FAQs

How does my school or organization qualify to participate in training?

Schools and organizations must have an existing after-school and/or summer camp program for children. Location should have an indoor or outdoor recreational area to accommodate activities.
Schools and organizations must agree to offer a minimum 60 minutes per week of SPARK Active Recreation sessions for participants.
At least 20 children between the ages of 5 and 14 must be enrolled in your program.
Training session space is limited. Applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. Refer to our training schedule for dates and locations of upcoming training sessions.
Once trained, sites are required to supply brief reports of participant enrollment on a regular basis and participate in evaluations conducted by the Highmark Foundation to gauge program success.
For more information go to Become a SPARK Site.

My organization has been approved. What’s next?

Highmark Foundation provides one curriculum binder for each site, as well as 12 hours of mandatory training in the SPARK Active Recreation Program over two days. Refer to our training schedule for dates and locations of upcoming training sessions.
Highmark Foundation will provide follow-up monitoring and support.
Each site will select a SPARK Star—a staff member who will act as a liaison between the site and the Highmark Foundation.
The SPARK Active Recreation activities require balls and equipment found at most recreational centers, as well as CDs and materials unique to the program. The SPARK Active Recreation program offers a wide variety of recreational equipment. Equipment vouchers valued up to $2,500 are provided to each site based on assessment.

Who from my organization may be trained in the SPARK Active Recreation program?

The individual responsible for overseeing recreational programming must attend. Other eligible members of your staff may also attend training. We recommend sending any staff members who lead physical activity sessions with children ages 5-14, but at least one staff member for every 20 participants in your organization.
Eligible attendees are permanent, full- or part-time staff, over age 18 who are experienced in delivering recreation programs.