Summer Programs Frequently Asked Questions
Financial Assistance
Financial assistance is available to local residents through our partnership with One22. One22 Resource Center is the Coordinator of Youth Enrichment Scholarships (YES), with major funding provided by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole and Teton Science Schools. Click here to learn more about One22 scholarships.
If you are excited about Wolves: Yellowstone Pack and would love to join the program, but the cost would be a barrier to your enrollment, you’ve come to the right place! We are offering several full scholarships through the following process:
- Complete the Wolves: Yellowstone Pack Student Questionnaire
- Ask a teacher to complete the Teacher Recommendation form on your behalf
- We are awarding scholarships on a rolling basis and will notify you once we review your application
If you are excited about Bears and would love to join the program, but the cost would be a barrier to your enrollment, you’ve come to the right place! We are offering several full scholarships through the following process:
- Complete the Bears Student Questionnaire
- Ask a teacher to complete the Teacher Recommendation form on your behalf
- We are awarding scholarships on a rolling basis and will notify you once we review your application
If you are excited about Jackson Hole Science Expedition and would love to join the program, but the cost would be a barrier to your enrollment, you’ve come to the right place! We are offering full scholarship through the following process:
- Complete the JHSE Student Questionnaire
- Ask a teacher to complete the Teacher Recommendation form on your behalf
- We are awarding scholarships on a rolling basis and will notify you once we review your application
Online Registrations
You only need one account. You can use the same account each time you register, even if you’re registering for a different program, different child, or different year. More information on registering multiple children below.
Yes. Before adding any programs to your cart, create your account. When creating your account, add all children you plan to register. When you go to add a program to your cart, you will be prompted to choose which child to register for that program.
Only parents or legal guardians can register their children. At the time of registration, all forms need to be completed and signed by the legal guardian or parent.
Confirmation will be emailed to the primary email on file once you complete your registration. Your invoices can be viewed in your account anytime.
Registration Policies
If you would like to cancel a registration for your child, please call 307.734.3707 or email experience@tetonscience.org. If your request to cancel is received 30 days or more prior to the start date of the program, you will receive a 50% refund minus a $25.00 administrative fee. The administrative fee is charged per child, per program. A refund will not be issued if you cancel within 30 days of the start date of the program.
No, registrations for programs are non-transferable.
If you would like to switch a registration for your child to a different week, please call 307.734.3707 or email experience@tetonscience.org. We do our best to accommodate requests for switches received 30 days or more prior to the start date of the program. Our ability to switch weeks always depends on availability. If the week you want to switch to is full and you can not attend the original dates booked, please see our cancellation policy.
If a week you would like your child to attend has space available, you will see a red button that says Register Now; if it is full, you will see a red button that says Add to Waitlist. Click Add to Waitlist and follow the prompts.
When we have a spot open in a week with a waitlist, we will call and/or email the people on the waitlist in the order that they were added to the waitlist. In general, we see a bit more movement in the waitlists after Spring Break when people are solidifying their summer plans; however, we also have weeks that fill up in February and don't have any waitlist movement at all. We wish we could tell you what to expect, but every year is different. We tend to not see movement in waitlists 30 days before the program start date due to our cancellation policy.
We would like to accommodate as many participants as possible; however, we must limit group size to ensure participant safety. For early childhood programs, Teton Science Schools adheres to state laws that limit the class size for preschool aged children based on the number of instructors.
For day programs for grades 1-7, capacity is based on vehicle passenger limitations and adult to child ratios. For overnight Programs for grades 6-12, capacity is based on backcountry permits and vehicle usage.
Summer Day Programs
As much as we understand that relatives or friends would like to be in the same program, groups are separated to ensure age-appropriate learning and activities. We do not allow you to register a child for a program if the child is outside of that program’s designated age range or grade level.
Yes; however, there is no discount in pricing for the missed days.
The roster for any particular program week is kept confidential for security purposes prior to the start of programs. Please contact the parent of your child’s friend directly.
A minimum of two: one summer instructor and one summer AmeriCorps member. There may be additional staff present depending on capacity week-to-week.
All instructors are at least 21 years of age, are trained Wilderness First Responders, have passed all background checks, are trained in Teton Science Schools risk management policies, and have vehicle training specific to our fleet of vehicles. AmeriCorps members co-teach with our instructors, and have all completed Teton Science Schools risk management training, vehicle training, and first aid/CPR certification.
In addition, our early childhood instructors must have current pediatric and adult CPR and First Aid and go through an extensive background check as well as complete all licensing requirements for the State of Wyoming. Teachers will go through a training program that teaches about the specifics of our early childhood program, licensing protocols, best practices working with our youngest participants and best strategies for safety, behavior and group management.
When you register for summer programs, you will receive an email confirmation. If you are searching your inbox, the subject of that email confirmation will be "Teton Science Schools Receipt." Dates, times, and locations are listed in the main receipt part of the email, next to the price of each week for each child. At the bottom of the email, there is an Additional Information section. That is where you will find links to a Welcome Packet (for day programs) or an Info Sheet (for overnight programs). Those documents contain important program information for your reference, including detailed packing lists and schedule outlines.
Parents will receive a schedule outline prior to the arrival week of the program week with an idea of the activities, locations, and themes the group will be exploring. The schedule is flexible and may change due to weather or the needs/interests of the group.
Summer Overnight Programs: Grades 6-12
For Wolves: Yellowstone Pack, the pick up and drop off location is our Kelly Campus (1 Ditch Creek Rd, Kelly, WY 83011). For Bears, the pick up and drop off location is our Jackson Campus (700 Coyote Canyon Rd, Jackson, WY 83001). For Jackson Hole Science Expedition, the pick up and drop off location is our Kelly Campus (1 Ditch Creek Rd, Kelly, WY 83011).
Information specific to each program’s arrival/departure details is provided on each program’s information sheet (coming soon).
In your confirmation email, you will receive a link to the travel form which we ask for you to complete and submit once travel is secured. You will be able to pay your shuttle fees there if applicable. Please have a PDF version of your child’s flight itinerary and unaccompanied minor fee receipt to upload to the form as well as any contact information for people picking up your child at the end of the program.
Each overnight program has arrival and departure travel windows in order to streamline arrival and departure days. We provide complimentary shuttles for flights landing and departing during those windows. For liability reasons, we cannot allow participants to arrive outside of the travel window on arrival day and wait at the airport for us, or be dropped off early on departure day to wait for a flight past the end of the travel window. Additionally, if your child is flying as an unaccompanied minor, airlines require our staff to be present when the plane lands or takes off.
We incur extra staffing and vehicle costs when making trips outside of our travel windows, which is why we ask for the extra shuttle fee. We choose not to include this cost in our overall program tuition in order to keep the cost down for the majority of participants. Thanks for your understanding.
- If you are planning to have your minor child fly by themselves to Jackson, you may be charged an additional fee by the airline when you book your ticket, usually around $150 each way, but fees can vary. Whether you are charged this fee depends on the airline and your comfort level with your child traveling alone. For a fee, all airlines will provide the service for any minor regardless of age if you request it, but it is mandatory for certain ages depending on the airline. Additionally, some airlines have placed restrictions on the type of flight for which they will allow unaccompanied minors (ie. can’t be on a connecting flight or the last flight of the day). Please call the airline if you are unsure of their requirements or fees.
Unfortunately, no - we are not equipped to provide supervision, lodging, or meals prior to or after an overnight program.
Questions? Please email experience@tetonscience.org or call (307)734-3707.