Propose a Course

We expect all of our instructors, vendors and volunteers to show up to every class prepared and ready for that day’s lesson. Instructors are also to be welcoming to students, ensuring a safe and comfortable learning experience for all.

For more detailed guidelines of our instructor expectations, please view them below

• Kids Course Expecations
• Adult Course Expectation

We will need all of the information below in order to consider your class proposal:

• Your contact information (name, email, phone number, etc)
• Proposed title for your course
• Proposed short course description
• Number of hours/class meetings you think will be needed
• A short biography or resumè
• Proposed timing for your course

• We begin planning classes far in advance, typically around five months before a session begins. However, we are sometimes able to program on a shorter time frame, so feel free to submit
• Kids summer programs are finalized in November to allow for registration to open in December or January.
• NCE runs three sessions each year for kids and four sessions for adults. Here’s when our sessions run:

Adult classes are offered on weekdays at various times of day, including evenings. Classes can be structured in a variety of formats:

• One-session workshops, presentations, or lectures
• Multi-session classes
• Panel discussions

Kids (including middle and high school) classes typically run:

• After school during the school year
• Weekdays during summer and vacation weeks
• Occasionally on Saturday mornings or weekday evenings

We use the following criteria when deciding whether or not to move forward with a course proposal:

• Is the proposed course distinct from current or recent programs?
• Have we offered something similar in the past, and was it successful?
• Is the topic of genuine interest to our community? (If the course is intended to generate interest in your personal business, we’re unlikely to pursue it.)
• Do you have expertise that supports the proposed idea?
• Do we think the class would draw interest from our current audience and/or attract a new audience?
• Is this class offered by another nearby organization at a similar time?

• Proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis by our program coordinators
• Once your submit your proposal you will hear back within 2-4 weeks in the status of your proposal. We receive many submissions so it takes time for our small staff to respond to all inquiries.

If you’re offered an opportunity to teach for us, you will complete a packet of hiring paperwork that includes:

• A CORI (for a criminal background check)
• A SORI (to check for sex offender history)
• Instructions for getting fingerprinted. Per state mandate, all public school employees must be fingerprinted. You will need to make an appointment with an outside vendor to get this done. There is a charge of $35 that NCE will reimburse.
• Employee information forms
• A W-4 form
• A photocopy of your passport, OR another official photo ID AND your social security card
• Vendors will be asked to fill out a W-9 form and perform the required background checks (listed above) on instructors they hire to teach for us
• Vendors need to have liability insurance and an EIN (employee identification number)

In order to stay true to our mission of offering a wide variety of programs for adults and kids at an affordable price, we offer our instructors modest hourly stipends along with the option for them or a family member to take one free NCE course within a year of the session in which they teach.

• We love it when instructors volunteer to teach for us. It helps keep our classes affordable.
• The background checks detailed above are also required for volunteers.
• Volunteers are given the option for them or a family member to take one free NCE course within a year of the session in which they teach.