FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Where do the kids come from?
Everywhere.  While most of the children and teens are local, many commute from as far away as Southern New Hampshire and Rhode Island. 
Each year since our start in 2004, we have had the privilege of serving campers from other countries such as Japan, England, Ireland, Panama, and Puerto Rico, as well as many states across our nation (e.g., Georgia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Hawaii, etc.).

What is the functioning level of the kids in the program?
The children and teens in our program are very bright and high functioning across all areas, however, they may struggle with shyness, difficulty connecting with their peers, or difficulty reading other's body language.  Our program also welcomes students interested in further developing their acting knowledge, skills, and experience. 

What diagnoses do the kids have?
Typical diagnoses include Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, ADHD, and Social Anxiety.  Many of our students have no diagnosis or attend our program to help become "less shy."  Many of our campers are also gifted students who want to learn how to "connect better" with their mainstream peers.  We have also introduced an "mainstream" peer component to our program.  These students are generally enrolled as a peer model.

Are the kids in front or behind the camera?
The kids are in front of the camera.  Those who are interested in getting behind the camera can enjoy the Extended Day workshops that teach film making and editing.

What are counselor qualifications?
Our Lead Counselors generally have graduate degrees or extensive experience in their area of expertise.  Each Lead Counselor is supported by 1 or 2 Counselors who are either recent college graduates or students studying Psychology, Education, Speech & Language, Expressive Therapy, and related fields.  We do not hire High School students as Counselors, although we offer a Peer Mentor internship program for students who would like to volunteer to our program over the summer.  Our 4:1 ratio includes only the Lead Counselors and Counselors.

What are the gender ratios?
Our program is very fortunate that we have always maintained a balanced, very close to 50/50, male to female camper ratio each summer.  On a few summers, the girls even out-numbered the boys by 1 or 2.

Is it fun?
Yes, yes, and yes.

Besides Acting, what other activities are there?
The children and teens enjoy many choices in their day including outdoor sports/activities, jewelry making, arts and crafts, and free choice of games in the common area.  We also go swimming at the indoor pool at Regis each week.  Every Wednesday, we drop everything and go on a Field Trip to places such as Canobie Lake, The North Shore Musical Theatre (Live Production), Museum of Science, boating, etc.  Our Extended Day program also offers additional workshops.

How are the goals set?
For students attending our regular program, our staff attend a two-week training program prior to the start of camp.  During that time, 2 days are dedicated to reviewing all of our campers' files and establishing Pre-Camp goals.  During the first week of camp, as we are getting to know your children, we modify those goals.  Each day, we meet as a staff for 1 hour to discuss goals, interventions, and strategies for our campers, and the goals continue to be modified as necessary.  It is important that all of our Counselors are aware of each child's goals, even if they are not directly assigned to that child's group.  This facilitates the counselors role of Social Coach during free and unstructured times.  At mid-summer, parents are provided with a list of goals, and a meeting is set up with their child's Lead Counselor to discuss the goals, strategies, and progress.

Do School Systems pay for Camp?
Many of our campers' tuition is paid for by their school systems.  In almost all of these cases, the child has an Individual Education Plan that provides summer programming for pragmatics.

Does it feel like a Special Needs Camp?
Our goal is to give the children and teens a "Real Drama Workshop" and camp experience.  Our pragmatics (Leadership) workshop is delivered in what we call, "Stealth Mode."  All the concepts are taught in an activity-based format that does not focus on weaknesses.  Instead, the programming is provided in a manner that benefits the social and professional development of any child or "young aspiring actor."  Our older teens participate in a CIT program that focuses on college and independent living preparation, teaching social negotiation and job interviewing/work skills.