SPARC National Conference 2024

Learn about how Armbrae Academy developed an innovative approach that elevates after school programming by awarding graduation credits to middle and upper school students. The program successfully engages middle and upper school students with educational, leadership, service learning, and employment opportunities. Come hear how the program works and take away concrete information that may support the development of your own program!

The great Warren Buffett once said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently." Safety incidents, scandals, and negative publicity undermine the mission and value-driven work that builds an institution's reputation and prestige. Risk management and compliance might not be glamorous terms, but they are critical to brand and reputation protection. Prevention is the goal, but when problems arise, managing the situation effectively is crucial to protecting the school's brand and maintaining trust with parents, students, and the community. We will provide unique insight and experience with risk management, the importance of compliance, and how to communicate when things go wrong.

Are you tired of constantly being bombarded with problems and issues from your team members, leaving you feeling overwhelmed and drained? In this empowering conference session, we'll explore how you, as a leader, can shift from being a problem-solver to a capability-builder, fostering a culture of empowerment and accountability within your team.

Too often, staff members rely on their leaders to solve every problem that arises, creating a bottleneck of dependency and stifling individual growth. In "Make Them Capable," we'll delve into strategies for breaking this cycle by empowering your team members to take ownership of their challenges and develop the skills and confidence to address them effectively.

We'll discuss the critical distinction between helping versus solving, emphasizing the importance of guiding team members through the problem-solving process rather than simply providing quick fixes. Through interactive exercises and case studies, participants will learn practical techniques for coaching and mentoring their team members to developing their problem-solving abilities and becoming more self-reliant.

Furthermore, we'll explore the art of giving and receiving feedback as a cornerstone of building capability within your team. Effective feedback mechanisms provide invaluable opportunities for growth and development, enabling individuals to learn from their experiences and continually improve their performance. Participants will gain insights into best practices for delivering constructive feedback that inspires growth and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Have you ever had issues with implementing curriculum and lesson plans when you have mixed ages in your class? How do we successfully present an activity or concept that will be engaging and challenging for a 4th grader without leaving the Kindergartener behind and struggling? This Session will be all about running a successful after school/enrichment program when you have varying ages and cognitive abilities. Tips and tricks to keep everyone stimulated and engaged including class prep, accommodations, scaffolding, behavior management, and more! Join me for a presentation then jump into the conversation to share additional experiences and ideas in this interactive workshop!

Welcome to the business side of the Auxiliary World. We are all the content creators and implementors of programs, but when it comes to financing a class or camp, we all find it difficult to make decisions. How do we charge families more for one class or camp over another? Do we pay some teachers more than others? Is there a school policy on how much to pay vendors? We will discuss these questions and others as we explore how to set pricing and strategically price classes. I will share what we do at our school and how we have tweaked our process over the years. We will cover Pk-8th grade programming, but I believe the model/information will also work for high schools.

Packed full of immediate tips, tricks, tools, and techniques, this session will explore how to be more productive and streamline your work day so you can focus on what really matters using personal information management, kanban, automation and more. What will you do with all the time you'll save?

Is your summer camp's branding in need of a checkup? From logos to color palettes to typography, join us as we dive into the vibrant world of branding and explore the essential elements that make unforgettable visual identities! During this SPARCburst, we'll guide you through an examination of your current camp branding, helping you identify your brand's strengths and diagnose areas that need a creative remedy. By the end of our session, you'll not only understand what makes an outstanding visual identity, but you'll also have practical tools and insights to elevate your camp above the competition, supercharge your participants' engagement, strengthen camp loyalty, and generate a healthy boost in your enrollment!

Learn about three concrete supervision strategies that all connect together and are simple to learn and implement. Foster leadership, autonomy, and clarity with your staff!

In this SPARCburst, come and understand the value of your data. Understand the why behind gathering certain information. Discuss what can be done once you have that data. Explore how your data can help you grow your programs. Take away key metrics that you should look for within your data. Finally, discuss who else can benefit from the data on your team.

Join us as we delve into the world of enrichment classes and explore their popularity. Are you curious about the most sought-after classes? Wondering when is the optimal time to open enrollment for maximum participation? Are there geographical variations?

In this session, we will unveil invaluable insights gathered from across the auxiliary program space through our partnership with hundreds of schools. Through a meticulous analysis of enrollment trends and geographic nuances, we'll uncover the patterns shaping the landscape of enrichment class participation.

AI can help us in more ways than one. Not only can it help with making an email sound better, it can generate stickers and logos. Learn how Pine Crest School has started playing with AI. Come chat about suggestions for AI usage - in emails, sharing an account with your team, creating logos and stickers, and developing hashtags, to name a few.  

Often, schools take an either-or approach to auxiliary programs, either bringing in external partners to provide programs or running their own in-house offerings. Many worry that an outside vendor will draw scholars and dollars away from their internal programs. In this session, we will consider how schools might strategically implement both in-house and external programs to maximize non-tuition revenue. We look at some success stories, discuss various models, and share some questions to consider as you explore external partners to augment in-house programs.

Learn how current SPARC partners have leveraged student travel to benefit cross-campus relationships, create immersive experiences for their students, supplement revenue, and offer an alternative to on-campus summer programming.

This session would be especially beneficial to programs that provide a variety of specialty camps for families to choose from. Through providing a "camp concierge" service, you are creating ways to connect with your customer, showing that your camps can fit their needs, and increasing awareness about programs that might otherwise be overlooked or are lacking in enrollment.

Let's Bake a Cake Together! Do you have DEI goals and passionate community members, but you aren't sure how to bring them together in a way that gets everyone on board? Drawing on the stages of group formation, completing a SWOT analysis for your organization, and determining who sits where in your Spheres of Influence, we will explore ways to engage passionate colleagues, call in community stakeholders, and set goals for DEI work to feel actionable, sustainable, and more than just the frosting on the cake. We’ll ask questions like: what kind of cake are we baking (what are we hoping to achieve), how big is it (how long will these initiatives take), who determines the ingredients (what stakeholders are involved), are there any allergies (anything off limits), who does the mixing and baking, who does the frosting, who do you get to share the cake with?

Auxiliary began as an afterthought at most schools, so many schools are still catching up on how to incorporate auxiliary and those employees. You work at a school for a reason: community!!

Learn to increase/maximize your visibility! You'll discover how to discuss your visibility through proper channels all the way to the top (supervisor, eventually with Head of School; your desire to be visible is a good thing!) We'll cover individual visibility: carline, lunch duty, recess duty, field trips, subbing, and more! Make sure your programs are visible to the rest of the school community (parent, student, faculty, and administrative).

Learn the benefits of collaborating with: Communications, Advancement, Business, DEI, Admissions, Technology, Facilities, and Head of School.

Main takeaways:

Maximizing your visibility as an individual can increase your department’s visibility
Maximizing your department’s visibility can spread awareness and understanding
Working to include inter-departmental collaboration as a job expectation can help support auxiliary departments in myriad ways
Wanting visibility is a good thing; advocating for your position doesn’t have to be mutually inclusive with advocating for yourself

We'll have time at end for group involvement to share anecdotal best practices and questions.

Join us for an insightful session as we delve into the intricacies of securing grants at the local and state levels to support scholarships, supplies, and staffing. Discover the myriad benefits of grant funding, from enhancing financial stability to expanding access to quality programs through scholarships. However, we'll also explore the challenges and potential drawbacks, such as the complex application process, stringent regulations, and the risk of dependency on temporary funding sources. Through real-life examples and expert guidance, we'll navigate the pros and cons of grant acquisition, empowering camp leaders to make informed decisions and develop effective funding strategies. Whether you're a seasoned grant seeker or new to the process, this session promises valuable insights to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of your summer camp programs.

In this engaging session, learn the top five tips for running a successful music school, including the critical role of selecting the right instructors, and how to establish a reputable music auxiliary program. Dr. Dakoli will offer actionable insights on fostering creativity, improving student outcomes, and creating lasting community connections—all through the power of music. Join her for an inspiring talk that will leave you motivated to elevate your music auxiliary program and collaborate for greater success!

Looking for a new marketing idea? Join us as we share our experience working with two mommy influencers this summer.