Events · Open House
Meet the teachers. Eat the snack. Meet the van.
One Saturday in September, all six sites open their doors, every program lead is in the room, and the snack is the actual snack.
- Date
- Sep 12, 2026
- Time
- 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
- Sites
- All 6
- Cost
- Free
The Open House is the front door. Every site is open, every program lead is standing next to the thing they teach, and the kitchen serves the actual four-week snack cycle so parents can taste what their kid eats. Last year 600 people came through, which is a lot of people in a laundromat.
What to do there
- Meet the program leads, one at a time, without a PowerPoint.
- Try a five-minute version of each program: throw a small pot, solder a badge, cut a mannequin's hair, sit in the Void.
- Eat the snack. All four weeks are represented.
- Meet Deb the van and see the mobile workshop.
- Get help with enrollment on a laptop, in person, with a staff member who will not rush you.
- Ask the hard questions: ratios, allergies, transportation, what happens when a kid is having a bad day.
Who it is for
Families considering enrollment, families already enrolled, neighbors who are curious, and anyone who has walked past the Hawthorne building and wondered what is in there. Kids welcome and expected. No registration, no tickets.
The Open House exists because a website cannot tell you whether your kid will be safe in a room. You have to stand in the room.
Come to the open house
September 12, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., all six sites. Free, no registration.