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Dear Becky,
During my former life as Education Curator at an aquarium, I wrestled with
the same challenge. We came up with two practical solutions.

One was to create a partnership with another provider who had
transportation - in our area that was the local YMCA's (several). They have
after-school (and summer) programs, buses, and a desire for content, which
we could provide. We essentially worked as a sub-contractor to the YMCA's
programs. Our facility and programs provided a field trip location for
them, sometimes as a one-time program, and other times as a week-long
themed enrichment "camp."

The second solution was to bring our programs on the road - to the school
sites or community centers, as a marine science club. The programs were run
through our outreach department. Funding was provided primarily through
grants. The key to each one was to find a faculty advisor for the club, or
to offer occasional programs under the auspices of an existing after-school
club.

Neither was perfect, but each allowed us to reach a sector of the market
that we couldn't reach any other way.

Diane

At 12:05 AM 1/9/04 -0500, you wrote:
>I'm working on a grant for an out-of-school program for middle school
>students and am running into a logistics nightmare with the transportation
>issue. How are other science centers or museums getting students from
>schools to their sites for after school programs and then home after? How
>about Saturday programs? Three of the schools we would like to include are
>magnet schools, so a percentage of those students are from all over the
>county. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
>
>Thanks!
>Becky
>
>Becky Fox Matthews
>Educator/Distance Learning and Special Projects
>Adventure Science Center
>800 Ft. Negley Blvd.
>Nashville, TN 37203
>615-401-5073
>www.adventuresci.com

Diane A. Baxter, Ph.D.
Director of Development
Quail Botanical Gardens
P.O. Box 230005
Encinitas, CA  92023-0005
(760) 436-3036 ext. 216
www.qbgardens.org

"Sowing seeds of wonder for today and tomorrow"

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