CLASS POLICIES
What ages does the program serve?
The program is designed for children ages 18 months-8 years.
Children younger and older than this age range are welcome to enroll and families are encouraged to try a free class to see if it is a good fit for their explorer.
Can siblings come for free?
Siblings under 18 months of age may join at no cost.
If a sibling needs to attend due to scheduling change (eg. day off at school), they can attend one session without enrolling. Families are asked to notify the teacher if an extra child needs to attend for a session so they can prepare any necessary materials.
Can families try a class for free before enrolling in the program?
Families are invited to enroll in free trial classes prior to the start of the season to try Tinkergarten. If the pre-season trial classes have already taken place, then new families are invited to attend one session of the season for free.
Are credits or refunds offered for missed sessions?
Credits and refunds not offered for classes missed by families. Families who subscribe can utilize their Tinkergarten Anywhere content if they miss a live class session.
If a class needs to be canceled due to weather or by the teacher, we will make our best effort to reschedule the class.
What happens in inclement weather?
In general, we believe that "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing." We encourage appropriate clothing to play outside in a variety of weather. We will typically hold class in light rain or snow, as well as on cold days, as long as conditions are safe for outdoor play.
Of course, some weather is not safe for outdoor play. Decisions about whether it is safe to hold class are determined by the teacher using local weather guidance and a weather chart.
All cancellations are posted on an alert banner at the top of the Winrec.com website. Teachers will also follow up with a cancellation email at least 90 minutes prior to the programs start time.
Whenever possible, sessions cancelled due to unsafe weather will be offered at another time in the season.
How do teachers foster a safe learning environment during class?
Each explorer (child) is accompanied by a guide (parent or caregiver). Teachers support guides and do all that they reasonably can to provide a learning environment that allows for safe risk-taking.
Leaders bring a First Aid Kit to class, which can be utilized by guides (attending adults) if needed.
A few simple rules help to address most situations:
Explorers (children) can explore on their own as long as they can still see or hear their guide or the Leader.
If explorers are taking physical risks, we check in to make sure that they feel sturdy and safe in their risk-taking.
Leaders encourage children to engage in risky play, but give clear redirection if or when safety and the safety of friends in the class could be compromised. For example, we celebrate that sticks are the #1 toy of all time, but we make sure that our sticks have plenty of space so they do not touch our friends' bodies. Ultimately, over time, we want to help children learn how to learn their limits while still playing in a way that keeps them and their friends out of true harm.
We encourage children not to put nature treasures in their mouths. If a wee one is doing so as a natural part of exploring the world, we work with their guide to try to honor that need in the safest way possible.
What is the illness policy?
If a guide or explorer is experiencing any of the following symptoms; fever, cough or sneezing not caused by allergies, vomiting, or diarrhea, we ask that they skip that week's class to keep our nature class family as healthy as possible.
Masks are not required, however families are welcome to wear masks if they prefer.
We design our classroom spaces and activities so that participants have plenty of room to move around and have the option to limit sustained close contact with people outside of their family/pod.