Does Prisma offer shadow days or workshop visits?

The short answer is:  We try not to. But, if visiting a live Prisma workshop or Expo Day is an absolute must for your child and you’re willing to first complete their Prisma application and interview so we can select a better-matched workshop and cohort for them to visit, we’re willing to make it happen!  

Why limit visits?

Over the past 5+ years, we’ve experimented with a variety of ways to enable prospective learners and their families to see what Prisma’s like. With each iteration, we’ve come to the same conclusion: A visit or shadow day, no matter how creatively or compellingly run, doesn’t fully reflect what Prisma is like. It doesn’t enable a child to truly experience Prisma. This is because each child’s learning experience at Prisma is so personalized, relationship-driven, and interconnected.

Imagine your child comes to a Co-Lab Workshop and is in a breakout room with 3 other kids who’ve been on the same small team for the past 3 weeks. They’re deep in collaboration around a design thinking challenge related to the current cycle’s theme or they’re preparing for a debate around a high school session. It’s like dropping your child onto a moving boat in the middle of the ocean with no idea where it’s coming from or where it’s headed. In addition to potentially being a bit overwhelming or uncomfortable for you child, it can also be interruptive for the Prisma learners who cherish interactive live time with their peers and view their cohort as their Prisma family.

(We also don’t share recordings of workshops with prospective families because we take child privacy and digital safety very seriously. Prisma parents appreciate this!)

‍How can I show my child what Prisma is like if a shadow day isn’t the best option?

We recognize that choosing a school for your child is a big decision, especially with so many options out there! That’s why we’ve chosen to make our website so comprehensive and transparent. We want to make sure you have the information and level of detail you need to feel clear and confident about your choice to join Prisma. But, we don’t expect kids to read everything on the website and then try to picture what Prisma would be like for themselves.

That’s why, with lots of feedback from Prisma families about what would have been helpful to see and understand about Prisma in advance, we’ve created comprehensive learner-focused resources (like our Inside Look for Kids for grades 4-8, which you can access by requesting a recorded overview). These resources have lots of illustrations, graphics, clips of live workshops and presentations, and specific examples that do a way better job of showing what Prisma’s like in a fuller, more holistic way than a shadow day ever could. And, they’re also available when Prismarians are on break!