| Class Information
Where are the language classes held? All classes are held at your child’s school unless otherwise noted. You will be contacted approximately 24 hours before class starts to confirm your registration and to give you the classroom number.
What day and time is the class? Check your school flyer for the day, time and start date of your class.
Enrollment Questions How much is the class? In the middle of the flyer is the tuition information. You have the option of paying for the session in full or you may choose the monthly installment plan, which costs a little more. You save money by paying for the session in full. Payment plans will vary depending on the length of the program. Payment by credit card is required when paying by the monthly installment plan as your card will automatically be charged on the 15th of each month.
Can I register after the due date? The due date is when we would like to receive all registrations so that we have time to organize the class before it starts. We will accept a registration after the due date provided there is space in the class. If the class is full, your child will be added to the wait list.
Can I bring my registration to school or to the first class? All registrations must be sent to the IES office before your child can start attending class. Please do not bring registrations to your school or hand it to your child’s teacher, (unless specifically asked to do so on our registration form) or to the first class. This will only delay your child’s registration. IES is not responsible for registration forms left at the school or given to someone not affiliated with IES. The IES remittance address is on our registration form.
How do I know if my child is in a class? In the fall our phones are extremely busy. We ask that you please wait a few days after registering your child so we have a chance to enter your child into our system. We do not call parents to confirm that a registration has been received due to the high volume and our small staff. If your child is in the class, you will receive a phone call approximately 24 hours before the class starts to confirm. You will receive a phone call from us immediately after receiving your registration if your child is on a waiting list due to a full class or if we do not have complete information on your registration form.
Our class started late due to low enrollment. Will we receive a refund for the missed classes? When a class starts late for any reason, we simply add these missed classes to the end of the session. When a program is scheduled, we usually have a few weeks available at the end of the session. The students will still receive the classes you have paid for and we never go past the last day of school. In the rare instance when a class was postponed for several weeks, we may not have enough time to fit in all classes that were expected. In this case, the price would be adjusted accordingly and everyone would receive a refund if they had already paid.
Payment Questions Do I have to pay in full or do you offer monthly payments? Yes, we offer 2 types of payment options. You can choose to pay in full at the time of registration, or if you prefer, monthly installment options are available for most classes and do cost a little more. The monthly payment option is not available for shorter sessions.
I have more than one child that I am enrolling. Do you offer a discount for enrolling multiple children? IES does offer a sibling discount upon request. Please pay for your children’s enrollment in full and IES will determine the appropriate discount. If you have paid by check, a refund will be sent. If you provide IES with credit card information, your card will be charged the discounted amount. Please do not calculate your own refund as this could result in a delay in your child’s registration.
Do you offer scholarships? Scholarships are available upon request. Our enrollment form and a letter of intent must be sent to IES. Scholarships will be issued based on class size and availability. Call for details on how to apply.
Can I just send my child to the first class with the enrollment form and payment? Teachers are not permitted to collect registrations or payments. Please DO NOT send registrations to language class with your child. You must register with our office before your child can attend.
Can my child just go to the first class and see if they like it. If so, then can we enroll? For security reasons, we cannot allow your child to attend any classes without receiving the enrollment form in our business office first. We do offer a 30 day refund policy. See “Cancellation and Refunds” below for more details.
Class Format Questions My class schedule says “for grades K-5”. Will all these grades be in the same class? This means we are offering the class to grades K-5. The classes are configured based on who enrolls. If we receive a large response, we will most likely be able to split the class, i.e.: grades K-2 and 3-5. If we only have enough students to have one class, then it is possible grades K-5 would be combined.
How can you teach kindergartners and 5th graders together? For the first 3-4 years of instruction, our classes are all oral. There is no reading and writing yet so the kindergartners do not need to know how to read and write. The older students have no advantage over the younger students as everyone is at the same level with in the new language. We always strive to select the class curriculum based on the ages and experience of the students. If the class is leaning more to one side, i.e.: the majority of the students are K-3 and there is one 5th grader enrolled, we usually call the 5th grader and let them know that they are welcome to stay in the class but it is a young class. It would then be the child’s decision to remain in the class or not.
This is my child’s 2nd year with IES but they are in a class with beginners. Why don’t you have an advanced class? We always strive to have a class to satisfy every level, however sometimes that is not always possible due to the number of registrations received. If we do not have a beginning class and an advanced class, it is because not enough students enrolled to warrant this. Our only choice is to combine the classes or not have a program. In the instances when we do have 1st year–3rd year students together we always try to accommodate everyone’s needs. It will be new curriculum for everyone. The vocabulary will be new for all students. The first year students will be expected to give one-word responses at first while the more advanced students will be encouraged to give a short sentence response. The instructor will strive to build on their new language skills. The beginning students benefit from hearing the other students speak in this way.
Is there homework assigned? There is no homework to be done outside of class. Our instructors will encourage the students to listen to their CD or equivalent for 5 minutes each night to give them an ear for the language, but it is not required.
What qualifications do your teachers have? Most of our instructors are native to the target language and are also fluent in English. They have experience working with young children and bring culture to the classroom. Those who are not native have a degree, have lived or traveled abroad and have experience working with young children.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures Will my child be escorted to their language class? As all students are coming from different directions we are unable to pick everyone up. It is the parent/student responsibility to get to language class. If your child is in an onsite daycare program before language class due to an earlier dismissal, please contact the onsite daycare and let them know of your child’s language class schedule. Please remind your child the morning of class, that they have language class that day. Our instructor will escort students to the onsite daycare program after class if that is the dismissal procedure you chose.
What if I’m late picking up my child after class? IES teachers are not responsible for waiting with a child after a class has been dismissed. Please be on time to pick up your child as our teacher may have another class at another location. Our teacher will escort your child to the onsite daycare program if that is the dismissal location you specified on your enrollment form.
Cancellation and Refunds What if my child starts the class and doesn’t like it? Once a child has started attending, they have 30 days to make this decision. If your child withdraws within the first 30 days of class, you will be charged for the classes they attended, the $30 registration fee, plus any non-refundable rental fee charged by the school if applicable. You will then be refunded the balance in the same manner you originally paid (either by check or credit card) within 30 business days. We do not do refunds after 30 days except for extenuating circumstances to be determined by IES.
If my child is sick or we go on vacation, do we receive a refund for the missed class(es)? There are no refunds for classes missed due to illness, vacations, or appointments etc. There are no refunds for enrollment fees, room rental fee paid or materials received.
What if we decide mid-year (after 30 days) that we can no longer attend due to a schedule change, etc? There are no refunds given after 30 days for unattended classes. If an extenuating situation occurs, and your child must drop the program after 30 days, parents will be charged a rate of $20.00 per class attended plus the non-refundable enrollment fee. Extenuating circumstances to be determined by IES.
What is an extenuating circumstance for withdrawing? IES reserves the right to take a child out of the program due to excessive tardiness, being picked up late numerous times, or disruptive classroom behavior. In these rare instances, the parent will be refunded the remainder of the paid tuition for the program.
If we start with Spanish class and then want to switch to Chinese, can we do that? A class switching service charge of $15 will be applied if a student wishes to switch classes after the first class is held. If IES makes changes for the betterment of the program, this fee does not apply.
Materials What if my child misplaces their book or CD? Parents are financially responsible for replacing materials that are lost or damaged by their child should they wish to have a replacement. Your tuition includes one set of materials issued by IES.
Do you offer music and CD’s in all languages? Additional home reinforcement materials are not available in all the series.
Communication with IES and your instructor Are there classes during holidays and minimum days? IES follows the school calendar. If there is no school for the students, then there is no language class. IES has already accounted for major holidays so that the students still receive the classes you have paid for. On minimum days, classes should ideally be taught earlier. Sometimes this is not possible due to our classroom being used for conferences, etc. In this instance the class will need to be canceled and scheduled for another day, or time will be added to future classes. Your child’s instructor should inform the students about minimum day schedules.
What happens if a teacher is ill and cannot attend class? IES teachers are required to notify parents should they need to reschedule a class. Teacher rescheduled classes may be added to the end of the session or possibly on another day if all students are able to attend. It is also possible that the time missed will be broken up into smaller segments and added to a series of classes to ensure the students receive the proper amount of class time.
What if my child is ill or unable to attend a class? Notify your IES teacher if your child will be missing classes due to illness, vacations, etc., or with any other concerns regarding your child’s class.
Who can I call if I have questions or concerns? Parent cooperation is encouraged and appreciated. Please call our office at 1-800-231-4703 should you have questions or concerns.
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