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frequently asked questions Understandably, many parents have questions about the Creative Oasis when they entrust their children with us. Hundreds of children have participated in our afterschool and summer art camps, and we are happy to provide testimonials from happy parents and young people to answer the most basic questions. For your convenience, the following list was composed of more specific questions that we often encounter. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us at info@thecreativeoasis.com. I've heard that the Creative Oasis gives scholarships... how do I or my family qualify? As a public studio and 501(c)3 not-for-profit charity, the Creative Oasis does indeed donate a finite number of class and camp vouchers every year. Essentially, we donate these vouchers to local organizations who assist the underserved in the local area and who are better suited to screening and awarding these donations. We also donate a small number of such vouchers and other forms of support to organization with compatible missions for their fundraising activities and provide space for meetings. Contact us if you have an organization that requires such support.Can my child take the same class/camp more than once? Yes. We go to great lengths to innovate our programs each time, keeping them fresh and new. Small class sizes and dedicated instructors ensure your child will never be bored. We have numerous families that use our services again and again, month after month, year after year. I have a special needs child... can he or she use your programs? We have experience with special needs individuals of all ages, and have a fully handicap accessible entrance. We encourage you to contact us directly with your concerns so we can better answer your question. What kind of family, organizational, or other discounts do you provide? We try to offer various special offers at any given time to further serve the community and fulfill our mission. Further, under certain circumstances (such as large group enrollments) we can offer additional discounts. Can my child bring a friend to class? Subject to prior approval, yes. Additional fees may apply. How are your programs different than those in school? What are your instructors' qualifications? What kind of supervision/safety procedures do you have in place? The Creative Oasis is a professionally-managed arts studio with a faculty of seasoned and specialized instructors, offering focused and fun activities that build on existing skills and encourage new ones. We have multiple qualified adults on duty during the course of the day, ensuring that your child is under constant supervision. We are happy to answer any of your questions in greater detail, but would also suggest (and in fact, encourage) adults to sit in and observe the programming their children receive in our facility. We take both the education we provide and the safety of our studio very seriously. We're glad you do, too. A Special Note to the Parents of Returning Children... Over the years, we've asked parents what they liked about our programming and what they'd like to see changed. We've listened to your suggestions, discussed them, and we've revitalized our program to reflect them. We think you'll like what you see--more classes, stronger differentiation for age groups and ability levels, and more resources for young learners. Without a huge jump in prices. Please take the time to look over our new schedule of afterschool programming, familiarize yourself with the new opportunities. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon. The following questions and answers are specifically aimed at parents of returning children. What changes has the Creative Oasis made to its afterschool art programming? In response to the increasing demand for more specialized activities and at the prompting of you, the parent, the Creative Oasis has expanded its children's art programming to include a greater variety of classes and more differentiation between age groups. We have also brought back our in-service programming and made changes to our pricing structure. The full details are available on our afterschool programming page. What happened to memberships for younger (12 and under) children? In order to ensure fairness for all participants in our programming and the highest possible level of service to our youngest attendees, the Creative Oasis will no longer offer semester memberships for children 12 and under, though hourly usage rates may still be purchased under special conditions. With the heightened attendance in our programming, the level of supervision needed for members attending outside of program times has become unwieldy and made it impossible for us to ensure that students are receiving quality instruction outside of regularly scheduled events. We will continue to offer memberships to older, more mature students. What changes can we expect to see in the future? The Creative Oasis strives to constantly improve our programming and the resources we offer to young people. Expect to see continued variety of class offerings, more special activities for greater age ranges, and more resources offered for artistic and educational activities. Why have prices increased? Over the last few years, the Creative Oasis has held pricing steady despite increases all around us. The nominal increase in pricing will allow us to continue our children's programming (previously, the Creative Oasis actually lost money running children's programs), and add additional resources to improve them in the future. From our comparisons, the Creative Oasis remains one of the most cost-effective programs in the area, especially considering the level of instruction and resources offered. |
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