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Checklist for Adding Hands-On Experiences

Before you book a Carnegie Science Center Science on the Road (SOR) program, please review the checklist below and make sure you have:

  1. A COORDINATOR FOR YOUR SCHOOL: The coordinator is the point of contact between Science on the Road and your school. This person should be present for the entire program day and available to communicate regularly with Carnegie Science Center. The coordinator should be someone that can easily communicate with school staff/volunteers to ensure the school is prepared for the visit.
  2. SCHEDULE SUBMITTED TO SOR: The Coordinator will submit a schedule to SOR@CarnegieScienceCenter.org no less than four weeks before your program date. If changes are necessary, we will contact the coordinator no less than three weeks before program date to complete these changes. We will share a final schedule with your scheduled SOR educator, who will call the coordinator 3–5 business days before your program for a final confirmation. Please remember that our hands-on adventure stations can reach up to 480 1st–8th grade learners per day with a maximum of 75 students per hands-on session. Please refer to the Sample Schedule opens in a new window document for reference. If you would like to incorporate a short session for Kindergarten, please call 412.237.3400 to speak with someone in our Reservations Dept. They will work with you to determine if this is feasible.
  3. VOLUNTEERS: You are required to have 12–15 volunteers for the entire program day. Volunteers must be age 16 or older, and can be high school students, parents, grandparents, or other teachers. Note about clearances: Depending on your school district there may be one or several security clearances/background checks necessary to ensure every adult provides a safe experience to the students.
  4. PAYMENT SUBMITTED: There are three ways to submit payment: (1) Use your email contract as an invoice and send a check made payable to Carnegie Institute, (2) present a check made payable to Carnegie Institute to a SOR educator the day of the program, or (3) wait for an invoice shortly after the program is complete.
  5. SPACE FOR PROGRAMMING: Most schools use their gymnasium, but we can also use an auditorium, multipurpose room, additional large space, or a combination of spaces that fit within our program needs. These programs provide students a chance to get excited about science and have fun. Resulting noise levels can be high, so assemblies and stations cannot run at the same time in the same space. As a reminder, no other events are to be scheduled in these spaces from the moment SOR begins set up to the end of program tear down. Additionally, the spaces must be large enough for a school assembly and up to 10 hands-on stations. You will also need to supply tables and chairs for every station as well as access to electricity and water, depending on the program. Please consult our sample set up guide for reference.
  6. ASSEMBLY ATTENDANCE: To ensure a safe, accessible, and enjoyable experience for your students, we strongly suggest you limit each assembly presentation to 250 students, with no more than three consecutive grade levels at each. If you have more than 480 students, you must schedule an additional Science on the Road program day.