CALCULATION OF TUITION:
Tuition is calculated on an annual rate, based on the number of days in the school year. Tuition rates vary based on the number of sessions per week that a child is enrolled. Also, the tuition rate per session decreases as the number of sessions per week for which a child is enrolled increases. This reflects the general Montessori policy of engaging children in the educational process on a daily basis, and the decreased professional and administrative costs in having fewer children attend more frequently.
PAYMENT OF TUITION:
Tuition for the year may be paid in advance or may be paid monthly. There is a 5% discount if the entire year’s tuition is paid in advance. If you wish to make payments each quarter there is a 3% discount. More typically, tuition is paid monthly. For ease of billing, the annual tuition is divided by 10 with one-tenth of the tuition due at the beginning of each month of the school year- September through June. Thus, the tuition for each month does not change with the number of school days in that month. Accordingly, students are enrolled for a full year and tuition is payable even if your child is absent regardless of the reason for the absence (i.e. family trips, illness, or other obligations). Parents will find an invoice in their child’s cubby at the beginning of each month with the amount of tuition due for the month. Tuition is due the first week of that month, and may be placed in the tuition basket at the top of the stairs. You may pay your tuition by check, cash or credit card. Please ask for the proper credit card form.
ICMS is a small school dependent on tuition to meet our financial obligations so we ask that payment be made the first week of the month. Every child has a basic tuition that remains the same monthly. You will be billed for the extra sessions your child attends, but you need to pay your regular tuition without waiting for the bill showing extra sessions. Because we are dependent on tuition we simply cannot allow tuition to become past due. If tuition does become past due, your child will not be able to attend school until tuition is current or other arrangements are made.
LUNCH:
Island Children’s Montessori School provides a supervised lunch period for those children who are ready. Children enroll at the beginning of the year for a certain number of lunch periods per week, and like tuition, are charged a fixed rate for the year, which is divided by 10 for ease of monthly billing. Lunch is not part of the educational program. When weather permits, the children will play outside after eating. When the weather is inclement, lunchtime activities may include story time, singing, videos, or
general quiet time.
EXTRA SESSIONS:
Occasionally, a child may attend an extra morning or afternoon session, or an extra lunch. These extra sessions must be arranged in advance with the director. The cost for an extra
session is published on the annual tuition schedule. The parents will be billed the following month for any extra sessions.
MISSED SCHOOL SESSIONS OR LUNCHES:
Island Children’s Montessori School is a small, non-profit corporation, and we are not able to reduce our own expenses or add another child when a child has an occasional absence. Therefore, we regret that we are not able to provide a tuition or lunch fee credit for sessions missed.
