WHAT MAKES NAPCA SUMMER ACADEMY UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE?
WELL RESPECTED COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS SUMMER PROGRAM
Now entering our 4th season, we have engaged thousands of kids and teens from the U.S. and internationally in our college and career readiness summer programs each year, and have empowered them to find their purpose, break through their barriers, and take ownership of their future aspirations. What is amazing is how our participants share what they learned at NAPCA with their family and friends. In return, we have received several testimonials of how our programs have made a positive impact on our participants, their friends and family. That’s the power of NAPCA: Peer networking and sharing resources and knowledge with family and friends.
COMPREHENSIVE & UNMATCHED SUMMER PROGRAM CURRICULUM
Our dedicated curriculum development team helps set us apart. We offer rigorous yet fun college and career readiness courses imaginable that will help NAPCA participants become better prepared and competitive for the college of their choice. Additionally, our courses will prepare students to break through the social, cultural, and academic barriers that most college students face on their path to college graduation. Our goal is to connect students with the knowledge, tools, and resources to help them become prepared to navigate the path to college entry and completion.
INTERNAL DRIVE TO INNOVATE AND PUT OUR STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND EMPLOYEES FIRST
Aaron Smith (NAPCA Founder, President and CEO) bootstrapped the startup of NAPCA during his PhD program. Hungry for success? Yes. Did not allow barriers, roadblocks, or setbacks to stop the NAPCA Bus from moving forward? Yes. Making and answering phone calls at 8 AM to 3 AM? Yes. Driving marketing & promotional materials from school to school? Yes. Doing whatever it takes—that’s the internal drive of NAPCA. We know what it is like to run a start-up, to risk everything, to step out and walk by faith when things are not going as you planned, and most important – to put our students, parents, and employees first. In 2009 our CEO’s vision was to provide the best individualized, high-energy, hands-on college and career readiness education that any summer program and camp could offer. Something unique—unlike anything else. It’s still our goal today.
THE BEST COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES IN THE U.S.
The NAPCA Summer Academy is held at an unparalleled lineup of university campuses across the U.S. including Harvard, UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, Pepperdine, and University of Hawai'i. We believe that giving you an introduction to college life and teaching you how to overcome the academic, social, and cultural barriers to college entry and completion will boosts your chances of attending a four-year university down the road. We recently conducted a survey of NAPCA alumni, and we found that 100% of NAPCA students go on to attend some form of postsecondary education.
10 STUDENTS PER STAFF – GUARANTEED
Our student’s safety and providing the best supervision day and night is our priority. 10 students or fewer per staff, guaranteed.
Here’s our promise:
We guarantee a maximum of 10 students per staff at the NAPCA Summer Academy. If, during your participant’s program session, we should go beyond 10 students per staff member (11 or greater) for two or more consecutive days, the participant receives $50 credit to their NAPCA student account.
It’s that simple.
Please note: The only time we have failed to deliver on our ratio promise in the past was for a sick staff member, or a staff member that did not perform to our expectations. In those few instances, a new staff member was brought in—but not within the timeframe we promised. We honored the NAPCA Guarantee, and students were given a credit to their NAPCA student account.
HANDS ON LEARNING – SMALL CLASS SIZES
From the moment you enter our classrooms, the experience is hands-on. You just might find our classroom to be outdoors on the college campus. Yes, you don’t have to sit in classroom with 4 walls to learn. We’ll challenge you, guide you, and encourage you to ask questions whether your classroom is inside a building on campus or outdoors on campus. You’ll focus on one seminar at a time but will attend several seminars (the total number of seminar depends on your program), build your college and career readiness portfolio, and debut your final individual and group project at the end of the program. We want you to leave our program with a defined purpose for your life, empowered with the tools, knowledge, and resources to break through your barriers to college entry and completion, and take ownership of your future aspirations. With a balance of class time and outdoor fun, you’ll think critically, problem-solve, collaborate, and socialize. We make time for on and off campus excursions such as college tours, bowling and skating, theme parks as well as optional sports and board games.
FRIENDLY AND HIGHLY EXPERIENCED STAFF
Our instructors are passionate about teaching college and career readiness courses—this is a must. We recruit industry professionals, college graduates, current Masters and PhD degree students, and upper-level undergraduates. Many NAPCA alumni return to “pay it forward” once they’re qualified to serve on our staff roster.
UNIQUE CULTURE OF INNOVATION & CHANGE
Every year, we’re excited to announce new courses, new locations, and lots of cools innovations.
ACCREDITATION FROM TOP INSTITUTION
Our program sites are currently applying to receive accreditation by the American Camp Association (ACA), signifying we have met or surpassed over 300 health and safety criteria. Read more about ACA at www.acaprograms.org for authenticity.
COMMITMENT TO SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT
Criminal background checks, sexual offender checks, and personal and professional references are mandatory for all staff members. Each program location has a Director and staff members who are CPR & First-Aid certified. We regularly evaluate our program staff and instructors to make sure our high standards are met. You evaluate them too. Trains, planes, and automobiles deliver staff to required regional training sessions prior to the start of each summer program. The well-being of our students and staff is worth the extra miles. It equates to peace-of-mind for parents.
FLEXIBILITY FOR THE MODERN PARENT
You’ve got a lot going on. Life is very busy—we totally get it. Here’s how we help:
No Waiting in Program Check-In Lines for more than 5-10 minutes: Check-in should take no more than 5-10 minutes. Through technology and innovation, our concept of “line-ology” has been carefully studied, and lines have pretty much gone the way of the dinosaurs. A little nerdy, we know. But we know that if we can save you time, you’ll love us.
Flex Hours: Did you know that commuting students at our summer programs have a wide check-in window from 7-9 AM and pick-up from 6-10 PM? No extra cost. Super convenient for commuting parents. If your kids need to sleep in a little extra on a given day or if you need to pick them up early during the program, no worries. No stress.
Okay to Make Changes: If you enroll a student in our program today, but need to make changes to their program enrollment agreement at a later time because of summer vacation, summer school, etc…no worries. And no change fees will apply up until 4 weeks to the start of your session.
Mobile Ready: All the new “tech tools” we build (online summer program application, enrollment forms) are designed with mobile in mind. So, if you need to do everything via your phone or tablet from wherever you are, you’ll be able to—quickly and easily.
These are some of the things that make us unique. At NAPCA, many of us (including our founder and several board members) have young families. We ask ourselves, “would we send our own kids to NAPCA?” The answers are “yes, we would.” And “yes, we do.” We strive to provide the best for your family and ours.
We hope that after attending one of our NAPCA Summer Academy program locations, you’ll reflect back on your experience as you graduate high school. As you pack your bags for college. As you continue learning and growing, taking the leap toward your first “real” job or launching your own company. Roads originating at NAPCA lead to real opportunities. Take ownership of what you love (or your purpose in life) and dedicate your life to it. That’s the NAPCA difference!