Night Owls Frequently Asked Questions

 

How often is Night Owls held?

Night Owls is held the first Friday of every month. If a holiday or other school conflict falls on

the first Friday, Night Owls will be held the second Friday of that month.

 

How is Night Owls funded? 

Private donations alone fund Night Owls. We receive no funding from the University of Denver.

While the directors of the Fisher Early Learning Center generously donate their space,

most of the activities materials, this website space, and a phone number, there are still other

hard and soft costs that are required to run and sustain Night Owls.  These include money to pay for

volunteers’ background checks and fingerprinting, stipends for our nurses, and disposable office and

activities materials such as postage, paper, shaving cream, bubbles, and paint. It costs anywhere

from $15 to $25 per child per evening, depending upon a variety of factors.

 

How can I donate money that will help Night Owls?

 

 

You can send a check made out to the Fisher Early Learning Center, with "Night Owls" in the

memo line to the address in the footer below.

 

Do I need experience to volunteer?

No. We have people with all experience and comfort levels who volunteer at Night Owls.

Within the volunteer registration form, you can tell us your comfort and experience levels and

we will pair you accordingly. We provide volunteer training prior to your first night, which is

intended to acclimate you to working with children of a variety of ability levels. On Night Owls

evenings, some professionals who work with children with disabilities and typically developing

children serve as floaters to assist you with anything you may need to ensure the child not

only is cared for in the best manner possible, but also that you and the child have the most fun

possible.

 

How can I volunteer?

We are always looking for volunteers. Please complete the volunteer registration forms found

on the Volunteer page of this site. Once we receive them, we will be in touch with next steps.

The more caring volunteers we have, the more families we are able to accommodate at Night

Owls.  You can volunteer to do a variety of essential tasks for Night Owls:

 

How old do I have to be to volunteer?

Due to legal restrictions, currently volunteers must be 18 or older in order to volunteer on Night

Owls evenings.  We are working on a junior volunteer component to the program, but we are

just in the planning stages.

 

Can I register my children for the next Night Owls evening?

Night Owls is currently at capacity. You can send in the two required child registration forms

(found on the Family page of this site). We will notify you when space opens and we will be

able to have your children join us.

 

Once my children start participating in Night Owls, do they get to attend every month?

No. So that we can accommodate a larger number of families, we rotate families between

upcoming evenings. Therefore a Night Owls team member will be in touch with you about

evenings that your family can attend.

 

Will my children be grouped by age at a Night Owls evening?

No. One of the fun aspects of Night Owls is that that one-to-one ratio allows the program to be

as child-directed as possible. Our special friend volunteers are there to play with the children at

whatever activity interests the child. Volunteers make suggestions appropriate to the child’s

developmental level and abilities, but if they are capable, the child makes the decision. The

special friend volunteer sets limits and provides the child with an idea of timing for the night, so

that each child is cared for as the parents specify – eating snacks at the right time, changing into

pajamas, quieting down for the evening, or going to bed in one of our Sleep Owls rooms.

Otherwise, your child may find friends who are all different ages and ability levels at Night Owls

at the wide variety of evening activities.

 

Is food provided?

We are not able to provide food due to the vast and complicated issue of food allergies,

eating disorders, and medical complications. Parents and caregivers may bring dinner and

snacks for their children as long as they are labeled with the child’s name and do not contain

nuts or nut products. (The Fisher ELC is a nut-free zone, due to allergies of the children who

attend school there as well as Night Owls children.) We have a designated room where the

children can eat and their special friend assists them with eating and ensures that they eat only

the food their parents and caregivers provided.

 

What are the activities for Night Owls?

Each evening’s activities vary. A theme for each night determines the general idea for play

possibilities. We always have art, music, literacy, pretend play, fine and gross motor options, and

we set these up in a variety of forms. We are fortunate enough to have Denver Pet Partners as one

of our Night Owls partners. Each evening, Denver Pet Partners bring 4 teams – a handler and his

or her dog – to Night Owls for approximately 2 hours. The children are then welcome to watch or

interact with the dogs as they desire. Special guests occasionally join us, bringing unique skills

and entertainment of their own to a Night Owls night. Our evenings conclude with a child-

appropriate movie for all the kids to watch in their pajamas, if they wish.

 

For questions or more information, please call 303.871.2095 or email: NightOwls@du.edu

or call 303.871.2095

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