FAQs

Why do you ask about food allergies?

A former student (thanks, Theo!) said that kids think better when they snack. Science agrees that for some kids it improves their focus. And so we offer it for everyone, two nut-free snacks during each session.

Can my younger/older child participate even though they’re out of the age range?

Send us a message and we’ll see if they’ll be a good fit for the program. We want to create balanced groups.

What’s the minimum and maximum number of students for a class?

We need at least 6 students and no more than 12 students to run a class. We will not charge you until the class has reached the minimum number of students.

My child doesn’t like math, will this be for them?

Yes! The point of Big Idea Machines is that big ideas are for everyone and ever big idea needs lots of different types of people to be successful. We need mathematicians, scientists, storytellers, artists and athletes.

My child doesn’t have a big idea yet, is that okay?

Of course. Your child may or may not have an idea when they start – or even when they end. Big Idea Machines is about turning failures into successes. It’s about learning repeatable processes and strategies for when you’re stuck.

What’s the difference between the classes?

With Junior Innovators (2nd and 3rd grade), the students will form small groups and pick from two business concepts – a product or a service. From there, they will customize their businesses as we learn about business roles and concepts.

With Executives in Training (4th and 5th grade), the students will also form groups and will have a choice between either choosing a business concept or come up with their own.

With Future CEOs (6th and 7th grade), the students will work in groups to create their own business concepts to solve problems they see in the community.

All classes culminate with their own demo day, where students will present their concepts.

Do you offer refunds?

All Big Idea Machine classes can be refunded, minus 3.5% processing fees, up to two weeks before a session starts. After that, no refund or credit will be issued. There are no makeups or refunds for missed classes.

If a student exhibits unsafe behavior, or is physically or verbally abusive towards other students or staff, he/she/they will be expelled without a refund.