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May. 10, 2006
Homeschooling on a Shoestring Part 1C: Gymnastics and Such
So
you found a business that offered classes in _____, and convinced
them to let you manage a homeschool program. You have enough students
enrolled to begin, and you have a start date set. Now what do you do?
1. Be on hand the first day of class to greet families and meet any you
have not personally met before. Put calendars in their hands,
indicating class days, holidays, payment due dates, the end of the
session, and any other information you deem pertinent. If families have
agreed to share information, you could also give out a contact list.
2. Whether your children attend a particular class or not, you need to
plan to attend at least once a month, both to collect tuition and to
keep in contact with the families. Ask one parent to take roll each
week and notify you if anyone stops showing up.
3. Keep
careful records for each family so you will know when someone has paid
ahead or is lagging behind. Although I hated to do it, I found it did
help to institute a fee for late pays. I waived this if the family let
me know in advance when they would be able to pay. Be sure to collect
tuition in advance so there is no chance of someone quitting with a
balance owing.
4. At the end of the session, there should be
some slush remaining. How much will depend on how close you cut it with
fees, how many late fees were paid, and if anyone left with a balance
owing. If the slush is small, keep it on account for the next session.
There were a few times my slush seemed larger than necessary. I
generally used part of it for scholarships for a struggling family or
for one with many enrollments. I also used excess slush to purchase an
open gym for the families of program participants who made it to the
end of the season.
5. Begin taking enrollments for the next
session about a month before the current session ends. If holding a
summer session, take enrollments for both summer and fall at the same
time. Generally, families could participate in either or both. It is
much easier to talk to parents when their kids are in class rather than
waiting and having to make phone calls to everyone.
6.
Continue advertising the program. If classes are full, keep a waiting
list. That way, if a family has to drop out suddenly, you may be able
to fill the vacancy immediately. This will relieve the first family of
having to pay for classes they cannot attend. Reimburse them for any
classes attended by the new student.
Next time I'll focus on
creating a program without the help of a business--and you don't even
have to be able to teach the subject!
*******
Thank
You Lord, that You know even better than I the natural bents of my
children. Thank You that You have provided over and over again just
what we needed.
Amen
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May. 14, 2006 - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!