Attendance Policy Highlights (New Students)

FAQs on Billings & Scheduling

Do we get the same teacher for make up sessions?

Although we typically try to ensure the best assignment of teachers and students, this is extremely challenging for make up sessions (one-off and not part of the normal schedule) so often students will work with a different teacher for make ups.

If none of the make up times work for us, what should we do?

Send us an email (admin@huntingtonelkgrove.com) with the dates and times of your student's availability, and we will do our best. Historically, the match rate is less than 5%, and it is under 1% on Mon - Thu 4 - 6pm (our busy times). We encourage families to temporarily de-prioritize other, less urgent activities, if possible, for make ups.

Why is the make up schedule so limited?

Due to high student demand and our own high standards for quality, we can only set aside limited make up slots. During the popular times of weekdays 4-6pm, we have a year round waitlist of 2-10 weeks. The exceptions are typically around the holidays (Christmas week, Thanksgiving week, etc.). New make up time slots are typically released on Fridays for the following week.

Do we need to make up major holidays?

Please refer to our academic calendar for the days that our center is closed (intentionally few to allow more opportunities for students to catch up academically while school is out). You are not charged for the holidays that our center is closed, neither do you have to make them up.

Are excused absences charged?

Yes, for accounting purposes, that is how our system functions. Your make up sessions are held for up to 4 weeks in your account, and the make ups are not charged.

FAQs on Attendance & Make Ups

Why can't we confirm the schedule before paying tuition?

How is monthly tuition calculated, and why don't you prorate partial months?

Because our capacity is limited, we reserve open slots for families who are ready to commit and start right away. For every family ready to start, we're typically also working with about five others in different stages of deciding: we have found that by completing the process in this order - completing everything first before scheduling - we’ve managed to reduce the waitlist by over 50%. You remain entitled to a full refund if we're unable to find a schedule that works.

Monthly tuition is calculated using an average of 4.3 weeks per month, to account for months with five weeks — this evens out over a 4-5 month period. We don't prorate partial months. Instead, we bill by session count rather than by calendar date. So if your student starts on the 9th, they'll simply receive extra session credits at the end of that billing cycle instead of a prorated charge. (P.S. When we last provided partial month billing- over 5 years ago now- it was a nightmare for everyone. With shifting student schedules, the partial billings were constantly off when students moved days of the week. It was nearly impossible to track the correct amount, and no one was happy!)

What happens if I pay tuition late?

Can I reduce my monthly payment the following month, if my student started mid month?

Tuition is due on the 1st of the month. Payments received after the 5th will be assessed a $50 late fee, and your confirmed schedule slot may be released to a family on the waitlist.

Staying current on billing keeps your schedule secure and lets our team stay focused on instruction. If you're facing a temporary funding issue, let us know — we're glad to work with you.

We are afraid not - and that’s to help us simplify the work and to ensure accuracy. We bill on a monthly basis and at the exact same amount to reduce manual mistakes. Some months have three Mondays while others have five, so we take an average of 4.3 weeks knowing that things will even out over a few months. Our accounting functions similarly to a gift card: when you make a payment, the funds go into the student’s individual account. The account deducts the lesson each day when the session is scheduled. The tuition is not at all tied to any specific dates. Therefore, if you started in the middle of the month, the excess funds will stay in the account, and most families use that towards the sessions at the end.

When do we finalize the schedule, and what happens if you can't find a schedule that works?

Once we've received your complete enrollment paperwork (signed agreement, photo, tuition), we begin building your schedule — typically finalized the Thursday prior to your start date.

We schedule just one week out, rather than months in advance, because students' availability and teacher schedules change often; locking things in too early usually creates more disruptions, not fewer.

If we can't fit your requested times, we'll add you to the waitlist for the next opening. Wait time is typically 1-3 weeks, depending on the time of the year. If we're ultimately unable to find a schedule that works, you're entitled to a full refund.

Why aren't make-up sessions just added to the end of the program?

Why aren't session times and teacher assignments guaranteed upon return from a hold?

What if I don't agree with these policies?

We tried that approach in the past, but it led to a cycle of procrastination: missed sessions kept getting pushed further out, and the program's end date kept extending indefinitely. Since introducing the 4-week make-up deadline, student performance has improved noticeably — sessions get completed while the material is still fresh.

We do our best to preserve your original time slot and teacher, but can't guarantee it. When a family goes on hold, we release that time slot to the next student on our waitlist. If your teacher has since started working with another student on a committed schedule, we won't interrupt that student's progress to reclaim the slot. We'll work to get your student back on a schedule as close to their original one as possible.

That's completely understandable, and we respect it. These policies were developed and refined over many years specifically to support strong student outcomes — they're not arbitrary. If you're facing extenuating circumstances, please talk to us; we'll do our best to find a reasonable accommodation.

Why are the make up sessions not changeable?

Given the limited time we have for make up sessions, we are trying to make it as available to more students as possible. In the past, we have had families who booked up ALL make up sessions weeks in advance, then cancel most of them last minute.

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