Dear MA Families,
We understand there have been some frustrations both from parents and the staff with the voucher system for families who use early or extended hours on an occasional basis. We are going to implement some changes that will hopefully make things very easy for parents to access these programs and for staff to manage. There will only be two steps for parents moving forward:
1. Drop off/pick up your child and
2. Pay the invoice you are billed at the end of the month based on use of the Early/Extended Hours program.
How it will work starting in January
- If your child is already registered annually or monthly for Early/Extended Hours, the program will continue as usual.
- As of January 8, 2018, vouchers will no longer be sold.
- If you have vouchers, you can continue to use them until June 2018. After June 2018, they will no longer be valid.
- Early and Extended Hours staff will track the dates that your child is put into the program on an occasional basis; the charge for the use of the program will be the same as a voucher – $10 per use. When you drop off or pick up your child, you will be asked to sign beside the time you arrive.
- You will be invoiced at the end of the month for the number of times your child was registered to join the program (Early or Extended Hours) and payment will be due to Victoria within two weeks. Until the end of June 2018, families can use vouchers towards the balance of the invoice ($10 per voucher).
To help us make this a success, please keep in mind…
- Early hours is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:40 a.m. If you drop your child off any time before 8:40 a.m., it is considered early. If you drop your child off before school begins, they are under the care of the Early Hours staff, and you will be charged the occasional use fee of $10.
- Extended hours is from 4:10 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. At the end of the day, there is a 20-minute window to pick up your child, ending at 4:10 p.m. If your child is not picked up then, they will be sent to Extended Hours. If you arrive within the first 5 minutes, you will not be charged. Any parent who picks their child up after 4:15 pm, will sign their name beside the time they arrived, and an invoice will be sent at the end of the month that reflects Occasional Use (fee of $10 per use) up to a maximum of $200 per child per month.
- Planning ahead will save you money! The cost of using either Early or Extended hours is $90/month (or $180 for both Early and Extend), so if you will need it more than nine times in one month, you are better off to register your child for Extended Hours through the front desk at the Main Office. This must be done within the first week of the month.
- No cash is to be given to the staff. You will be invoiced for your total amount owing at the end of the month. You can pay Victoria by cash, cheque, or vouchers already purchased (until June 2018).
- If you typically don’t access these programs, but you carpool or another family is picking up your child that results in your child being sent to Extended Hours, you will be invoiced for this occasional use as they are now in the care of the extended hour’s staff.
These changes will ultimately simplify the process and benefit both families and the school. Thank you for understanding and having patience as we transition to this new process for Early & Extended Hours. If you have any questions, please contact Victoria Little, Registrar, at 519-433-9121, ext. 211, or vlittle@montessori.on.ca.
Sincerely,
Montessori Academy of London Administration |