Below are frequently asked questions by teachers about the Act One In-Person Field Trip program. If you have any questions, please contact us. You can download a pdf of these Field Trip FAQS.
How It Works
Act One offers a wide array of field trips to arts experiences in both the Phoenix and Tucson regions by working with some of the best professional performing arts groups and museums in Arizona. Groups include Arizona Theatre Company, Rogue Theatre Company, and Arizona Opera to name a few. They are known for presenting high-quality arts experiences. They also have experience in educating children about the arts and aim to provide an engaging, inspiring experience for students from Title I schools.
If your class meets the above criteria, you can request a field trip by going to our calendar here.
Use the handy filter feature to select your desired location, grade level, and what type of experience you are looking for. When you find a good fit, select the REQUEST A FIELD TRIP button below the field trip description. This will take you to a form to give us your school information and let us know how many students you would like to bring. After you submit the form, it will be sent off to the team at Act One! If we are unable to accommodate your request, we will contact you for more date possibilities for your group. Once your choice is confirmed we will work with you to reserve transportation, get a school agreement on file, and provide you with educational materials to accommodate your trip!
We have found that every school district (and sometimes every school) has different rules about field trips. We ask that you let your principal know about your field trip and ensure that the date/time works with the school calendar for you to be off campus. Plan ahead and have your permission slips, bus requests, and any other necessary items taken care of as early as possible so there are no last-minute surprises.
Waitlist & Cancellations
What if I need to cancel my field trip?
If you must cancel your field trip, it is crucial that you do so several weeks in advance and that you let Act One know as soon as possible so that we can open those seats up to another group. Often, we must turn groups away because a field trip is full, and if you cancel at the last minute, we are unable to fill those seats, thus taking away the opportunity from other students. Act One pays anywhere from $1 to $ 5 per seat whether a student is sitting in it or not.
Is there a waiting list for field trips that are full?
We will do our best to accommodate your group. If all the field trips you are interested in are full and there are no other field trips you would like to participate in, we will add your group to a waiting list should another group cancel. Please let us know if you especially want to participate in a particular field trip so we can add you to the waiting list.
Requirements
To qualify for the Act One field trip program, your school must meet these requirements:
✔️ Title I – Schools must be designated as a school-wide Title I with at least 40% of the student population on free or reduced-price lunch.
✔️ Public Arizona School – Schools must be located in Arizona within busing distance (50 miles) of the field trip location. Act One works with public and charter schools in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties.
✔️ Students – Students must be in grades preK-12.
Act One tracks Title I data through several reliable sources, including the National Center for Education Statistics, Arizona Department of Education and Read On Arizona (for elementary schools only). To qualify for the Act One field trip program, a school must be designated as school-wide Title I with at least 40% of the student population on free or reduced-price lunch. If your school’s data isn’t available on of these sites, please check with your cafeteria manager or department.
Schools can book multiple field trips with Act One for different grade levels. However, we do ask that a student only attend one Act One field trip per year.
Payments
Nothing! We purchase the tickets and your transportation or arrange to reimburse your district transportation. We ask that you and your students fill out our post-trip surveys. All groups attending a field trip pledge to conduct and respond to the post-experience surveys provided by Act One and to submit them within one week following the field trip date. Act One will provide online links to the survey and requests responses within one week of receiving them.
Three weeks before your field trip date, you will be asked to submit final numbers to Act One. We ask that you do not make drastic changes to this number. If you need to increase your attendance numbers after submitting the final headcount, please contact us to see if we can accommodate your request.
Transportation
Every school district has different guidelines for booking school buses, and we recommend checking with your school for their procedures. Act One does not book district school buses, and it is your responsibility to ensure your transportation is secure.
Act One recommends booking district transportation as early as possible to ensure your group’s spot. Many school districts have limited availability or busing availability that fills up quickly.
Act One will attempt to book and pay for charter transportation for your group to attend the field trip. Act One cannot guarantee that charter busing will be available, so it is imperative that you let us know as early as possible if you need a bus chartered for your group. Bus details will be provided to you once Act One has confirmed the transportation booking.
Act One provides reimbursement for the cost of transportation to/from the field trip. To reimburse for the busing, the school/district will need to send Act One an invoice detailing the busing costs.
Details for your field trip including recommended arrival time will be provided on your individual field trip’s page.
Day Of Field Trip Tips
We want our Act One field trips to be an enjoyable and easygoing experience for each of our teachers. That’s why we’ve created this checklist to help make planning your field trip as simple as possible.
✔️Transportation: Make sure your transportation has been secured and let Act One know if you need to change your transportation type. If you are using district buses, you will need to request them through your district per their process requirements. Make sure your school knows that the busing costs will be reimbursed by Act One. If your school does not have access to district buses, Act One will book charter buses for your group and send a confirmation email when they are confirmed.
✔️Schedule & Confirm: Don’t forget to make accommodations for things that normally occur during the time of the field trip, such as long or other class periods they may be missing. Confirm with your school’s principal that no conflicting things such as testing or assemblies are scheduled for the day of the field trip.
✔️Prepare your Students: Make sure to send home permission slips and let parents know where their students will be going. Incorporate the field trip into your classroom with our Act One Prep Guide and additional educational materials from our partners. Let your students know what to expect on their trip.
✔️Have Fun: Act One’s field trips are a terrific opportunity for students to see and experience a world they may not have experienced before. Some have never been on a school bus, visited Downtown, stepped into a grand theater or museum, or seen a live performance. These experiences stay with students. Make great memories!
Contact
Email is the best way to contact us: fieldtrips@act1az.org. If you have a day-of-trip emergency, please call 602.343.6239.