Gettysburg's BEST After School & Summer Camp

Our oldest son started at Dubbs Karate about 7 years ago when he was just shy of his 4th birthday. He stayedn in classes until he was a bit older and began to participate in other sports. There is no doubt in my mind that the physical and mental skills he learned at Dubbs have contributed to his success as a student, friend, athlete, and teammate.nnA year ago, we moved from Arendtsville to Gettysburg a few weeks before the start of school, and we noticed that Dubbs had expanded to include an afterschool program. I wasted no time contacing Sensei Fannon, because I knew the quality of care that my children would receive. I could count on lots of engaging activities, coach involvment, and consistent communication.nnFast forward to the ever changing landscape of education this year, Dubbs is ALWAYS has a plan for whatever situation parents are facing. What a blessing it is to know that before I can start to worry, Dubbs is reaching out to parents with a plan to make sure children have a safe and nuturing place where their kids can go for virtual learning.nnIn addition to being eternally grateful to Dubbs for being a resoirce for parents and children in our community, Dubbs is consistently involved in the community; supporting the schools donation drives for supplies (and the teachers with treats), supporting the Gettysburg SPCA with donation drives of pet supplies, and publicly supporting Gettysburg's small businesses. These are just a FEW things that I have noticed over the years, and trust me, there are many more examples.nnWe are lucky as parents and community members to have Dubbs as a local institution! Thank you Sensei Fannon, April and to all of your staff and coaches!!

My daughter has absolutely loved Gettysburg's Best After School/Summer Camp program! Every day has been a new adventure for her. All of the coaches and staff have been excellent to work with and super professional. From karate to in House Field Trips to trips to the park, the coaches are always keeping the kids busy! Communication is excellent! I love seeing pictures of my daughter throughout the day on their private social media page. I cannot say enough great things about this place! Thank you for a wonderful summer!

We absolutely ud83dudcaf love this program!! Our student loves every minute of it and every one of the amazing coaches!! The combination of fun, learning, structure and hands on activities can not be beat!! Coaches are incredible beyond words and truly care about each and every one of the students! The coaches and staff are personally invested and supportive in your child's interests. Talking to any one of the staff, you would think your child is the only student at camp! YES, they pay so much attention to each student and recognize them as an individual, identifying their strengths, weaknesses and interests so they are able to help each child learn and grow every day!! The positive behavior changes and habits they develop at camp will blow your mind when you start seeing those same changes at home! I highly, undoubtedly recommend this program to anyone in need of top-notch child care or even, like us, just a fun, safe, stable environment for their kiddos to have some summer fun and unforgettable experiences!

Our 5 year old daughter has, on more than one occasion, self-professed that she all she wants to do is “play all day”; within 5 minutes of her waking up I might hear, “Will you play with me?” or “Can I go outside?”. I’m fortunate enough to be able to work from home during this pandemic, however I don’t have flexibility with hours and my husband works outside of the home. Before summer camp I wasn’t able to concentrate fully on work and my daughter was spending more and more time in front of a screen until one day I realized she spent nearly a whole day watching cartoons on her tablet; she was only 4 at the time! So, though we of course had our concerns, when Gettysburg’s Best After School Program was able to open for the summer and explained the sanitation and safety precautions they would be taking, I knew that it was going to be what was best for her. I was doubly concerned with her being one of the youngest campers (just about to enter kindergarten) but the entire experience has been positive from the start. She has amazing coaches that seem to truly care for and like her. She has gotten exposed to school-like work such as addition and fractions; she gets to do fun crafts like making her own slime or ice cream, she gets to play with Barbies, she gets to go to the park and, she gets to participate in a weekly karate class. And these are just a few of the fun things she has done at camp this summer (did I mention she got to hold an alligator!). She’s also gotten the opportunity to learn about respect, earn good behavior points towards prizes, and vie for student of the day or week, all things that instill pride and self-esteem. Finally, while this may not be what we hoped for our daughter, she has also gotten exposed to the new things she has to know and do to navigate through life at the moment -- she knows about proper hand washing and sanitizing, she understands what germs are, she knows to stay 6 feet away from others, she knows how to “air hug”, she’s completely comfortable wearing a mask, and she’s accustomed to getting her temperature taken daily. These things, while not ideal, are all going to be a huge benefit to her as we prepare to send her to kindergarten in a few weeks. We are very grateful to Gettysburg’s Best After School for taking care of our daughter while we work and for giving her an outlet to expend energy, learn, and have fun, all in a safe environment. Thank you!

Our daughter has been attending Dubbs Karate for several years. She loves it and it has taught her so much. It only made sense to continue to utilize such a great facility and program for our child care needs. This was our first summer with Gettysburg's BEST After School and we couldn't be happier! All the coaches, leadership and staff are beyond professional and courteous - they treat you like family. Our schedule is known to fluctuate and GBAS is consistently able to be flexible and accommodate our needs. This is in addition to their frequent communication and updates about the weeks schedule of events and what to plan for throughout the summer. Naturally, we will be transitioning to the after school program very shortly and expect nothing less than the already amazing experience we've had thus far. We cannot recommend Gettysburg's BEST After School and all the Dubbs/BEST programs enough...you won't be disappointed.