POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
ENROLLMENT
Enrollment is assumed for the full school year, September
through June, with the automatic
reenrollment for continuing students
from Fall to Spring semester, unless a student opts out of
enrollment. Students must opt out for the Spring semester
by December 20th in writing to the office to avoid re-enrollment.
Tuition payments are made per semester.
Fall Semester Enrollment
All current students can keep their current group/private
lessons schedule if enrolled during the priority,
re-enrollment period (May 1-20). Schedule changes can be requested during
priority re-enrollment and
will be processed in order received after the completion
of the priority re-enrollment.
Enrollments completed after the priority re-enrollment
deadline will be processed on a first-come first-served basis.
Spring Semester Enrollment
All current students will be automatically re-enrolled for
the same class/time with the same instructor.
Group class students will enroll into their next level
class at the same time/ day, with the same teacher.
Schedule changes maybe requested by e-mailing keys.office@keys-4-kids.com .
Students who do not wish to re-enroll for Spring must
contact the office prior to December 20.
Open Enrollment
New group classes start each year in September (Fall
semester), February (Spring semester), and July (Summer semester).
The Open Enrollment period is open to all current and new
students. Enrollments requested during the Open Enrollment period are filled on
a first-come, first-serve basis.
The enrollment for private lessons is ongoing. New
students can start private lessons at any time. Registration options are based
on the teacher and schedule availability.
Registration prior to the start of the semester is
recommended to ensure the desired lesson time.
Free Sample Lessons
Prospective students can sample one private (15-minutes) lesson
or a complete in-action group class.
Any additional sample classes or lessons will be charged a
fee of $20 per sample.
TUITION AND PAYMENTS
Tuition is based on enrollment, not attendance. It reserves your student’s exclusive lesson time
throughout the year.
Tuition covers weekly private or group lessons during your
scheduled time, group class materials, along with studio Graduations and
Recitals.
It also covers studio expenses and lesson preparation.
Tuition payments are made per semester.
Keys for Kids accepts checks and ZELLE payments. Credit
card payments incur 3.6% processing fee.
Continuing Students
A complete semester payment is due on May 10 for
Fall Semester & December 10 for Spring Semester for
Priority Registration.
An
enrollment form submitted without deposit is considered incomplete and
the student will not be
assigned to a class or lesson time.
Any tuition balance must be resolved by August
10 for Fall Semester & January 10 for Spring Semester.
Late Tuition:
Tuition bills that are 7 days overdue are assessed a $25.00 late fee.
Students with tuition payments 14 days overdue are
not eligible to attend classes and will receive a
discontinuation notice.
New Students:
Payment is due at the time of enrollment. An
enrollment form submitted without deposit is considered
incomplete, and the student will not be assigned to a class or lesson time.
Satisfaction Guarantee:
We have 3-week/ 3-lesson, satisfaction guarantee
for all new students enrolled for a full semester (18 weeks). We're confident that you will love your
classes at Keys for Kids. If you decide that the program is not a good
fit for any reason prior to your 4th schedule lesson, we will issue you a
refund for all unused classes.
Tuition is non-refundable after the 4th lesson, attended
or non-attended.
Book Deposit For Private Piano Students
Keys for Kids piano faculty members handle the
ordering and purchasing of music and other materials for private
PIANO students to avoid delays in acquiring diverse materials needed for
private lessons.
Private PIANO students make an initial $50 book deposit once per year.
A record will be kept of all music expenses and other miscellaneous fees.
When the balance falls below $10, you will be asked to bring your account up to
a credit balance of $50.
If a student should terminate lessons, any unused deposits in this account will
be refunded.
DISCOUNTS
Sibling Discount: $50 off the total tuition
is available for families with 2 or more enrolled students (assumes full
semester enrollment for each child = 18 weeks for each).
Music immersion Discount: $25 off the total tuition for students enrolled in 2 or more
classes/ programs (assumes full semester enrollment = 18 weeks).
Referral Discount:
Refer a friend and both families
receive $25 tuition credit. Tuition credit will apply to the first tuition
period after the new student completes the enrollment for a full semester.
WITHDRAWAL / REFUND
The refund policy assumes full semester enrollment
(18-weeks).
Registration
and materials fees are non- refundable ($75 for group,
$45 for Private).
Withdrawal prior
to the 4th scheduled class: refund for unattended classes after the date
of withdrawal. Withdrawal after the 4th scheduled lesson (attended or
non-attended): no refund.
Summer lessons
withdrawal: no refunds.
Formal written
notification must be submitted to the office 2-weeks prior to the student
withdrawal.
Teacher
notification, non-attendance, non-payment is not considered formal
notice of withdrawal.
If a
student has not yet paid their tuition, payment will still be due for
all lessons up to the withdrawal date (attended or non-attended).
Full refunds will be given in cases of semester class
cancellation by the school.
Students who withdraw forfeit any make-up lessons they
are owed.
MISSED CLASSES AND MAKE-UP POLICY
Group Lessons (Student Absence)
To receive homework from a missed group class, families
must reach out to the teacher directly via email.
Refunds are not available for missed group classes.
Students may attend up to TWO alternative group
classes per semester to make-up for missed classes. Alternative make-up classes
must be taught by the same instructor and of the same level as a missed class.
Make-up alternative class request should be made directly with the teacher, pending
availability.
Make-up classes are not carried over into subsequent
semesters.
Missed group classes due to teacher absences will be
made-up on an alternative day or during school vacation period.
Private Lessons (Student Absence)
ONE private
lesson absence per semester will be made-up, provided that a minimum of 24
hours’ notice
is received by the instructor. This is to respect the time commitment that was
made to the teacher for
lessons every week. Cancellation made in under 24 hours are subject to the
teacher’s discretion for ONE private lesson make-up per semester.
Additional missed lessons are not made up and no refund
is given, however students may PURCHASE additional private make-up lessons at
50%.
Student absence make-ups will not be automatically
scheduled by the school without request by the student/parents and no refunds
are given.
The make-up day and time is coordinated by the
student/parent and teacher.
Make-up lessons are not carried over into
subsequent semesters, and no refund are given.
Make-up must be completed in the same semester as
the missed lesson.
No credits or refunds are given for missing a make-up lesson.
Private lessons canceled by the instructor will be made
up at another time during the semester or during break periods.
SCHOOL CANCELLATION/CLOSING
Class / Course Cancellation
Keys for Kids reserves the right to cancel/change the
schedule for any class/ course at any time. Full
refunds are issued in case of class cancellation by the school due to schedule
change, insufficient enrollment.
Weather–Related / Other Cancellation
Keys for Kids does not follow the cancellation or
vacation dates of any one school. Please consult
the Keys for Kids academic calendar online for holidays and vacation weeks during the year.
Weather cancellations will be posted on the Keys for
Kids website and communicated by email. Please check our website at 11:30am
or later to verify the status of classes during times of inclement weather or
other emergencies. In most weather emergency cases our classes and lessons will
be moved online and ZOOM link will be provided via email.
Snow closure make-ups for group or private instructions
(when ZOOM options are not offered) are limited to one day per academic year.
No refunds are issued for weather/ emergency cancellations.
POLICY ON GROUP CLASS LENGTH TIMES
All Keys for Kids group classes are 45-minutes in
length, provided there are five or more students
enrolled in the class. Group classes with the enrollment
of 3 or 4 students are shortened in length to 30-
minutes.
If the class has fewer than 3 students during the
enrollment period, the remaining students will be placed in a different class
of the same or comparable level.
If during the enrollment period the class had at least 3
confirmed students by the start of the semester, but the enrollment had changed
to only 2 students after the semester begins - the class will turn into
semi-private lessons for that semester without additional fee or students will
receive 20-minute private lessons each for that semester.
STUDENT AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES
Students should show up for their class/lessons on time
with their class materials and wash hands always before the start of the
lesson. Keys for Kids does not lend out
books if a student arrives without it.
Students are encouraged to consider regular and
consistent practice at home as an important part of learning any
instrument. Families are urged to see
that their child practices on a regular basis and complete their homework. It is important for the child’s progress that
they practice what is learned in their class/lesson before, so the class time
is used efficiently.
Parent Or Guardian Attendance
A parent or other responsible adult is required to
accompany the student in all Keys for Kids piano group classes. To
ensure the best educational environment for all families, we are unable to
accommodate additional siblings, friends, and other family members in the
classroom.
RECITALS/EVALUATIONS
Semi-annual RECITALS for private students take place in
January and June, in addition to regularly scheduled private lessons (see KFK
school calendar).
Semi-annual group students’ GRADUATION PERFORMANCES take
place on the day of the last scheduled group class of each semester (January
and June).
A PIANO EVALUATION is offered annually for different
proficiency levels. It is graded by an independent judge for technical mastery
in scales, sight reading, theory and transposition, and repertoire performance.
An evaluation jury is not required but recommended.
Opportunities to perform in local and national events
and exams are available for all interested students.
SAFETY
Parents are responsible for the well-being and safety of
their children while on school grounds.
Students should leave the premises upon completing their
lesson or class. No playtime in the hallway or the parking lot is allowed.
Keys for Kids and teachers are not liable for students
left at the studio before or after their classes.
Parents needs to stay on site for all children under age
10.
We expect all students to practice safe behavior. If a
student is not practicing safe behavior by putting
themselves or other students in danger, parents will be
contacted to open a dialogue about this.
In the event of an emergency, Keys for Kids staff and
instructors will lead students and families in the
established exit procedures.
Keys for Kids is not responsible for the loss of
personal items.
Students’ Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Keys for Kids does not provide childcare services. All
students taking classes must be brought to the
lesson/class and picked up after the lesson by the parent/guardian or other responsible
adult, in person. Please,
do not drop off children in the studio parking lot.
PHOTO / VIDEO POLICY
Photographs, audio, and video taken of
students/participants at Keys for Kids during any program or at
sponsored events may be used for publication and marketing purposes. By
participating in Keys for Kids
classes and programs, you consent to the taking and publication of your
photograph/video for these
purposes.
If you do not wish your child or yourself to be photographed or videotaped,
please send an email with a brief written statement to the office keys.office@keys-for-kids.com at the time of registration for every school year.