Policies
Payment
For private sessions, invoices are sent electronically and are due by the date specified on the invoice. Invoices can be paid by credit card (all major credit cards accepted), check, or cash. We invoice parents on a monthly basis. For group sessions, payment is due on or before the first day of the group session.
Risk-Free Trials
New students can withdraw within 3 days of the first session and receive a 100% refund. For summer courses, since the courses often meet multiple times a week, we ask that we are notified before the second scheduled session, which may be less than 3 days.
Financial assistance
We offer financial assistance to families that can demonstrate financial need. Assistance will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
Late payments
Any outstanding balances 60 days past due incurs a late fee equal to 10% of the amount owed. This amount will be added to the delinquent bill each month until the balance is fully paid off. We reserve the right to appeal to small claims court or to refer to collection agencies for any balances not settled within 6 months. If you are unable to pay for a class or service in full all at once, please simply ask about payment plans in advance and avoid penalties.
Cancellation
Private sessions
We require 24 hours' notice for cancellations because we need time to notify our instructors about scheduling changes. For cancellations made in less than 24 hours, we charge a $30 cancellation fee. For no-shows, we charge the full amount of the session. If a student cancels too many sessions in a given month, the student risks losing his/her time slot.
Group sessions
There are no refunds for missed classes or group sessions. However, we make every effort to record our virtual tutoring sessions and send homework for upcoming, so students can stay caught up with what they missed.
Discounts
Siblings
Siblings receive an automatic 10% discount on courses, if they register at the same time.
Debate
All debaters are automatically eligible for a 5% discount on courses.
Lifelong Learner
Like most skills, reading and writing skills take time to develop and practice is key. As a result, after their first skill development session, students become eligible for the Lifelong Learner discount, which allows them to save up to 50% on all of our skill development sessions!
Safety and liability
Pickup
Students in grades 4-8 are not permitted to go outside unaccompanied unless their ride is waiting for them. You may call/text your son or daughter to let them know you are waiting or come in. Students in grades 9-12 may leave on their own. We are not responsible for anything that occurs after a student leaves the premises.
Illness
Kids who are sick have an uncanny ability to rapidly infect each other and us. If your child has a cold or the flu, please keep him or her home. We will send over any missed assignments and/or reschedule your private lesson.
Medical emergency
In the event of a medical emergency, we will immediately call 911 to have the student transported to the nearest hospital, and then we will call the emergency contact on the student's information form. It is of paramount importance that parents provide a valid emergency contact on their child's form.
Chronic conditions
If your child has a chronic medical condition such as asthma or serious allergies, it is imperative that you let us know. This information will be confidential and we will handle it discreetly, but we absolutely have to know about it.
Injury
Our students' safety is our top priority. However, we cannot be held liable for any injuries resulting from contravention of teacher instructions. This applies to all customers of all ages, including people in the waiting areas. Most parents drop off and pick up their children, leaving them in our care for the duration of the lesson. However, parents who do not have complete faith that their children will obey teacher instructions should remain in the parent waiting area.
Inclement Weather
We do not always follow MCPS closures. In the event of inclement weather, we will email all students who are scheduled to come in that day if our office is closed. If we remain open and you cannot make it to your session, please let us know by noon that day.
Recordings
By signing up for any of our sessions, you grant permission for your student to be recorded. We record virtual sessions for a variety of reasons including for training, quality control, and marketing purposes. If we decide to use a portion of a video for marketing purposes, we will make sure that the full name of the student is not mentioned. If at anytime you are uncomfortable with us using your student's likeness for marketing purposes, please let us know and we will honor your request.