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Each of our locations is run by an experienced educator with years of classroom experience who believes strongly in the importance of a growth mindset.

For our Guides, we aim to hire people who are interested in developing their skills working with children. Often these are college students or recent graduates studying education or psychology.

Every team member passes a background check, is CPR and 1st Aid certified, and is trained to deliver the Neuron Garage curriculum in a supportive environment.

All staff members are at least 18 years of age.

We aim to serve a large and diverse population of children here in the United States, and eventually around the world. We believe that all children benefit from cultivating a growth mindset, regardless of their cultures, genders, races, and religions. While we have behavior standards to keep everyone safe and growing, we are driven to deliver a program and experience that respects and serves as many children as possible.

Behavior Expectations:

All participants are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible, respectful, and safe manner. Neuron Garage strives to create a fun, safe environment in which each child thrives individually and as a member of the community. Neuron Garage staff members are trained to use positive reinforcement, modeling, logical consequences, and discussion to guide behavior. If there is a situation in which these methods are not effective, you will be contacted to discuss additional intervention, up to and including, removal from the program if it is determined, in Neuron Garage’s sole discretion, that this is necessary. While we view misbehavior as an opportunity to learn and grow, we also place great value on the physical safety of our Campers and have a low tolerance for physical aggression.

Supervision and Support:

Each of our locations is run by an experienced educator with years of classroom experience. 

In addition to helping children develop a growth mindset, our mission is to teach future educators how to guide versus teach, so for our Guides (counselors), who are in the classrooms with the campers, we aim to hire people who are interested in developing their skills working with children. Often these are college students or recent graduates studying education or psychology and they do not necessarily have extensive experience working with children. 

We do not have the resources for one-on-one care with a Guide away from the rest of the campers very often. We hire for a 10:1 camper to Guide ratio and because of this, we are not staffed to support extensive one-on-one interactions. 

The Learning Environment:

There is a clear structure to the day, with specific times for each class to gather and have discussions. This is when any directions are given, though in general, the building time, which is the main part of the morning and afternoon, is quite open-ended and children are encouraged to work through challenges and seek out peers for support. It does tend to get pretty loud during these work times and can look somewhat chaotic. We, as the adults holding the space, know that it is a controlled and safe chaos, but it might be over-stimulating for some children.

Our approach to behavior management and interpersonal conflict is to view misbehavior and conflicts as opportunities for learning and growth. We talk to Campers about freedom within boundaries and adjust boundaries to allow for more or less freedom as necessary. We use positive reinforcement and logical consequences when we can, but have no tolerance for physical violence. If a Camper intentionally harms another Camper, they will be removed from camp.

Children Needing Accommodations, Including Those with Specific Health Concerns:

While we do not have any specific plans for meeting the varied needs of children with specific health concerns, neurodivergent children, or other children who may require accommodations, we aim to serve the widest population of children we can. We would love to know more about what accommodations your child would need in order to flourish in our program to determine whether or not this would be possible for us. 

When evaluating whether Neuron Garage is the right program for your child this summer, we invite you to reach out to the Director at the location you are considering with any additional questions.

If you are not satisfied with the program for ANY reason by the end of the day Tuesday, you can request a full refund. Each week at Neuron Garage is another opportunity to practice and apply the tools and strategies that build a Growth Mindset. One week is great, but practice is essential, so multiple weeks are better. We want to make sure that our Campers come back summer after summer and work hard to create a positive experience. The Garage Guarantee is our way of making sure we are delivering on that promise.

We want to make sure your child gets to experience the joy and transformation of Neuron Garage, but we also understand how difficult it is to coordinate summer plans. Flexible Booking allows you to reserve space early without worrying about losing your money if things change as your summer plans evolve. We offer full refunds, with no deposits or material fees, on any camps cancelled by May 1st — and after that, you receive credit good for the current summer or the following summer.

Some children come for just a week, though many stay for several weeks, and some for the whole summer. We have found that while we can see growth in a child from just one week of Neuron Garage, we have seen much larger gains from children who come for multiple weeks. We surveyed our staff and 95% of them “Agreed” or “Strongly Agreed” that campers who attend two or more weeks of Neuron Garage leave the experience better creative thinkers, collaborators and with more resilience.

The camp serves students entering Kindergarten – 6th grade. (Campers must be 5 by the start of the camp week they are attending.)

Campers entering K-2nd are in our Tinkerers program where we focus on stoking curiosity and creativity at a time in a child’s life when all of a sudden, those innate gifts are often taking a backseat to the more serious endeavors of growing up.

Campers entering 3rd-6th are in the Mechanics program focused on learning and applying good strategies as they build each week towards solutions to an open-ended challenge.

Camps run from early June through mid-August. Dates vary by location.

Each of our locations is open for campers from 8:30am-5:30pm.

The core camp hours are 9:30am-3:30pm, with Extended Hours until 5:30pm. We have a flexible drop off from 8:30-9:30 each morning because we know mornings with children don’t always go according to plan, and it can be difficult to get everyone up, fed, dressed and out of the house at a precise time. And it’s summer, so sometimes a slow morning is just what you need. However, this time at camp is put to great use. If you are able to get here before 9:30, children have the opportunity to connect with each other and the staff on a personal level and enjoy time together. This seemingly casual part of the day is actually a very purposeful way to create community and forge relationships that become important during the challenging, and sometimes frustrating, building times when campers often need to collaborate in order to succeed.

The regular camp day ends at 3pm. Between 1/2 and 3/4 of campers are picked up from 3-3:30pm, while the rest stay for Extended Hours. Our goal for this time is that when parents arrive, campers beg for just five more minutes. We believe that campers need some down time in the later afternoon, so this time is a bit different from the rest of the day. During Extended Hours, we take a break from the weekly Building Challenges and offer crafts and other fun activities that reinforce creativity and fine motor skills, which leads to more successful building. There is also plenty of time for campers to play games inside and run around outside (weather and space permitting).

Campers should come in comfortable clothes that can get messy. They will be moving around and working with a variety of materials, some of which may end up on their clothing.

Campers will have time outside each day, so if you would like them to wear sunscreen and/or insect repellant, please apply it in the morning before they come. You are welcome to send them with additional sunscreen or insect repellant to reapply in the afternoon. We will remind campers of this option and do our best to facilitate.

Campers should bring a lunch and a water bottle with them each day. We provide simple, packaged snacks during the day, though you are welcome to send additional snacks. Campers are free to help themselves to a snack in the morning and one in the afternoon and are encouraged to hydrate throughout the day.

Any food sent to camp should be ready to eat and able to be stored in the classroom.

Camps are staffed to a 1:10 ratio.

Capacity varies by campus, as does the capacity for individual classrooms at each campus. Please reach out to the Director at the campus you are considering for more details.