Frequently Asked Questions

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Our pricing model has changed this year! The program fee is now $350 for an ECS lab, a minimum of 15 students and a maximum of 40 students. 

Our meeting location is just outside the main entrance to the Safari Park. Look for a sign that says "Gate K", you are in the right place and one of our team members will be with you soon!

Our lab features adjustable-height lab tables and audio listening devices. Lab protocols and student worksheets are available in Spanish. Our team also offers a speech-to-text translation app on the student iPads. Please email Conservationeducation@sdzwa.org if you have any questions or concerns. We will always try our best to accommodate your students!

Signed waivers are required for participation in an ECS lab. If you forget your waivers, you will not be able to visit the Beckman Center and participate in an ECS lab with your students.

Our guidelines require every field trip group to maintain a 1:6 ratio of chaperones to students for grades K-10. Chaperones must be 21 years or older, and we need a credentialed teacher present at each ECS lab. If you do not have the minimum number of chaperones, you will not be issued entry tickets to the Safari Park. 

To ensure you meet the required chaperone-to-student ratio, first divide your students into two groups: 9th-10th grade and 11th-12th grade. Once you have determined how many students are in each group, you can calculate the appropriate number of chaperones needed.

Example: If you have 28 students in grades 9-10 and 12 students in grades 11-12, divide the number of 9th-10th grade students by 6:

28 ÷ 6 = 4.67

Since you must round up, you will need 5 chaperones, and the 28 students should be divided equally into five chaperone groups.

Although students in grades 11-12 may explore the Park without a chaperone, there must still be a designated chaperone contact for that group. This can be an additional chaperone assigned specifically to those students, or all students in that group must be informed of who to contact if an issue arises or if Park staff need to reach the chaperone.

Yes, all field trip visitors (grades K-10) must remain in their chaperone groups while exploring the Safari Park and while visiting the Beckman Center for an ECS lab. All students in grades 11-12 must have a chaperone in the Park at all times, although the chaperone is not required to remain with the group during exploration time. During the lab, one credentialed teacher must be present and have the appropriate number of chaperones per our policy.

Our ECS Extension Activities are designed to engage your students before and after your field trip. You will find activities at the middle and high school levels, but you can always scale and edit the activities to suit your classroom.

Teacher and student thank you letters are a crucial component of grant reports. We ask that you schedule time with your students to write thank you notes to their grant funder immediately after your visit. For more information see our Grant Funding reference doc.

Yes! Please refer to our ECS Extension Activity website for more information.