In active development.
Seeking pilot partners.
FOCUS is currently in active development, with early conversations underway with school districts in Massachusetts. We are seeking pilot partners for our inaugural cohort - schools and districts who want to be part of something genuinely new in afterschool enrichment.
Each Scholar receives a complete starter pack, biweekly 90-minute sessions, and full digital access to the W.E.F.I.N.D. Pilot Species Archive.
If your district is interested in being among the first to bring FOCUS to your students, we would love to talk.
Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.
FOCUS is designed to run with minimal administrative burden. Here's what the program includes and what it requires from your school.
What W.E.F.I.N.D. Provides
Complete starter packs for every Scholar - collection box, 50 cards, Field Kit tin, welcome card
Full digital platform access at thefinchinstitute.org for card activation and Pilot Species Archive
Session curriculum and facilitator materials for every biweekly meeting
Ongoing program support and content updates throughout the school year
What Schools Provide
A lead facilitator - a teacher or aide who will run sessions with W.E.F.I.N.D. curriculum support
One assistant facilitator per session - a second adult in the room
A session space for groups of up to 20 Scholars
Student enrollment - identifying the right children and communicating with families
Cost is never a barrier
to the pursuit of wonder.
At $30–40 per student, the FOCUS starter pack is priced as a direct cost-recovery ask - straightforward to fund through district enrichment budgets, Title I funding, local foundation grants, and corporate sponsorship. We actively assist districts in identifying and applying for available funding.
We are committed to ensuring that the children who most need a program like this are never excluded by cost. We work with districts to identify families who need support, and we prioritize access for those children. Cost is never a barrier to the pursuit of wonder, knowledge, and curiosity.
If you're an administrator or educator exploring FOCUS for your school, we are happy to discuss funding structures, grant opportunities, and how to make the program work within your budget.
Start the ConversationProgram summary
for your records.
FOCUS - Fellowship of Obsessively Curious Unapologetic Scholars - is a nature-based afterschool enrichment program for elementary-age students, operated under the auspices of the Wilhelmina Euphemia Finch Institute for Natural Discovery.
The program combines physical collectible species cards, biweekly facilitated group sessions, and a digital Pilot Species Archive to create an immersive, curiosity-driven learning environment for children aged 7-12.
Sessions run 90 minutes, biweekly, with a maximum of 20 students per group. Each session includes peer knowledge sharing, competitive trivia, facilitator-led field presentations, and structured card gameplay.
Per-student starter pack cost: $30–40. Includes cards, enamel pin, welcome card, digital activation, and gameplay materials.
Let's talk about
bringing FOCUS to your school.
Whether you're an administrator exploring options, an afterschool coordinator looking for something genuinely different, or a teacher who knows exactly which child this is for - we'd love to hear from you.
Contact Us About FOCUS