will work with guest educators from local food establishments to create different kinds of food throughout the week, leading to their Squad-run pop-up where students take turns working at the restaurant and being guests. We’ll develop an understanding of the science and math of cooking by experimenting with different ratios of ingredients to demonstrate the role each ingredient plays in a recipe and focus on how to limit food waste in all aspects of cooking and baking.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JUNE 29-JULY 3
NO PROGRAM OFFERED THIS WEEK
JULY 6-10: FITNESS AND WELLNESS WEEK
*This program is now an online session*
It’s time to run, dance, breathe, stretch, and play at Gallaudet University. At Urban Adventure Squad, we value physical activity and time spent outdoors. Did you know these things are not only fun, but they’re GOOD for you? We’re going to learn how our brains and bodies react to playing sports, hiking in the woods, and taking time to rest. Guest educators will help us train our minds and bodies to perform their best in preparation for our Fun, Fit Friday Field Day! Through mindfulness, movement, and munching on nature’s goodies, Squad members will learn different ways to be fit and be well with UAS.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JULY 13-17: PROTECTING THE ANACOSTIA: WATERSHED STEWARDS PROGRAM
*This program is now an online session*
Have you ever wondered why we can’t swim in the Anacostia River? Do you want to have a positive impact on your local environment? In this program, we’ll examine our local watersheds up close and learn how we can protect them! Squad members will explore local waterways, understand how our daily choices affect the health of our waterways, talk to experts in the field, and propose our own ideas for community stewardship. Located on Gallaudet University’s campus, this hands-on program is ideally situated to access natural places along the Anacostia River. At the end of the week, we’ll even organize our own community waterway cleanup!
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
JULY 20-24: URBAN PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION DESIGN
*This program is now an online session*
At the Squad, we love to hike and explore Washington, D.C. because we know that it is good for our bodies, our minds, and the environment. If you've ever been to a UAS program, then you know how we walk for safety: in the Squad Sandwich! We take pedestrian safety seriously, find solutions to city challenges, and advocate for improvement. This summer, we'll focus on the design of our transportation systems, and identify great improvements (protected bike lanes!) and areas that need attention (crosswalks and pedestrian traffic hazards). We'll consult the experts, take a series of transportation-related field trips, and propose creative and meaningful solutions to real problems. At the end of the week, we'll create a showcase of our research and culminating projects to help make DC a safe place for pedestrians and bicyclists.
JULY 27-31: STORYTELLING AND SPOKEN WORD WORKSHOP
*This program is now an online session*
Everybody has a story to tell, and here at the Squad, we want to hear yours! In this workshop, we’ll spend time learning all about writing, performance, and the importance of the spoken word. Storytelling connects people across cultures, countries, and time. By visiting local venues and working with artists and performers, Squad members will develop some serious orating and writing skills! Of course, we’ll also be hiking in nearby parks to connect with the natural world and help focus our thoughts. After a week of working together, we’ll have a performance opportunity to listen and celebrate each other’s ideas and inspirations.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
AUGUST 3-7
NO PROGRAM OFFERED THIS WEEK
AUGUST 10-14: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
Program location: Tudor Place, 1644 31st St NW, Washington, DC 20007
We’re looking forward to our second year partnering with Tudor Place for a spectacular week of hands-on learning at one of the first National Historic Landmarks in America. Tudor Place and UAS are combining forces to offer a unique, hyperlocal historical experience that will be enriching, exciting, and physically active. We’ll explore how waste management and eco-friendly practices have changed over time by learning how the Peter family got rid of their waste, heated and powered their home, and took care of stormwater management, and then find out how if these things are done differently now. This week’s Squad members will become citizen scientists by recording important local data to be shared with professional scientists and they’ll work on a service project to improve the garden at Tudor Place. This program will include off-campus adventures--trips between 1 and 4 miles on-foot and using public transportation--and plenty of outdoor time.
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)*
*Aftercare IS available for this program. Aftercare extends the day for one hour, until 5:30, and costs $50 per week. You can register for aftercare through your account.
AUGUST 17-21: FOOD AND CULTURE
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
You don’t have to pack your bags and travel the world to learn about different food traditions--we have a world of food right here in Washington, DC, thanks to the city’s diverse communities and many immigrant-owned restaurants. Squad members will learn how the restaurant industry and immigration have been connected in America and why diverse cuisine is so important and influential in American history. We’ll fill up a culinary UAS passport by visiting immigrant-owned restaurants in DC and making different recipes in the kitchen at Temple Micah. Squad members will think about how weather and climate impact the types of food grown and eaten in a community and why different utensils are used from forks to chopsticks, bread to hands. We’ll compare the same food from different places by making different recipes; for example, how does southern macaroni and cheese compare to Caribbean macaroni pie?
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)
*NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK*
AUGUST 24-28: PILLOW FIGHT WEEK
Program location: Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
The Great UAS Pillow Fight is a friendly and fun event for all ages, and there's a role for everyone! Squad members will practice and hone their sewing skills throughout the week to create pillows using old t-shirts. But it doesn’t stop with pillows: we’ll explore different methods of making textiles from weaving to macrame to paper making. The week will also include local hikes and finding great places to cool off. On Friday, Squad members have the choice to compete using their homemade pillows, or to be coaches, cheerleaders, timekeepers, or emcees all in the name of some wacky Squad fun! There will be three final champions as Squad members battle it out in the “ring” with the support of their fellow Squad members. Are YOU the next Great UAS Pillow Fight champion?
Age range: children entering 1st through 8th grades in fall 2020
Program hours: 8:45am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)
*NO AFTERCARE AVAILABLE THIS WEEK*
This language in gray is from our in-person program registration process and policies. We leave it here for reference, and in case in-person programs are restored in August:
Registration process
- Step 1: Browse our 2020 summer programs.
- Step 2: When you're ready to register your Squad member, click on the link below to go to our registration site, powered by UltraCamp. You will either create a NEW account or log into your existing one. You will then be able to register and pay for programs, and log into your account anytime to make changes. If you have created a new account, please save the username and password.
- Step 3: Register and pay for your programs. If you need tuition assistance or a payment plan, there will be a place in the payment process to request it. You will be able to keep your reservations (the programs you're registering for) while you request tuition assistance or a payment plan.
SUMMER PROGRAM HOURS: 8:30am-4:15pm (pickup ends at 4:30)*
FEES and EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATION.
Regular price: $385 per child, per weeklong program. When families register one or more siblings, they receive an automatic 10% discount per child, dropping the price, per child, to $346.50 per week.
Families registering for summer programs before March 1 automatically receive an additional 15% discount on their entire order at checkout.
AFTERCARE. We can offer aftercare ONLY when our community spaces can accommodate us and when we have sufficient registration to support committing additional staff for an extended day. Summer aftercare costs $50 per week, per child and extends the program by one hour, to 5:30pm. You will be able to register for aftercare as part of the registration process. We are sorry that we can't offer individual and drop-in days for aftercare.
Aftercare: $50 per week, per child. When families register one or more siblings, they receive an automatic 10% discount per child, dropping the price, per child, to $45.
TUITION ASSISTANCE AND PAYMENT PLANS. When you go through the registration process, you will have opportunities to request tuition assistance or a payment plan. This will not affect your reservation for your programs.
If you are able to make a donation of any amount to UAS to support our programs and our ability to support families who need it, we'll put every dollar to good use! Registering families can make a donation through your account, or you can do it here:
MAKE A DONATION TO UAS
FAIR PROCESS. We strive to make our processes as smooth and fair as possible. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis; families are not judged on their ability to pay. Enrollment is based on our ability to safely bring students on hiking trails, across city streams, to waterways, and on public transportation.
WAITLISTS. Registration begins with a set number of spots for each grade level. The programs listed as available in your account are those that have space for a student in that particular grade level. Once those spots are full, you can add your Squad member to the waitlist. You'll find programs for which you can add your Squad member to the waitlist by scrolling to the bottom of the list of available programs. If space becomes available, you'll receive an email offering you a spot, which will be held for just 48 hours. Please be sure to check your spam filters. Emails often land in them, and we cannot be responsible for emails that land in spam folders.
Enrollment numbers are based on safety, and, specifically, on our ability to safely chaperone students on hiking trails, through the city, and on public transportation.
SUMMER CANCELLATIONS, CREDITS, AND REFUNDS. You can cancel or change any of your reservations by logging into your UltraCamp account. Once you have canceled a reservation, you'll see a negative amount in red next to "Account balance," which shows that you have this amount credited to your account. You can use this credit if you would like to register or get on the waitlist for other programs, or wait and use it toward future programs. The UltraCamp system is not able to automatically issue refunds for any of its clients; only UAS staff can do that. So just send us an email if you'd like a refund.
Please consider your plans carefully. We cannot offer any refunds for summer programs after April 1, 2020, and once we have completed the initial round of January registration, we will put in place a cancellation fee (to be announced soon)* for all cancelled summer registrations. This is because we base staffing and programs on attendance, and we cannot sustain our programs with high numbers of changes and cancellations.
*Our cancellation fee for summer programs that are canceled after March 1 is $50 per child, per reservation. That is, cancelling one weeklong summer session for two children after March will incur a $100 cancellation fee. We cannot offer any refunds after April 1, 2020.
UAS needs a minimum of 15 registered students to run a program. Please note that we must have a minimum of 15 confirmed/paid students for each week-long program by March 1, 2020. We have never had to cancel a summer week, but we want to be transparent about our policies and the importance of being able to cover our costs. If we must cancel a program due to underenrollment, we will issue refunds to all registered families.
SUMMER PROGRAMMING AND AGE RANGE
UAS summer programming is geared toward children entering 1st grade through 8th grade in fall 2020.
Students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th grades are eligible to participate in our Middle School Leadership Program.
High school students can join the Squad as volunteers, working alongside UAS Squad Leaders. Volunteers generally work a maximum of three days per week.
UAS reserves the right to hold spots for each age group to ensure an appropriate level of age diversity and appropriate staff-to-Squad member ratios for our urban and trail hikes, and when riding public transportation.
As with our school-year programs, we always have indoor back-up plans, but we are generally out and about for most of the day, in all kinds of weather.
For more specific questions or concerns that are not address on our Frequently Asked Questions page, please email us with questions.
Urban Adventure Squad summer programs focus on exploring the city through our outdoors-focused, community-based, hands-on learning model. Our days are filled with joyful learning and new adventures--around the block and across the city. Unless we have specific funding for private bus trips, we take all of our trips on foot or by public transportation.
We spend the first months of 2020 researching and meticulously preparing each program. This summer, we'll partner with community organizations, guest educators, and schools to:
open a pop-up restaurant
explore the science of movement and exercise
perform spoken word
get hands-on with urban planning and transportation design
investigate our watersheds
discover the science of sustainability
practice mindfulness
examine the intersection of food and culture
and of course...run the Great UAS Pillow Fight!
IMPORTANT: We have changed our registration process by integrating a new registration system, which is powered by UltraCamp. We ask for your patience as we sort through the inevitable bumps. For regular updates and program announcements, please join our email list, and/or follow us on Facebook and Twitter (both are @UrbanAdvSquad).
GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION
Click here to: create a new account or log into your existing account
The link above takes you to our registration site, which is powered by UltraCamp.
First-time users must create an account (this is required for registration for all UAS program);
returning users can access their accounts to register for additional programs, or make account changes.
To learn more about a typical program day, see our FAQs page.
For specific questions, please email us.
To receive announcements when we open registration, join our email list.
For questions about what we do, why we do it, and
how you can join the Squad as a participant or an employee,
check out our About and FAQs pages.
To avoid more pressing tasks and learn fun facts about
D.C.'s history, neighborhoods, urban farms, and the wonderful
local businesses and organizations that we visit and learn from,
check us out on Twitter or Facebook (@UrbanAdvSquad).