IMS Financial Policies

International Montessori School Financial Policies 0809

Invoices and Extra Service Fees:

• Invoices go out on the 25^th of each month, and payments are due to the office no later than the 5^th of each month.
• If you know in advance (or in an emergency) that your child needs to stay an extra few hours, you will be charged $12 for an “extended day.”  Families are only allowed 4 Extended Days per month per child.
• Early Drop-Off is available for $45 extra a month.  Unlike Tuition Payments, Early Drop-Off fees directly reflect the months that the child is in school:
• August - the child should be charged $15.75 for first week 
• September-May - the child should be charged the usual $45
• June - the child should be charged $15.75 for the last week Early Drop-Off will be from 7:45-8:30am.
• Any requests for an earlier time (7:30am) need to be made in writing and approved by the Head of School.

Late Start:

• If a child starts after the school year has started in August, your family must pay 1/2 day tuition to hold a spot until the month they enroll.
• As soon as the child starts, they will be charged according to their requested Day.

Age and School Year (in general we follow the N.C. Public School):

• A child must be 5 on or before 8/31 to enter Kindergarten
• A child must be 6 on or before 8/31 to enter 1^st grade
• A child must be 3 on or before 8/31 to enter the school. 
• We will make exceptions based on an interview with the Head of School and teachers or if the child is ready for 1^st grade and is not 6-years-old prior to 8/31.

Tuition Reimbursement:

If for any reason, you decide not to enroll your child after you have accepted the position, or you decide to remove your child from the school during the school year, you must inform IMS--in writing--as soon as possible. 

• If you decide to remove your child before the start of the school year, you will be reimbursed for the tuition payments already made; however, you will not receive a reimbursement for the $550 enrollment fee.
• If you decide to remove your child after the school year starts and give 30 days notice prior to the removal, you are entitled to a reimbursement of your first payment made in March of the previous school year.  You will not be reimbursed your $550 enrollment fee, nor any other tuition payments.
• If you decide to remove your child after the school year starts and do not give 30 days notice, you will not be reimbursed for tuition payments already made; nor will you receive your $550 Enrollment Fee.
• If you are paying bi-annually, and you decide to remove your child before the school years ends, you will be reimbursed ONLY for the months your child will not be attending.

Changes to Schedule:

• If you decide to switch your child’s schedule ( ½ day to ¾ day, Full day to ¾ Day, etc.), you may only do so at the beginning of each month. 
• Your tuition payments will reflect the change accordingly.

Special Fees:

• Special Activities Fee - In the beginning of the school year you will be charged a flat fee ($85 for 3-4s and $150 for 5-9s). This money will cover all field trips, one logo t-shirt, and all Fine Arts classes.
• Lunch Bunch – For those that are interested, every Friday we provide a service called Lunch Bunch for the children.  This means, that each Friday, we will serve the children pizza, pasta, or rice and beans and salad, mixed vegetables or fruit.  The charge for this service is approximately $90/semester.  This fee will appear on your invoice, at the beginning of each semester.
• Mini-Day Camps – each semester we offer several “mini-day camps” for days that we have Teacher Work Days.  Sign-up sheets will be due at the beginning of each semester.  Mini-Day Camps is a child care service that follows the usual school day schedule; however, we can only offer it to a limited number of students.  $30 half-day, $40 three-quarter-day, $50 full-day.  There will be a $10 extra charge for those that sign-up late.
• Fundraisers– If you choose to come to an event where we provide a fee, you will be notified beforehand and charged on your next invoice.  The price of these fundraiser events range from $10-$20 per family.

 
 Late Payment Policy

• If a payment is received after the 5^th of each month, a $25 late payment fee will be assessed.
• If the payment is still not received 30 days after the first late payment fee, a 10% increase will be added to the individual’s outstanding tuition.

If you miss one or more payments without explanation, your child may be subject to suspension until your balance has been paid in full.