At the invitation of Nat Saltonstall, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking at the annual SPARC gathering in Scottsdale last October with my colleague and former Francis Parker School summer program director, Tim Katzman. As the CEO and principal founder of Shang Learning Group (based in Beijing, with a satellite office in Shanghai), we shared insights and provided options for how summer program directors might best engage international students – those from China, in particular. I also had the opportunity to attend a variety of presentations, professional panels and break-out sessions offered by SPARC membership and several guest speakers. It is clear that SPARC has taken the lead on a national basis in helping advance summer and auxiliary program curriculum development, classroom innovation and revenue generation.

As you take those next important steps with planning for the coming summer, I suspect each of you will remain informed about the path of the COVID-19 virus that originated in Wuhan, China late last year. While progress has been made in diagnosis, prevention and treatment, as of this writing the virus, while better controlled, had not been contained. As a result, the Chinese government had not set a general and official date when schools (public and independent) would resume classes. The positive news is that while the number of confirmed cases has increased, it has been doing so at a slower rate. As well, the number of those who have recovered from the virus continues to rise. So reassuring news on both fronts.

With registration for many summer programs now underway, directors will understandably have questions about the opportunity costs of recruiting and accepting Chinese students for the coming summer. At the same time, there may be some hesitation among Chinese parents about enrolling their child(ren) in a US summer program, given school-resumption delays mandated by a protracted “voluntary quarantine.”

Further, for summer programs that require the F1 or B1/B2 visa, some US visa offices in China have remained closed on an extended basis, heightening concern for families seeking to make travel plans. Fortunately, we have been informed that most visa offices will re-open in May, which should provide sufficient time for visa application and approval in advance of the start of many summer programs.

All this written, we continue to note a keen interest among a significant number of families for sending their child(ren) to a US summer program. It is this demographic that we continue to support, to guide, and at every opportunity, to help place at an appropriate summer program.

At the time this article was prepared, there was still much we did not know about COVID-19. Still, we believe that the best approach is for summer programs to remain patient and to monitor this health dilemma closely. Below is a list of additional suggestions you might consider:

1. If you have already admitted students from mainland China or Hong Kong into your summer program, you should correspond with them directly on any known changes to their school calendar. (There should be much more clarity on the re-opening of all schools throughout this month.)

2. If you project that Chinese students will still be a sizable demographic of your summer program population, you might consider the option of adding an additional mini-session in later July into early August. This would provide Chinese families more latitude in the case of further delays to the start of the spring term and working through the visa application process.

3. If your summer faculty is interested and has the flexibility, you might explore the option of an online program focusing on building basic academic skills and/or the study of a specific subject area. This could be a separate program you elect to market and a substitute for admitted students unable to make the trip to the US.

Should you have further concerns or questions, please feel free to reach out to Tim or me directly. Our contact information follows.

Thank you and keep well!

PS: Shang Learning Group and NancyFriends Educational Consultancy announced the merger of our consulting operations to better serve Chinese families under the new brand Shang NancyFriends Int’l Education Group. Please see official Press Release here for more info.

Nini Suet
Managing Partner
Shang NancyFriends
Email: nini@shangnancyfriends.com
WeChat: ninisuet1

Tim Katzman
Senior Educational Consultant
Shang NancyFriends
Email: tim@shangnancyfriends.com
WeChat: TimothyKatzman
US Mobile: 619.517.6798