Camps

General Information

Age Ranges

Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media is dedicated to the best practices in arts education, including developing and implementing age-appropriate visual and media arts curriculum for our students. Each child, teen, and family program is designed to meet the unique social and developmental needs of children in each age bracket. There are also different equipment use guidelines for each age group. Students will not be allowed to attend educational programs outside of his or her age.

Medication

Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media staff is not allowed to dispense non-emergency medication to students. If a student is unable to administer his/her own non-emergency medication, a designated adult must come to PCA&M to dispense it. Emergency medication must be labeled with the student’s full name and given to the instructor at sign-in. Emergency medication will be stored in the child’s classroom and taken on any field trips.

Special Needs

Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media is committed to providing an enjoyable art-making experience for all students and strives to create an inclusive and welcoming artistic community. Please share information about your child’s allergies or other special needs on the Emergency Information and Authorization Form. Parents or guardians are encouraged to contact the Summer Camp Director to discuss any needs a student may have which would impact his/her participation in an educational program. Parents/guardians of students with behavioral or developmental issues should complete the Special Needs Form on the back of the Emergency Information and Authorization Form. This form must also be completed if a TSS will be accompanying the child to camp.

Photo Consent

Your child’s image may be photographed or reproduced on Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media promotional materials. You can indicate whether you do or do not authorize the use of your child’s image on the Emergency Information and Authorization Form.

What you should bring & keep at home?

Unless specifically stated in your program’s description, all supplies are provided for child, teen and family programs. Students in studio arts camps often use messy materials; you may send your child with a labeled apron or smock to wear during camp. For a full-day camp, send your child with a non-perishable lunch and two snacks, labeled with first and last name. For a half-day camp, send your child with one snack. Please leave toys, MP3s and other valuables at home. Cell phones may be used in emergencies but must be kept on silent during camps.

Daily schedule

Sign-in

Students may be may be signed-into camp 15 minutes before camp starts. Parents who wish for their 11 – 14 year old child to sign him or herself out from camp must initial the Emergency Medical and Authorization Form. Students attending a high school program may sign themselves in and out without an adult. A parent or guardian must sign students aged 6 – 10 into the studio classroom. Students ages 6 – 10 may not sign themselves in and may not be left unattended.

Lunch and Scheduled Breaks

Students attending a full-day camp will have a 30 minute lunch/recess period from 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM as well as breaks throughout the day. Please provide your child with a non-perishable lunch and drink labeled with first and last name. We suggest that campers also come prepared with additional snacks.

Sign-out

Students should be signed-out from his/her studio classroom. Only individuals listed as a parent, guardian, or authorized adult on the Emergency Medical and Authorization Form may sign students out and must come prepared with a photo ID. Parents who wish for their 11 – 14 year old child to sign themselves out from camp must initial the Emergency Medical and Authorization Form. Students may not be left unattended. Accounts will be charged $20 for every 15 minutes that students are not yet signed-out following the end of scheduled sessions.

payment

How to pay

  • Online: Enter your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express information on the registration form
  • By check: Make checks or money orders payable to: Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media (a $35 fee is charged for returned checks)
Tuition Assistance

PCA&M is committed to making quality arts education programming available to everyone, regardless of income. Income-based tuition assistance is available to households earning 80% of the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area’s median income or less, based on the 2021 Average Median Income Summary.

Tuition assistance applications are due June 1st. After the deadline, we will process all tuition assistance applications, and households will be notified regarding their tuition assistance and students will be enrolled in their first, second, or third choice classes.

Cancellations, Withdrawals, and Transfers

Cancellations 

Occasionally camps and workshops are cancelled due to insufficient enrollment. In such cases, the Registration Office will notify you approximately 3 days before the camp or workshop was scheduled to begin & the full tuition will be refunded by check or credit card, depending on the date of registration and the original payment method.

Withdrawals & Refunds

Students may withdraw from a camp or workshop by calling the Registration Office. No camps will be refunded with less than one week’s notice of cancelation, with the exception of Covid/Illness. One-day family workshops, pre and post-camp, and membership fees are non-refundable.

Transfers

You can transfer from one program to another for plus or minus the difference in the cost or the camp or immersion. Transfers cannot be accepted with less than one week’s notice.

Wait Lists

Wait lists are maintained for full camps and workshops. You may call us at (412) 361-0455 to request to be placed on the wait list. There is no cost to be placed on a wait list. Waitlisted students will be notified in the order that they were added if a space becomes available. A student may not be waitlisted for a camp in the same week as a camp they are registered for.

If a waitlist entry and a registration coincide, the waitlist entry will not be honored.