2026 SPARC National Conference

The keynote made the case that auxiliary programs belong inside your school's strategic portfolio, not outside it—this session opens that up as a conversation. Ian will field questions and work through real scenarios with attendees, translating the portfolio model into practical next steps schools can take back to their board or leadership team. Expect dialogue over slides and actionable strategy over theory.

What can a children's construction show teach us about summer camps and after-school programs? More than you might think. In this interactive session, participants will explore how intentional program design creates stronger outcomes for children, greater value for families, and more sustainable auxiliary programs for schools and organizations. Drawing inspiration from Peter Gray's research on the developmental power of play, the Reggio Emilia approach to child-centered learning, and proven strategies for embedding life skills development into camps and enrichment programs, we'll examine how every program can be designed with purpose.

Have you ever felt completely prepared for camp, only for little issues to come up, here, there, and everywhere? In this session, we will talk about situations that have come up or can come up and the optimal way to handle these; participants will be encouraged to share their own situations and how they dealt with them.

Move your Marketing and Auxiliary relationship from transactional to strategic. This session explores the key data points that matter, regardless of your role, and how to align auxiliary insights with broader school data to drive smarter decisions. Learn how to shift from reactive requests to intentional planning that supports both enrollment and program growth.

We’ll break down how to use data to inform marketing efforts, improve communication with MARCOM teams, and build trust through a shared strategy. When you move beyond quick fixes and last-minute asks, you create space for stronger collaboration, clearer messaging, and more impactful results. Walk away with practical ways to streamline your process, strengthen your partnership, and position your auxiliary program as a strategic asset within your school.

Turn the tools you already have into powerful, low-cost systems for managing your conferences and programs. This interactive roundtable explores how Google Workspace—especially Google Sheets—can be leveraged to streamline data management, improve organization, and automate workflows, helping you scale your programs more efficiently and accurately. Facilitators will share real-world systems and examples that leverage formulas, data connections, automation tools (such as Apps Script), and communication workflows (including mail merge strategies with Google Education Plus) to reduce manual work and improve accuracy. In addition to Google tools, the conversation may also touch on complementary platforms and emerging approaches such as AI-assisted (“vibe”) coding to extend functionality.

The format will be collaborative and discussion-driven. Presenters will guide the conversation through structured subtopics with tips & tricks from our experience and create space for participants to share their own tools, challenges, and solutions.This session is best suited for participants with a basic familiarity with spreadsheets. Those already highly advanced in Google Workspace automation may find the content more foundational, and we would love to hear your input & perspective through the discussion. Attendees will leave with new ideas, practical strategies, and adaptable frameworks to make their program data management more efficient and accurate.

"Let's get together (yeah yeah yeah)..." Great camps are built behind the scenes and in the moment. In this session, you’ll learn how to design a staff experience that’s intentional, meaningful, and uniquely yours, your camp’s “secret sauce.”

We’ll explore how to blend culture, skills, and values into training that sticks, using unseen learning, purposeful play, and connection-driven strategies. You’ll have to step out of the isolation cabin to build your own “artisan s’more,” a thoughtful mix of belonging and experience that keeps staff coming back!

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly changing how auxiliary and enrichment programs operate, but where should leaders begin? This interactive breakout session explores practical, real-world applications of AI that can enhance every stage of program delivery, from designing engaging curriculum and training staff to analyzing enrollment trends and making data-informed decisions.

Through three focused presentations, attendees will learn how organizations are leveraging AI to improve efficiency, strengthen program quality, personalize learning experiences, and gain actionable insights while maintaining responsible data practices. Whether you are just beginning your AI journey or looking to expand your use of emerging technologies, this session will provide tangible examples, proven strategies, and practical tools you can implement immediately.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how AI can support their teams, improve outcomes, and create more impactful experiences for students, families, and staff.

Discover fresh ideas from three schools that are rethinking what auxiliary programming can be. In this fast-paced, one-hour showcase session, each presenter will share a creative program or initiative that has made an impact on their campus, offering practical insights and lessons learned. Featured topics include "Birthday Parties Without the Pressure: Building an Inclusive After School Party" and "New Program Development: Global Welcome Week," along with “An Innovative Partnership that Strengthens Both Organizations”. Leave with new ideas, proven strategies, and inspiration you can adapt to your own school's programs.

Are you looking for a way to energize your camp, support your staff, and meaningfully engage your middle schoolers? Join us for a dynamic session on how to build and implement a strong Counselor-in-Training (CIT) Program that does more than just keep tweens busy, it develops leadership skills, fosters responsibility, and lays the foundation for future job success. In this session, we’ll explore how to effectively train middle school students to become capable, confident, and committed junior leaders by:

- Structuring a CIT Program that aligns with your camp’s culture and goals
- Providing age-appropriate leadership training that sticks
- Creating real, valuable roles for CITs that support your instructors and enrich the camp experience
- Promoting mentorship, teamwork, and a clear path to future employment

Whether you're launching a CIT program for the first time or looking to improve an existing one, this session will provide practical tools, proven approaches, and real-world examples to help you empower your middle schoolers and transform your camp community.

Offering financial assistance within revenue-generating programs can feel challenging—but it is possible to design models that expand access while maintaining program sustainability. In this session, two auxiliary program leaders share how their institutions built financial assistance into their summer camps and enrichment programs. Presenters will walk through the rationale behind allocating aid, how they partner with community-based organizations to reach families, and the operational processes used to distribute and manage funding. The session will also highlight lessons learned, including how these efforts have strengthened community partnerships and broadened program participation. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for creating financial aid structures, identifying community partners, and making the case for access initiatives within auxiliary and summer program operations.

Your program's website isn't just a digital brochure—it's your most powerful enrollment tool. But only if families can actually find it. In this session, we'll reveal the "secret ingredients" that push auxiliary and summer program websites to the top of Google search results—no paid ads required. We'll share real examples, including how one SPARC member built their site strategically and saw program enrollment increase dramatically in year one.

You'll walk away with a practical Website Health Check you can use immediately, plus data and language to build the investment case for your CFO or head of school—because getting budget approved for a website is half the battle. This session will change how you think about your school's most underutilized enrollment asset.

We all experience failure… it's inevitable. But what's important is how we respond to those failures. Come to this poolside discussion to share recent professional failures and what you've learned as a result!