policies — Brookline Arts Center

Policies

Non-Discrimination

The Brookline Arts Center is an equal opportunity organization committed to the principle of equal opportunity in its programs and employment. The BAC does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, disability or veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Financial Assistance

We believe that access to arts education should be available to everyone. Need-based financial aid is available to eligible families throughout the year. Please do not register for a class you wish to apply financial assistance for, the BAC will assist you with your registration process if your application has been accepted.

Tuition assistance requests will not be fulfilled until the week of December 16 - 20. Tuition Assistance requests can be fullfilled up to 2 weeks after the start date of the session if space permits. Until then, we ask for your patience while we work to place students in their requested classes. Scholarships for Ceramics & Jewelry are granted per individual once per fiscal year (September – August)

Please click here for more information or to apply.

Sibling Discount: Families who register more than one sibling will receive a 10% discount on the second student’s class fee only (must register siblings in the same transaction). Please do not register anyone who is not related to you or your child.

Workshop Discount: Students who sign up for two workshops will receive a 15% discount off the second workshop. This discount only applies if one person signs themselves up for two workshops. The discount will not apply if purchasing 2 workshops for 2 seperate people.

Accessibility

The Brookline Arts Center is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its programs and employment. We welcome participants of all abilities. To request reasonable accommodations for you or your child(ren), we advise you to please contact the BAC office at least ten days in advance at 617-566-5715 or email office@brooklineartscenter.com.

The first floor is wheelchair accessible. One handicapped parking space is available in front of the building. Dial 711 if you are deaf, hard of hearing or need voice access via Massachusetts Relay TTY. You may also call Massachusetts Relay at 1(800) 439-2370, or at 1(800) 439-0183 for voice access.

Registration

To register for upcoming classes, workshops, and events, please visit our Active Registration, or email us at office@brooklineartscenter.com for registration assistance. Please register at least one week before a class or workshop begins. The full amount must be paid at the time of registration. Both registration and material fees are required during registration.

We accept checks, American Express, Discover Card, Visa or MasterCard.

We will send a receipt of your registration to your email account. Specific program information will be sent via email one week prior to the start of the program.

Late Enrollment: After a class begins, registration is not permitted unless otherwise authorized. Please call the office to register if a class has already started. We will not allow any late registrations after the first 2 weeks of class.

General Illness Policy

Sick Policy: If your child has any cold/flu/covid like symptoms, we please ask you to keep your child home to prevent students and our faculty from getting sick.

Positive COVID Case: Any student, faculty, or staff who tests positive for COVID-19 is required to notify BAC for purposes of cleaning, disinfecting, and contact tracing. A student who tests positive will need to follow CDC recommendations for quarantining.

Every situation will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. We will do our best to keep the students in the classroom safe.

Class fees will not be refunded due to COVID-19-related cancellations.

First Aid and CPR Certified

The BAC’s administrative staff is first aid and CPR certified for children and adults.

Allergy Aware Environment

In order to ensure a safe environment for all students, the BAC is allergy aware. As many students are allergic to peanuts/tree nuts, please keep this in mind when packing snacks/food to bring to classes.

Cancellation & Termination

The BAC reserves the right to cancel classes or workshops that are under-enrolled and to change days, times, or teachers when necessary. You must cancel no less than 1 week before your class or workshop begins to receive a refund.

Cancellation Fee: For cancellations made by the student, the fee is determined by registration and processing fees. This can range from anywhere between $20 - $50 per class.

Private Lesson Cancellation: You must cancel with no less than 24 hours notice or you will be charged for a full lesson.

Open Studios Cancellation: You must cancel within 48 hours before the session date or your pass will be charged. If you do not show up for your reserved class, your pass will be charged. We accept students from the waitlist when canceled, so please make sure to inform us by email if you are not planning to attend. Please see Open Studios tab for more information on Open Studio Policies

Student Termination:
BAC reserves the right to evaluate each student's skill level to determine if they possess the necessary knowledge of the best health and safety practices required to work in the studio. If an evaluation by BAC faculty determines that a student does not have the required skills to safely work in the studio or is endangering themselves and others, they will lose access to certain materials and tools. If this happens, the student may be provided with an alternative project that does not require such materials and tools.

The BAC also reserves the right to terminate a student’s enrollment if they do not respect our faculty or the rules, regulations, and safety of the studio. If a student needs to be removed from class, the BAC will not provide a refund.

BAC reserves the right to terminate a student’s enrollment if they are showcasing disrespectful or violent behavior, or are distracting the class. If a student needs to be removed from class, the BAC will not provide a refund. We appreciate your understanding and support as we work to create a nurturing and safe space for all our students.

Refunds & Credits

Refunds will only be given if the request is made one week prior to the start date of the class or workshop. No refunds will be issued after that time if a student withdraws. If the BAC cancels a class or workshop up to the start date of the class or workshop due to low enrollment, a full refund or credit will be issued. BAC cannot always guarantee a makeup day for a cancellation session. In this case, refunds will not be provided if we are unable to schedule a makeup session. Refunds cannot be issued if paid in cash.

Workshop Refunds: You must cancel with no less than 1 week before your session or you will be unable to receive a refund. There is a $25 cancellation fee for canceling later than 1 week in advance.

Student/Faculty Absences: No refunds will be made for student absences. In the case of a faculty absence, students will be notified by email and a make-up class will be scheduled. There will be no refunds for faculty absences. Please see Makeup Class section for more details.

Inclement Weather: There will be no refunds for weather-related cancellations.

Credit: If a student withdraws from a class, or the BAC cancels a class, the student has the option to accept credit for a future class in place of a refund. The credit can only be applied if canceled 1 week prior the class start date. Once a credit is accepted, a refund cannot be given. Credits are good for only 1 year after issuance.

Make-Up Classes

If the BAC cancels classes, we will schedule make-ups for the end of the session. The BAC will not issue refunds if a registered student misses class(es). We will make our best effort to schedule a make-up class that follows the same day of the week and time as the class. If a student is unable to make the make-up class, we cannot guarantee another date or a refund. We cannot guarantee a makeup day for a cancellation session. Refunds will not be provided if we are unable to schedule a makeup session.

Inclement Weather: There will be no makeup classes or refunds for weather-related cancellations.

Vacation Programs: There will be no makeup classes or refunds for canceled Vacation Programs.

Student/Faculty Absences: No refunds will be made for student absences. In the case of a faculty absence, students will be notified by email of a make-up session or a substitute teacher fill-in if necessary. There will be no refunds for faculty absences.

Open Studio time will no longer be allowed to be used as a make-up time for a missed class.

Inclement Weather & Vacation Days

The BAC follows the same schedule as Brookline Public Schools for holidays, inclement weather and state of emergencies. In the event that circumstances do not allow for the BAC website to be updated, please default to Brookline Public Schools. We will work with you to schedule make-up classes for weather-related cancellations. There will be no refunds for weather-related cancellations.

Arrival & Dismissal for Youth Classes

Parents/guardians will be given a 10-minute window of time to drop-off and pick up. It is very important that you adhere to the drop-off and pick-up times. There will be a check-in line outside and staff will take children into the BAC for their class. Parents and guardians will not be permitted inside the building unless otherwise authorized.

Travel Permission: Students 12 and over who have authorized travel permissions can arrive and dismiss themselves.

Late Fee: There is a $2.00/minute late charge for any child picked up more than 10 minutes late. For example, if your child’s class ends at 5:30pm and you arrive at 5:45pm, you will be charged $10.00 and so on. All payments must be paid prior to your child returning to the program.

Travel Permission

Students age 12-17 must have signed permission from parents to travel to and from BAC unaccompanied. Only students ages 12+ may leave on their own. Travel Permissions is issued during the registration process. If you need to make any adjustments to your permissions please email office@brooklineartscenter.com

Photography

We periodically take photographs of classes and events for our promotional materials including our catalog and the website. You may indicate those permissions on your active account during registration.

Open Studios

Ceramic & Jewelry Open Studios

You must have taken at least one BAC Ceramic or Jewelry Course in order to qualify.
Passes are valid for 1 year from the purchase date.
Open Studio time does not include instruction.
Reservation is first-come, first-served until space is full. If space is full, you may join the waitlist and we will notify you if a spot opens up

Reservation Policy
Each week you will need to reserve your space 1 week prior to open studio day. Space is limited to 6 students. You will receive an email on Monday at 12:00 pm notifying you that registration is open for the following week, supplying you with a link to our active registration system. We recommend setting an alarm each week or bookmarking the reservation page for easy access! Registration will close 48 hours before the scheduled Open Studio Day. When reserving Ceramic Open Studio space, you will need to indicate whether you are reserving the wheel, handbuilding, or glazing.

Cancellation Policy
You must cancel at least 48 hours before the session date or your pass will be charged. If you do not show up for your reserved class, your pass will be charged. We accept students from the waitlist when cancelled, so please make sure to inform us if you are not planning to attend. This reservation is time sensitive and will not be able reserve late. If you do happen to reserve late or need to cancel your reservation please email office@brooklineartrscenter.com

Open Studios Termination
The BAC reserves the right to evaluate each student's skill level to determine if they have the necessary knowledge and skills needed to work independently in the ceramic studio. These include skills that can impact the kiln firings, and knowledge of best health and safety practices in the studio. If an evaluation by BAC faculty determines that the student does not possess the required skills needed, they will be asked to return to an instruction based class before signing up for additional open studio passes. The BAC also reserves the right to terminate an Open Studio student’s enrollment if they are not respecting the rules and regulations of the ceramic studio .

Jewelry Studio Safety

Students must follow all instructions given by the instructor.
Do not use any equipment without an instructor present.
Safety glasses are required while students are sawing and using the flex shaft.
Dust masks are required while students are doing any sort of polishing and sanding.
Long hair should be tied back.
Do not wear articles of clothing or jewelry that hang off the body (i.e., scarves).
Do not wear open-toed, open-heeled footwear (i.e., flip-flops, sandals or clogs).
Cover exposed skin and wear long pants during class.
Chemicals such as liver of sulfur or any other patina must be done under the vent; along with the proper respirator, gloves, safety glasses, and apron.
All enamels must be sifted under the vent and a respirator must be worn.
Jewelry classes involving soldering are not appropriate for pregnant women.
Do not eat anything in class. All drinks should have a lid that keeps contaminating particles from being accidentally ingested.

BAC reserves the right to evaluate each student's skill level to determine if they possess the necessary knowledge of the best health and safety practices required to work in the studio. If an evaluation by BAC faculty determines that a student does not have the required skills to safely work in the studio or is endangering themselves and others, they will lose access to certain materials and tools. If this happens, the student may be provided with an alternative project that does not require such materials and tools.

The BAC also reserves the right to terminate a student’s enrollment if they do not respect our faculty or the rules, regulations, and safety of the studio. If a student needs to be removed from class, the BAC will not provide a refund.

Ceramic Studio Safety

Students must follow all instructions given by the instructor.
Do not use any equipment without an instructor present.
BAC will provide safety glasses or gloves when necessary.
Long hair should be tied back.
Do not wear articles of clothing or jewelry that hang off the body (i.e., scarves).
Do not wear open-toed, open-heeled footwear (i.e., flip-flops, sandals or clogs).
Students will not load, unload, or operate the kilns.
Do not eat anything in class. All drinks should have a lid that keeps contaminating particles from being accidentally ingested.
All completed work must be picked up from BAC no later than 4 weeks after the student has been notified that their work is ready. BAC is not responsible for any work left longer than 4 weeks. It is the students’ responsibility to pick up their work.

General Studio Safety

Students must always be wearing shoes in class.
Oil paints and other toxic mediums must be disposed of in appropriate containers as directed by the instructor.
Oil painting classes are not appropriate for people who are pregnant.
All spraying of aerosol cans; including spray paints, fixatives, or adhesives, should be done outdoors.
Students must adhere to all safety guidelines imposed by studio teachers with regards to the handling of materials in class.
The BAC will provide applicable protective gear with regard to the handling of materials in class.
Please advise from bringing personal toys and stuffed animals into the studio. We are not responsible for the loss of personal belongings while attending BAC classes.

Monmouth Park & Outdoor Play

Students may take breaks outside in the public park, Monmouth Park, when the weather permits. In the warmer months, please pack sunscreen for your child. We will have our assistant teachers and staff available to monitor children during their break.

Students 12+ with travel permissions can take breaks in Monmouth Park unaccompanied or travel during breaks with their caregiver's consent.