GENERAL POLICIES

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.

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 click here for more information or to apply. 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.

Scholarships for Ceramics & Jewelry are granted per individual once per fiscal year (September – August)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

The BAC reserves the right to cancel classes or workshops that are under-enrolled and to change days, times, or teachers when necessary.

Cancellation Policy: 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.

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

Open Studios Cancellation Policy: 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

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 earlier than 1 week.

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 or makeup days 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.

This applies to COVID Credits issued during the government shutdown. This policy was issued June of 2021. COVID Credits will expire as of Spring of 2022.

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.

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.

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.

Students 12 and under will need to be checked in via the Procare App with the assistance of a Staff member unless given travel permissions by their parent or guardian.

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.

Students under the age of 16 must have signed permission from parents to leave class on their own. Only students ages 12+ may leave on their own. A permission form is available in the office and on the online registration form.

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.

FOR STUDENTS WITH OPEN STUDIO PASSES ONLY

email office@brooklineartscenter.com to check open studio availability and to purchase passes

Ceramic + Jewlery Open Studios Every Wednesday, 6:30p - 9:30p

- 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. You will have from Monday 12:00pm – Friday 11:59pm at the latest to reserve your spot for the following week. We recommend setting an alarm each week or bookmarking the reservation page for easy access! When reserving Ceramic Open Studio sp, you will need to indicate whether you are reserving the wheel, handbuilding, or glazing. If you would like to register for GLAZING ONLY, please reserve through the separate registration.

Cancellation Policy

You must cancel by 12:00pm the Monday 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 .