General Information

We both take the virus and all its implications seriously, both personally and professionally, hence the decision to operate virtually in 2020 while we learned successful prevention strategies.

In planning for this summer, we remained in conversation with Jeff Jude, our school nurse, and other independent school counterparts locally, statewide, and nationally. We regularly consult guidance issued by the Center for Disease Control and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. We also both serve on committees that have led the successful return to campus for our school-year students and have thus developed an awareness of all that's needed to operate together in-person over the last ten months.

We feel confident that we've crafted an on-campus summer schedule that prioritizes the health and safety of our summer community while maximizing fun for students. We're more eager to welcome you than ever, and we're here to support you as you consider your family's summer plans.

As well-researched, reliable recommendations change between now and summer, our protocols regarding COVID-19 may shift. We'll alert enrolled families of significant changes to any policies.

Ruthie Allen, Summer Programs Coordinator
Anthony L. Clay, Director of Extended Learning

In planning for this summer, we made the decision to reduce our scale to allow for small cohorts of students and adequate facility space for each cohort. 

We've reduced the number of camps offered each week.

Each class is considered a cohort and most will be capped at approximately 10-14 students. Also in each cohort is the instructor and one CIT or Intern to assist the instructor.

We've instituted changes in our daily schedule to maintain the integrity of cohorts. Students and staff will no long gather together in Morning Meeting, we won't offer Extended Day, and groups will interact only outdoors at break or lunch. Friday presentations will generally be outdoors and more limited than in past years.

Members of the Leadership Team will enter a group's space with intentionality, and not for more than 15 cumulative minutes in one day. All members of our Leadership Team are fully vaccinated. Outside visitors will not generally be permitted inside camp spaces.

As part of a Community Health Agreement signed by staff and by families, all staff and students will be expected to complete a brief, daily checklist at home to confirm there are no symptoms present and no known, recent, direct COVID-19 exposure.

We will not require submission of any COVID screening form each day, but rely on the care and caution of each staff member and parent/guardian to safeguard the health and well-being of our Summer Programs community.

As of June, we expect everyone on campus to properly wear a well-fitting face covering indoors. 

Masks can be removed during snack and lunch times, which will generally occur outdoors at a distance.

We'll try to provide other opportunities for outdoor, distanced short mask breaks as helpful during the day. And, when students can be safely and consistently distanced outside for other activities, we'll also try to relax the masking expectation.

Instructors will reinforce proper hand-washing and create frequent opportunities for hand washing and/or sanitizing.

All indoor classrooms are outfitted with HEPA filters. Most have windows that can remain open, weather allowing, and many also have exterior doors that can remain open--of course, with the heat and humidity of a North Carolina summer, this can be a balancing act. 

Each class will also have access to adequate outdoor spaces. Instructors are encouraged to utilize outdoor spaces whenever possible.

High touch surfaces, materials, and equipment will be cleaned and sanitized daily by our cleaning staff, our CITs and Interns, and instructors. 

Layouts in classrooms have been modified to allow three to six feet of distance between seats. Instructors have been encouraged to include activities that can take place outdoors with distance between students. 

With possible few exceptions as some staffing may change, all members of our summer teaching cohort and summer Leadership Team are fully vaccinated. We were thankful to partner with Durham County to make sure our teachers had access to the vaccine in March.

With the exception of one program in Week 9, Virtual Programs are not currently planned for Summer 2021. We surveyed families and found that very few were interested in virtual programming for their camper this year. We do welcome you to join us in our virtual offering of Minecraft Community in Week 9.

In order to maintain the integrity of camp cohorts, we have made the difficult decision not to  offer Extended Day as usual before 9:00 am or after 3:00 pm during Summer Programs 2021. We regret the strain this places on families. We appreciate your understanding of our efforts to be cautious in the health interest of students, their families, our staff, and the wider community.

Some classes typically enjoy outings or field trips beyond our CFS campus. In order to comply with CDC guidance, bus field trips will be quite limited this summer (based especially on the number of students in a class).

Culinary offerings will have a classroom space in addition to the use of a school kitchen to allow for adequate distancing.

Our popular, perennial sports classes like Sports Action and Sports Shorts will be modified to allow for distancing and equipment cleaning. Sports that allow distance between participants may replace high-contact sports or activities. Shared equipment will be regularly cleaned. Whenever weather permits, sports classes will spend much of their their time outdoors. Especially in case of severe heat or rain, they'll be in one of our two large gym spaces.

Magic in Teaching and Learning

• A program rooted in the mission and philosophy of Carolina Friends School, founded in the early 1960s as one of the first intentionally racially-integrated schools in the South.

• Lots of options — in 2021, 130+ classes across nine weeks for ages 4 to 18 in these curricular areas:
  • Creative Expression
    • digital, literary, performing, and visual arts
  • Culinary Creations
  • Leadership and Personal Growth
  • Learning Explorations
  • Nature/Outdoor Adventures
  • Sports Fun

• A 126-acre campus of woods, pastures, stream, and gardens, conveniently located minutes from downtown Chapel Hill and Durham, close to I-40 and I-85, across from the Duke Campus Farm and adjacent to the Duke Forest. We have two gyms, tennis courts, soccer and Ultimate frisbee fields, a 330-seat performing arts center, and dedicated buildings for students through age 18.

• A wonderful variety of people — in a given summer, we generally serve some 850 students from approximately 150 schools (independent, traditional public, charter, and home) in some eight to 10 states and five or more countries (for example, China, Japan, India, Portugal, Russia, Spain). We welcome all students, families, and staff to bring their authentic selves to Summer Programs.

• An experienced, expert staff who genuinely love and care for young people. For 2021 we've engaged some 45 school-year educators and other adult professionals to teach courses in their areas of passion. They pass the same background safety checks as CFS school-year teachers. Summer Programs instructors are assisted by:
  • Counselors-In-Training (ages 13-15) who've completed our Leadership Challenge course and have leadership development activities facilitated by our CIT/Intern Coordinator
  • Interns — many former students and CITs — with experience working with children

• A long history — we've been offering summer programs for more than 30 years. One instructor has taught every summer save three since 1992! Others began here as students, then became CITs and Interns, and now teach the next generation.

• Positive experiences for students that led to CFS Summer Programs being named the Indy Week "Best of the Triangle" for Orange/Chatham County Summer Camp in 2019 and 2020.

• We're a non-profit organization. All Summer Programs proceeds support learning opportunities for students during the summer and throughout the year.

We know you have lots of summer options. Like thousands of families through the decades, we invite you to discover the magic of teaching and learning at CFS Summer Programs for your children!

Summer 2021 classes run from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Drop-off is from 8:45 to 9:00 am at one of four designated outdoor locations. Staff will help direct your student to the appropriate class meeting spot; the CIT, Intern, and/or Instructor will then lead the group to the classroom.

Pick up takes place from 3:00 to 3:15 pm at the same designated outdoor location for each class--you can pull up and the instructor or CIT/Intern will release your student.

CFS is situated on 126 acres of woodlands and pastureland between Chapel Hill and Durham, and convenient to I-40 (Exit 270). Please map Directions from your specific location.

We offer courses for students ages 4 to 18. The age of the students is next to the course title. We trust parents' understanding of their children, including whether they generally work better with older or younger peers. You can determine if your nine-year-old will be most happy and successful as the oldest in a course for six to nine-year-olds or as the youngest in a course for nine to thirteen-year-olds. Thank you for thoughtfully considering the placement most likely to be successful for your student and other students in the chosen class.

Our longstanding Early Learners Program for students aged 4-5 are led by early-childhood educators assisted by a CIT and a high school or college Intern. The weekly courses, each with a different theme, take place at our Campus Early School on Main Campus. Students as young as five may also enroll in other courses in our Lower School and other Main Campus locations.

We're delighted to offer courses for high school-age students for another year! We have experienced educators leading innovative programs, including forensic science, Magic the Gathering and math, and social justice activism.

Older high schoolers (ages 16+) may also apply to serve for a minimum of two weeks (consecutive or nonconsecutive) in our unpaid Internship Program.

We invite all enrolled families to join us on our campus for an optional, outdoor open house at 2:30 pm on Sunday, June 20, 2021. We hope the event helps students and families feel more confident and comfortable as they join us for one or more weeks.

We'll have organic frozen juice popsicles, do some staff introductions, share some reminders, and then help families find their child's classroom(s) and explore other relevant spaces, including playgrounds!

We hope to see you on June 20!

Extended Learning @ CFS is an umbrella created in Fall 2016 to encompass existing after-school care and summer programs. We’ve since been creating new enrichment options for students, adults, and families—in the CFS community and beyond.

We’ve launched after-school Student Enrichment courses (from art to outdoor adventure programs); after-school Music Lessons for students and adults; weekend Family Enrichment courses; and Camp CFS for student care on teacher workdays. We’re pursuing adult enrichment courses and travel and other opportunities at the local, regional, national, and international levels (including a civil rights bus tour of the South).

Most of these programs are available to non-CFS families and community members.

Please contact Anthony and Ruthie at ExtendedLearning@cfsnc.org or 919.383.6602 x*263, for more information. We'd love to hear from you!

This year the holiday is a Sunday. We understand some families may choose various options to mark Independence Day, but we'll operate on a regular five-day (Monday through Friday) schedule both weeks around the holiday. Happy Fourth!