SPARK - Art, Yoga, Meditation & Nature for Kids

We absolutely love Spark on the Upper West Side — and more importantly, so does my daughter. There has truly never been a day that she has come home from Spark without talking about how much fun she had. Every single day is filled with creativity, movement, and genuine joy. Sebastian, the owner, is incredibly accommodating, kind, and helpful. You can tell he truly cares about the kids and the families he serves. When we decided to host my daughter’s birthday party there, he made everything effortless — it was such a special and memorable experience for her and all of her friends. Spark feels like a second home for our daughter. It’s warm, safe, imaginative, and run by people who genuinely love what they do. We are so grateful to have found this place and recommend it wholeheartedly to any parent looking for a camp or space where their child will truly thrive.

My 5.5 year-old son love the art classes at SPARK. Johnathan is really nice and professional! I loves everything my son drew and made in the class (comics is a really special one). Definitely wonderful art classes. The museum trip is also a fantastic way for the kids to spend a day when the school is off! (I want to join it myself too. lol) Highly recommend to all the kids!

Sebastian and the entire team have been entirely accommodating given the special needs of my daughter. They created a special curriculum for her and slowly introduced art to her in a meaningful way. My daughter is now more comfortable in art activities at school after working with Spark. I hope that others can see the value of their after-school and tailor made “pods”, especially families with kids with special needs looking for providers that are participating in OPWDD.

Sebastian and his whole Spark team were amazing at helping our daughter prepare her portfolio for high school admissions. Between in-person classes and individual Zoom lessons, Spark supported our daughter - first through explaining LaGuardia's very specific admissions requirements to her and then by pushing her to hone her skills to meet those requirements. Sebastian and his teachers were always available to help answer our questions, and they were incredibly flexible with carving out times to meet online as needed. We started the process a year early in order to space out the required pieces and give our daughter time to grow and mature in her work, and that ultimately worked well for our family. With the portfolio she assembled, our daughter got into her top choices (LAG and independent schools).

I cannot rave loudly enough about Spark Art and Sebastian. When my daughter was 6 years old she attended the afterschool classes, and it must have planted a seed because fast forward to next year -- she will be attending her first choice high school, Art & Design, thanks to Spark Portfolio! (Her portfolio also scored high enough to get into Frank Sinatra). These classes are the perfect combination of teaching skills and encouraging kids to find their own artistic voice. They are warm and supportive and fun. Highly recommend!