COVID-19 PUTS BRAKES ON COLLEGE FOR KIDS PROGRAM; SEVEN AREAS OF INTEREST AND 29 COURSES OFFERED ON PRESCOTT CAMPUS; ONE SUBJECT AND SIX (POSSIBLY EIGHT) COURSES IN WRITING OFFERED ON VERDE CAMPUS; TWO COOKING COURSES AT SEDONA CENTER

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, July 10th, 2021

Far cry from 1,000 or more students on Verde Campus in 2017; since then enrollment in this program on Verde Campus has been plummeting; appears not so in Prescott

The Covid-19 pandemic no doubt played a role in limiting the number of courses offered by Yavapai Community College in this summer’s College for Kids program.  According to registration data from the College, the Prescott side of the College was able to marshal courses in seven areas of interest (see chart below) while offering a total of 29 courses.

The Verde Campus/Sedona Center was able to offer six courses in the writing area all taught by the Director of the program.  (See chart below.) The program is entitled “Writers Bootcamp” and offers four writing courses to students ages 6-9 and two courses to students 9-12. The Sedona Center offers two one-day cooking classes.

According to the College, the classes will take place at the Clarkdale campus of Yavapai College as well as the Camp Verde Community Library through the third week of July. The class in Camp Verde is called “How to Write Pop Fiction,” and takes place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. the week of July 6 to 15. (These may, or may not, be in addition to the two bootcamps listed on the schedule for the same week but beginning a day earlier.)

The Community College has also contacted a private nonprofit online educational company, Black Rocket, and on the Verde Valley website it is encouraging students to consider signing up for on-line STEM classes at a cost of around  $169 per class.  How many , if any, of the Black Rocket courses will have live instruction on the Verde Campus in addition to on-line classes is not clear from the information supplied by the Community College. However, the College advertises the courses  as virtual and live so it is anticipated some portion of these Black Rocket classes will have live classes on the Verde Campus.

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS ARTS & CRAFTS CLASSES

  1. Cartoon Characters & Critters • Ages 8-13

  2. SU21CK-001 • Mon-Thu, 6/7 to 6/10/21 9:30 – 11 am • WebLive

  3. SU21CK-002 • Mon-Thu, 7/12 to 7/15/21 9:30 – 11 am • WebLive

  4. Discover and Create Native Arts • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-003 • Mon-Thu, 7/19 to 7/22/21 9 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

  5. Flights of Imagination: Sewing Felties • Ages 10-15 SU21CK-004• Mon-Thu, 6/14 to 6/17/21 1 – 4 pm • WebLive

  6. SU21CK-005 • Mon-Thu, 7/12 to 7/15/21 1 – 4 pm • WebLive

  7. Watercolor and Mixed Media • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-009 • Mon-Thu, 6/14 to 6/17/21 9 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

  8. Kaleidoscope Art • Ages 5-13 SU20CK-006 • Mon-Thu, 7/26 to 7/29/21 9 am- noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

  9. Paint Like the Masters 101 • Ages 5-13 SU20CK-007 • Mon-Thu, 6/7 to 6/10/21 9 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

  10. Paint Like the Masters 201 • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-008 • Mon-Thu, 7/12 to 7/15/21 9 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS FOOD & COOKING CLASSES

  1. Edible Explorations • Ages 11-14 SU21CK-010 • Tue/Thu, 6/8 to 6/24/21 11:30 am 1:00 pm • Mountain Oak Charter School 1455 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott
  2. SU21CK-011 • Tue/Thu, 7/6 to 7/22/21 11:30 am 1:00 pm • Mountain Oak Charter School 1455 Willow Creek Rd., Prescott
  3. Natural Cooking for the Soul: Live and Raw Foods Ages 5-13 SU21CK-012 • Mon-Thu, 6/21 to 6/24/21 9 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS LIFE SKILLS CLASSES

  1. Babysitter’s Boot Camp • Ages 11-15 SU21CK-013 • Mon-Thu, 6/21 to 6/24/21 1 – 5 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 204
  2. Random Acts of Kindness • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-014 • Mon-Thu, 7/19 to 7/22/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102
  3. Social Influence and Persuasion • Ages 14-17 SU21CK-015 • Tue, 6/15/21 1 – 3 pm • Prescott Campus • WebLive
  4. The Good Life • Ages 14-17 SU21CK-016 • Thu, 6/3 to 7/8/21 11 am – 1 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 19, Room 207

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS NATURE CLASSES

  1. Prescott Junior Audubon Nature Club • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-017 • Mon-Thu, 6/7 to 6/10/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102
  2. Prescott Junior Audubon Nature Club presents “The Grand Canyon Club” • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-018 • Mon-Thu, 7/12 to 7/15/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS PERFORMING ARTS CLASSES

  1. Drama Camp: Comic Relief • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-019 • Mon-Thu, 6/21 to 6/24/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102
  2. Drama Camp: The Funny Bone Show • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-020 • Mon-Thu, 7/26 to 7/29/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102
  3. Drama Camp: Zany Improv • Ages 5-13 SU21CK-021 • Mon-Thu, 6/14 to 6/17/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 31, Room 102

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS SCIENCE CLASSES

  1. Earth’s Treasures • Ages 9-13 SU21CK-022 • Mon-Thu, 6/14 to 6/17/21 9 – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 216
  2. SU21CK-023 • Mon-Thu, 6/14 to 6/17/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 216
  3. SU21CK-024 • Mon-Thu, 6/21 to 6/24/21 9 – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 216
  4. SU21CK-025 • Mon-Thu, 6/21 to 6/24/21 1 – 4 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 216

PRESCOTT COLLEGE FOR KIDS WRITING CLASSES

  1. Camp Writing S’mores • Ages 11-14 SU21CK-026 • Mon-Thu, 6/7 to 6/10/21 1 – 3 pm • Prescott Campus • Bldg 3, Room 204
  2. Intro to Blogging • Ages 14-17 SU21CK-027 • Mon & Wed, 6/7 to 6/23/21 10 am – noon • Prescott Campus • Bldg 19, Room 207
  3. Writing and Being – The Gift of Language Ages 14-17 SU21CK-028 • Tue, 6/22 to 7/27/21 1 – 3 pm • WebLive

VERDE CAMPUS/SEDONA CENTER COLLEGE FOR KIDS CLASSES

Writers Bootcamp Schedule (as found on Community College web site)

  1. Writers Bootcamp: Science Fiction! (Grades 6-9) M,W, 10 am – 12 pm, 6/7-6/162.
  2. Writers Bootcamp: Horror! (Grades 6-9) T,Th, 10 am – 12 pm, 6/8-6/17 
  3. Writers Bootcamp: Fantasy! (Grades 6-9) M,W, 10 am – 12 pm, 6/21-6/30 
  4. Writers Bootcamp: Graphic Novels (Grades 6-9) T,Th, 10 am – 12 pm, 6/22-7/1 
  5. Writers Bootcamp: Outlining YOUR Novel (Grades 9-12) M,T,W,Th, 10 am – 1 pm, 7/5-7/8 
  6. Writers Bootcamp: The Writing Career (Grades 9-12) M,T,W,Th, 10 am – 1 pm, 7/12-7/15

According to the College’s Director of Community Education for the Verde Valley, the classes will take place at the Clarkdale campus of Yavapai College as well as the Camp Verde Community Library through the third week of July. The class in Camp Verde is called “How to Write Pop Fiction,” and takes place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m. the week of July 6 to 15.

The Community College has also contacted a private nonprofit online educational company, Black Rocket, and is encouraging students to consider signing up for on-line STEM classes at a cost of $169 per class.  How many, if any, of the Black Rocket courses will have live instruction in addition to on-line is not clear from the information supplied by the Community College.

It is also not clear from the Community College’s web site whether the Camp Verde Classes discussed by the Director in the Redrock News  of July 7 are in addition to the six bootcamp  classes listed.

In his July 7 interview with the Redrock News, the Director said so far he had five students sign up for each of the Writers Bootcamp offerings.  He said because of the small enrollment, he has been able to focus on the students and gain experience teaching the news courses.

The College for Kids program on the Verde Campus has a checkered history.  It was completely closed down in 2012 and 2013 but was  resurrected in 2014.  In 2015 only 14 programs were offered.

Then, in 2016 Steve King and other superintendents in the Verde Valley stepped in to give the Community College a helping hand. There began a joint, serious effort to build the program with bus transportation provided by the District schools and extensive scholarships offered by the District schools and the Community College.  Dean James Perey told the Governing Board on May 9, 2017 that in 2016 485 children and young adults attended the “College for Kids” on the Verde Campus. By 2017, with leadership being provided by local superintendents, it had an estimated 1,200 slots for youngsters in its summer program. 

However, since 2017, the program  has been gradually sliding backwards in its  enrollment and programs in the Verde Valley.

Categories : College for Kids

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