Question 1

Are the Alameda Arts after school programs onsite at the schools?

Accepted Answer

Yes and No! We are onsite at Maya Lin, Nea and Otis schools.  The children come directly to us after school and we stay on campus. We are off-site with our Paden School group. We walk to our site on Ballena Blvd.

Question 2

Are snacks provided?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we provide healthy snacks each afternoon. We always have fruit or vegetables and a protein such as cheese or yogurt.

Question 3

Does Alameda Arts cover early release days?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do.

Question 4

Are school holidays covered?

Accepted Answer

No, Alameda Arts provides after school programming only when the children have school. If the students are not at school there is no regular programming.

Question 5

Do kids have outside time?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they do! We offer children the choice to be inside or outside. They are free to play on the yard and play structure or participate in the organized activities we offer at Maya Lin, Nea and Otis.  Our Paden site offers time at a small beach and adventure walks.

Question 6

What does an average day look like at Alameda Arts?

Accepted Answer

The children come to us at the end of their school day, they check in with our staff and we serve a healthy snack. 
 
At Maya Lin,  Nea and Otis, our room operates like an art lab with a designated project each day and the ability for children to build, create and play with lots of materials on their own. 
 
Staff supervise all sites where children are playing enabling the children to move in and out at will. 
 
At Paden, children can choose to spend their time in any one of room in our Ballena site encouraging creative play. doing homework, building and creating.

Question 7

What do you do on a rainy day?

Accepted Answer

We love rainy days! If it’s not pouring rain, we play outside. We offer a variety of indoor activities in addition to our daily art projects. Some of our favorite activities are Personal Best Olympics, sticky note dancing, and playing with playdough. We stay busy.

Question 8

What is your student to teacher ratio?

Accepted Answer

We maintain a ratio of 15 to 1. We also hire school helpers, often alumni of our program, in addition to the adults staff members allowing for lots of big friends for the kids

Question 9

How do we sign up for the after school program?

Accepted Answer

Contact Alameda Arts at info@alamedaarts.com for availability and enrollment details.

Question 10

How are billing and payment set up?

Accepted Answer

The monthly installments are automatically charged to the credit card on file.  Alameda Arts' fees are based on the annual cost of the program spread out over regular monthly installments, regardless of the number of days attended in a given month.  Accordingly, Alameda Arts does not prorate for absences, including for reasons of holiday, illness, vacation or school closure.

Question 11

Why don't you charge less during holiday months?

Accepted Answer

We charge a set amount every month so that our families can budget accordingly.  We do not charge extra for longer months or 1/2 days.  The set monthly installment  is 10% of the cost for the full year.  Families  pay from August through June.

Question 12

Are scholarships available?

Accepted Answer

We have limited availability at our sites for need based scholarships.

Question 13

How do we sign up for summer camp?

Accepted Answer

Summer camp signup begins in February on a first come, first served basis.

Question 14

How do you choose the staff for Alameda Arts?

Accepted Answer

We find most of our staff through friends and family networks. Our staff must pass a Live Scan screening with the Department of Justice and have proof of a negative TB text to work with children. We understand the importance of community and employ high schoolers so our students have big friends and we have many former middle school students who drop in to visit and play. We provide professional development and ongoing training for all of our staff.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS