Afterschool Programs
A note about registration: Many of our programs fill quickly, so we highly recommend registering on the waiting list. We go to this list first if a space opens up. And by adding your name, you can help us better plan for the programs that are in high demand.
Afterschool Programs Fall 2026
Hitchcock Center offers an early drop off option for afterschool programs at no cost. Children may arrive anytime between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM. This is an unstructured, supervised time in which children may eat a snack from home and play until the rest of the participants have arrived. ***The Hitchcock Center is aware that ARPS is still finalizing the school dismissal times for the 2026-2027 school year. This may impact students who use bus transportation to the Hitchcock Center. We’re staying tuned, and will update participants as soon as possible.
Registration for Fall afterschool opens June 10!
MONDAYS
Wild Children of the Woods
with Isaiah Brown
Grades 1-3
Mondays 3:30-5:30 PM
September 14 – December 21 (no class October 12)
Tier A: $439 | Tier B: $366 | Tier C: $311
Limited to 12 participants
We go to the woods to think, learn, play, and explore in this afterschool series for lower-elementary schoolers. We will roam the grounds of the Hitchcock Center as we watch Fall turn to Winter. We will visit stump city, ferns, and the far-away woods, play some organized games, and learn about the animals, plants, and life in these woods, including ourselves.
TUESDAYS
Nature Play Afterschool Series
with Jeff Mazur
Grades 1-3
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 1 – December 22 (no programs on October 13, November 3)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$467 | Tier B-$389 | Tier C-$331
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, jump in leaf piles, build forts, climb trees, and make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.
Girls into the Wild
with Katie Koerten
Grades 4-6
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 1 – December 22 (no programs on October 13, November 3)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$472 | Tier B-$393 | Tier C-$334
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild is for girls and nonbinary kids in fourth through sixth grade. Together we build a space where kids can be themselves, make friends, and take a few risks in nature. This fully outdoor afterschool program is a mix of structured and unstructured fun as we play games, do nature projects and explore nature in all weather. We’ll do our favorite activities that have been invented over the years, such as trading nature goods at the fairy market, building hotels for slugs, and fencing with staghorn sumac poles. We’ll visit our favorite places to play such as Roots, Jumping Rock, and the Faraway Woods. What new activities will we invent together?!
WEDNESDAYS
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series
with Isaiah Brown
Grades K-2
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (Extended days (1 PM) on September 23 & October 28, no programs November 11 & November 25)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$508 | Tier B-$423| Tier C-$360
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Junior Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Junior Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, play pretend in our mud kitchen, and make leaf crowns. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.
Nature Play Afterschool Series
with Jeff Mazur
Grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 PM
September 2 – December 16 (Extended day (1 PM) on September 23, October 28, no programs November 11, November 25)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$508 | Tier B-$423 | Tier C-$360
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Fall Nature Play we will explore wooded trails and fields, jump in leaf piles, build forts, climb trees, and make new discoveries about ourselves and the world around us. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits. For those parents deciding between the junior and nature play programs, the latter often travels further and is away from the Hitchcock Center’s play yard longer.
Afterschool Programs Spring 2026
Hitchcock Center offers an early drop off option for afterschool programs at no cost. Children may arrive anytime between 3:00 PM and 3:30 PM. This is an unstructured, supervised time in which children may eat a snack from home and play until the rest of the participants have arrived.
MONDAYS
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series
With: Isaiah Brown
Grades 1-3
Mondays 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 23 – June 8 (no program April 20 and May 25)
Tier A:$301 | Tier B:$261 | Tier C:$222 | Further Financial Assistance (limited)
Limited to 12 participants
Come explore the outdoors as we travel in and around the Hitchcock Center’s outdoor spaces! We explore woodlands, fields, underbush and streams in this afterschool series for upper-elementary schoolers. Participants engage in a variety of games, activities, and discovery-based adventures every week. The hope with this program is to grow and develop young people’s appreciation for the outdoors while exploring their feelings of joy and curiosity in both play and exploration.
TUESDAYS
Girls into the Wild
with: Katie Koerten
Grades 4-6
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 24 – June 9 (no program April 21)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$328 | Tier B-$285 | Tier C-$242 | Further Financial Assistance (limited)
Limited to 12 participants
Girls into the Wild continues into 2026 for more romping wildly through the fields and forests of the Hitchcock Center. As always we’ll visit our favorite places to play in the forest, such as Slug City, the Forest Garden, and the Faraway Woods – exploring the seasonal beauty of nature as we go. Play games, make friends, and create nature projects in the outdoors! Come build your confidence and show your wild side! Any young people with an experience of gender marginalization are welcome!
Nature Play Afterschool Series
With Jeff Mazur
Grades 1-3
Tuesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 24 – June 9 (no program April 21)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$328 | Tier B-$285 | Tier C-$242 | Further Financial Assistance (limited)
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. In Winter Nature Play Afterschool we will explore snowy wooded trails and fields, make snow villages, and sled down the HCE hill. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.
WEDNESDAYS
Junior Nature Play Afterschool Series (*FULL! Waitlist Only*)
With: Isaiah Brown
Grades K-2
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 25 – June 10 (Extended days (1PM) on March 25, April 29, May 27, no program April 22)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$434 | Tier B-$378 | Tier C-$321 | Further Financial Assistance (limited)
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Junior Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. During Spring Junior Nature Play we will play in the mud and spring rains, look for bugs, and enjoy the warming outdoors. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.
Nature Play Afterschool Series
With Jeff Mazur
Grades 3-5
Wednesdays, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
March 25 – June 10 (Extended days (1PM) on March 25, April 29, May 27, no program April 22)
Fee per Child: Tier A-$434 | Tier B-$378 | Tier C-$321 | Further Financial Assistance (limited)
Limited to 12 participants
Hitchcock’s Nature Play Afterschool Program is designed to let kids be kids. Together we will run, jump, climb, invent, imagine, play and be free-range kids all while developing self-confidence and learning valuable social skills. In spring Nature Play Afterschool we will explore, watch the trees bud, celebrate the green and blooming springtime, and play in the mud. Our instructors provide a safe setting for children to explore nature and encourage children to stretch their limits.
Fees
Out of a strong commitment to improve access to our programs we are now offering a sliding scale fee structure aimed to provide greater flexibility in choosing a price that is right for you and your family.
- Tier A: The fee is set higher than what it costs to run the program and helps to support those who cannot afford the full cost of the program.
- Tier B: The fee is set to cover 100% of the program costs.
- Tier C: The fee is set less than what it costs to run the program.
- Some additional financial aid is available to help make this program accessible. Please complete the form, or contact Barb or Shelly at 413-256-6006 for more information. This option is available for EBT, WIC, Connector Care, and Card to Culture participants, that is, households receiving benefits through the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance and the Massachusetts Health Connector.
Cancellation policy
Cancellation policy for Hitchcock’s seasonal programs: You may cancel your registration for any of our programs up to a week prior to the program’s start date to receive a refund minus a 10% administrative fee. If you cancel within 7 days or less of the program’s start date, we cannot offer a refund unless we are able to fill your spot in the program.
COVID-19 Safety
As per the State of Massachusetts guidelines, if you have symptoms of a respiratory virus, such as a fever, sore throat, cough or a runny or stuffy nose, you should stay home. If you have been exposed to someone with a virus we ask that you please wear a mask and wash hands often to protect others.
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