2026 SPARC National Conference

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.

Auxiliary programs don’t become fragmented by accident, and they don’t get fixed without intentional leadership. Whether you’re stepping into a new role or have been in the seat for years, this session focuses on how to take control of your program and build systems that actually work. We’ll walk through how to evaluate what you’ve inherited, define what matters, and centralize operations across registration, staffing, finance, communication, and reporting. This session balances high-level leadership decisions with practical execution. For experienced directors, it’s about tightening control, improving alignment, and making confident decisions. For newer leaders, it provides a clear target and the steps to get there. You’ll leave with both a strategic framework and tangible, immediately usable systems to bring consistency, clarity, and accountability to your auxiliary programs.

This session explores next generation auxiliary programming within a broader strategic question: why now, and what does the market demand of independent schools? Rather than treating these efforts as add-ons, we will explore how to build intentional ecosystems of experiences that align with mission, strengthen brand, and generate revenue. Using case studies from Miss Porter’s School and The Cambridge School of Weston (CSW), presenters will share the evolution of their adult education initiatives, including program development, enrollment trends, and lessons from early experiments such as CSW’s adult summer camp program and Porter’s professional learning offerings. We will surface key questions around market demand, ROI, partnerships, and aligning programs with institutional strengths and brand. In this working session, participants will identify opportunities within their own schools, leveraging existing assets to reach new audiences. Attendees will leave with practical tools for launching, evaluating, scaling, or sunsetting programs - inspired to think expansively about their school’s future.

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.

Most camp offices rely on spreadsheets, but few have systems that truly support decision-making. This session focuses on how to move from manual tracking to streamlined workflows that reduce workload and improve clarity. Using real examples from a high-volume summer program, you will see how data can be structured to update automatically, surface key insights, and support faster decisions around staffing, enrollment, and communication. Rather than focusing on technical builds, this session outlines a practical framework for organizing your information, identifying inefficiencies, and shifting repetitive tasks into automated processes. You will leave with a clear approach to evaluating your current systems and identifying where changes can save time and improve outcomes. Why Does This Matter? Better systems lead to faster decisions, stronger staffing alignment, and a smoother experience for families.

Join the dynamic (and occasionally discordant) duo of Dan O’Neil and Bob Rojee as they return to the SPARC stage for the second edition of this fan-favorite session. Inspired by the rapid-fire pace of sports talk media, Dan and Bob will dive headfirst into the world of Auxiliary Programs, covering everything from summer programs and school stores to facility rentals and auxiliary revenue.

Expect a high-energy atmosphere as they discuss, disagree, and joke their way through our industry's most pressing "Hot Takes." No topic is off-limits, and no consensus is guaranteed. Plus, new for this year: we’re taking it to the next level with a very special remote guest joining us for our own version of "Five Good Minutes." Whether you’re here for the expert insights or the inevitable banter, you won’t want to miss this sequel!

Transforming a summer or auxiliary program into a thriving, revenue-generating, mission-aligned operation does not happen in isolation. It requires a coalition of people, perspectives, and strategic buy-in across an organization. This dynamic panel brings together business partners, CFOs, community engagement leaders, and experienced summer and auxiliary directors to explore not only how to build successful program but also, when it’s time to rethink them.

What is the threshold for change when revenue plateaus or declines and pressure mounts to grow? When do you iterate, and when do you rebuild? Through candid conversation and real-world examples, panelists will share how they’ve navigated these inflection points, aligned stakeholders, and made strategic decisions that led to renewed growth.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. (Peter Drucker) This session will explore the operational environment of schools and how auxiliary programs can effectively align their program offerings with the school's core mission and priorities. We will cover standard metrics used to measure and gauge the success of auxiliary programs, alongside specific considerations for measuring individual schools' programs to ensure both mission alignment and desired performance are achieved.

We will identify some common drivers for both auxiliary programs and your school and discuss how to determine the most relevant metrics when defining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), evaluating program performance, and making strategic decisions related to auxiliary programming’s offerings, pricing, staffing, discounts, marketing, and more.