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The Kid U program is sponsored by Anoka-Ramsey Community College Continuing Education and Customized Training Division. It is in its 13th year as a popular summer activity choice for kids and parents in the Twin Cities metro area and East Central Minnesota.
Once she registers, Sydney will join nearly 700 kids, ages 5 through 17, expected to attend Kid U classes at the Cambridge Campus and Coon Rapids Campus during the three, week-long July sessions. For some kids, Kid U has been a big part of their growing-up years.
“I’ve been going to Kid U classes since I was five,” says Nickolas Messer. Like Sydney, Messer is eleven years old and will enter the sixth grade in the fall. “The classes are loads of fun and you get information you can use in other aspects of your life, like in regular school,” Messer continues. “My favorites Kid U classes are cooking and art. This summer I am taking What’s Cooking, Master Chef and Drawing and Cartooning.”
While the kids are having fun in the hands on environment of Kid U, they may not realize that the program was designed to provide preschool, elementary, middle and high school students with exposure to a college environment and ignite imaginations, expand knowledge and make learning fun.
Brittany, Nickolas’ 20-year-old sister, is a junior at Bemidji State University which, like ARCC, is one of the 32 higher learning institutes in the Minnesota State College and University (MnSCU) system. While she doesn’t specifically credit her early experience at ARCC campus for her success in higher learning, her fond memories of Kid U keep her coming back.
After being a Kid U student for several years, Brittany became a Kid U volunteer for a couple years and is now a Kid U counselor. As a counselor, Brittany assists teachers and staff with the kids who have classes all over campus, from the fine arts building to humanities to the cafeteria where they eat lunch.
“I didn’t get to be a counselor last year because I worked full-time,” Brittany says. “And I told myself I wouldn’t miss this summer. It’s just so great to see new faces and old friends every summer. Everyone here is so great.”
“One of the best parts is making friends, some you see in school and some you see only in the summer at Kid U,” Nickolas agrees.
Among the class options this summer are Japanese Manga (cartooning), Dollmaking, Survivor (a course in skills such as teamwork, maps, compasses, shelter building and more) and Beginning Chefs at the Cambridge Campus. These and all Kid U classes are scheduled Monday to Thursday and range in length from one-and-one-half to three hours long. Costs range from $35 to $150 per class. Some scholarships are available. There is one session at the Cambridge Campus, July 9-12; and two sessions at the Coon Rapids Campus, Session 1: July 16-19 and Session 2: July 23-26.
“If I could only pick two, I would pick Pottery Wheel Throwing and Danceline, Sydney concludes with a grin. “I want to go for arts to get better and succeed.”
To join Sydney, Nickolas and Brittany at Kid U for a successful summer, simply fill out the registration form in the Kid U/College for Kids and Teens catalog or visit www.AnokaRamsey.edu/continuingEd/kidu.cfm.
For more information about the Kid U program or scholarships, contact LeAnn Snidarich, Program Director, at 763-422-3375.
ABOUT ANOKA-RAMSEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, has been a leading provider of higher education and training in East Central Minnesota since 1978 and the north suburban area of Minneapolis/St. Paul since 1965. Annually, the college serves more than 9,800 learners of all ages as they pursue associate degrees that transfer as the first two years of a bachelor's degree, or certificate programs that lead immediately to rewarding careers. ARCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
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