Education Booking and Cancellation

Intent

The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear and consistent framework for booking education visits and programs for school, homeschool, pre-school and daycare groups. It also outlines the process for handling situations where a school, homeschool, pre-school or daycare group cancels their visit/program booking in a fair, consistent, and transparent manner. 

Booking Requirements and Expectations

1. To qualify for PST-exempt curriculum-connected education programs including self-guided visits, all bookings must be completed in advance and paid in full with a credit card via the WDM website through the Checkfront software. This includes homeschools attending individually as a single household or as a multi-family group.
   • All transactions are subject to 5% GST
   • A 3% booking fee is included in the program price.
   • The WDM reserves the right to hold credit card information for up to 90 days, in the instance that additional admissions that were not previously accounted for need to be applied upon arrival.
   • Payment requests in other formats (i.e. cash or cheque at time of arrival) will only be accepted in approved situations at the discretion of Museum management. Please contact the WDM location if it is not possible to make a credit card payment online at time of booking.
2. Homeschool classes:
   • To qualify for the PST-exempt school rate, the homeschool must pre-book a curriculum connected education program online, and attend on a weekday between September 1 and June 30. 
   • The PST-exempt school rate applies to children age two and older. Children under the age of two are free. 
   • When pre-booking an educational program, homeschool classes and multi-family groups are required to follow the same 1:5 chaperone ratio as schools (section 6); additional adults exceeding this ratio are required to pay the WDM extra chaperone rate.
     • Note: some programs have a minimum number of students requirement.
   • If the homeschool class visits without having pre-booked a curriculum connected education program online, the group will receive the General Admission rate, Museum family admission rate or the Museum group admission rate, whichever best suits the members of the group.
     • This admission will not be PST-exempt, and no curriculum connected educational material or program will be provided. 
     • The homeschool group is welcome to take part in any public activities, such as an in-gallery seek & find activity.  
3. Pre-school and daycare groups:
   • To qualify for the PST-exempt school rate, the Pre-school or Daycare groups must pre-book a curriculum connected education program online, and attend on a weekday between September 1 and June 30. 
   • The PST-exempt school rate applies to children age two and older. Children under the age of two are free. 
   • When pre-booking an educational grogram, pre-school and daycare groups are required to follow the same 1:5 chaperone ratio as schools (section 6); additional adults exceeding this ratio are required to pay the WDM extra chaperone rate.
     • Some programs have a minimum number of students requirement.
     • Some programs may require additional chaperones above the 1:5 ratio depending on the age of the students.
   • If the pre-school or daycare visits without having pre-booked a curriculum connected education program online, the group will receive the General Admission rate, Museum family admission rate or the Museum group admission rate, whichever best suits the members of the group.
     • This admission will not be PST-exempt, and no educational material or program will be provided. 
     • The pre-school or daycare group is welcome to take part in any public activities, such as an in-gallery seek & find activity.
4. If booking assistance is required, the booking may be called in to the applicable Museum location and the Program staff member can help with the process through their online staff portal.
5. More or less students:
   • If more students are in attendance than previously booked, the school admission rate per student will be applied to the purchaser’s credit card at the time of arrival.
     • Up to four additional students are allowed without incurring additional fees. Example: A class arrives with five more students than booked online; the admission cost for the additional five students in attendance would be applied to the purchaser’s credit card. If the class arrives with four more students than booked, there would be no additional fees.  
   • Refunds are not issued if fewer students are in attendance than booked online.  
6. Chaperones are required to assist with the supervision of students while in the Museum. Groups are expected to provide chaperones (including teachers) at a ratio of 1 adult per 5 students. Chaperones in this ratio are admitted free of charge.
   • Support staff and chaperones for students with significant needs who require one on one support are permitted at a 1:1 ratio at no additional charge. 
   • All additional chaperones exceeding the 1:5 ratio will be charged the WDM’s extra chaperone rate. 
   • This charge may be applied to the purchaser’s credit card at the time of arrival if payment has not been made in advance for extra chaperones.  
7. Depending on capacity, some education programs allow for multiple classes to visit at the same time from the same school. Joint booking availability and booking directions are communicated on the program page and booking website.
   • Classes may book together but must indicate the name and contact information of all educators that will be attending the joint booking. Museum staff will then create the booking and invoice for the additional class(es). Bookings will be confirmed once payment is received. 
   • Each class is encouraged to book individually and identify the name of the other educator(s) they will participate with on their booking. The Museum facilitator will follow up with the educator(s) if there are any availability conflicts or concerns. 
8. Groups arriving more than 15 minutes late to their scheduled session will be accommodated at the closest available time at the sole discretion of the Western Development Museum staff. No credits or refunds will be issued in the event that a group is late and the WDM is unable to offer another time for their session.
9. Disruptive Behavior: The Western Development Museum endeavours to provide a safe and appropriate environment within the Museum. When the behavior of a visitor causes a disruption which interferes with the use of space by other visitors, or which interferes with a staff member’s completion of their duties, said visitor may be removed from the premises and no refunds will be provided.
10. Through the online booking process, educators will acknowledge that they have read and understand the Museum Manners policy or Virtual Code of Conduct, the Education Booking and Cancellation policy as well as noting that they may be held financially responsible for any damage to artifacts, the facility or grounds by any member of their party. This is a mandatory requirement in order to complete the booking. 

Cancellation and Refund Requirements

1. Cancellation of IN-PERSON self-guided visit or education program registrations:
   • Cancellations made more than three business days in advance will receive a full refund, less a $10 administration fee.
   • Cancellations made less than three business days in advance are ineligible for a refund.
     1. Exceptions will only be allowed in approved situations at the discretion of the Museum Manager (examples: bus cancellations due to extreme weather, educator job action).
   • No-shows will be considered to be cancellations and are ineligible for a refund.
   • Any expenses for perishable materials already incurred before the group cancels their booking will not be refunded in order to cover Museum costs (example: supplies for an ice cream making demonstration), plus a $10 administration fee.
   • Refunds will not be given if fewer students or chaperones attend than originally booked (example: if a school books for 30 students but only 28 attend, the cost for the two absent students will not be refunded). Educators are sent a confirmation letter after booking that states, “No refunds if fewer students or chaperones attend than originally booked” clause.
   • If the visit/program can be rescheduled to a different date, no penalty or additional fee will be incurred if the Museum is notified of the change more than three business days in advance. The purchaser must contact the WDM location they will be visiting directly to reschedule their visit.
2. Cancellation of VIRTUALeducation program registrations:
   • Registrations cancelled BEFORE the link to the program content is sent will be issued a full refund, less a $10 administrative fee.
   • Registrations cancelled AFTER the link to the program content is sent will not be eligible for any refund.
3. This policy will be available to potential school, homeschool, pre-school and daycare participants prior to the time of booking on the WDM’s For Teachers webpage. The cancellation policy will also be included with the confirmation following the booking.
4. The Western Development Museum reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If the WDM cancels a program after a booking is completed, a full refund will be issued.