Child Drop-Off & Pick-Up Policy
For your child's safety, all children must be personally checked in and checked out with a Bee Bilingual Learning Center teacher.
Children may not be dropped off or left unattended in the hallway before class, and they may not leave the studio without being released directly to a parent or an authorized adult.
Students 10 years of age and older may arrive and leave independently only after prior written or verbal agreement between the parents and Bee Bilingual Learning Center owners (Anna or Olga).
If someone other than a parent or regular caregiver will be picking up your child, please notify us in advance and provide the person's name and relationship to the child.
For your child's safety, we reserve the right to request a government-issued photo ID from anyone picking up a child for the first time if we do not know them personally.
Parents, legal guardians, or other authorized caregivers are solely responsible for the child while they are outside our premises, including before arrival and after dismissal.
Thank you for helping us keep every child safe.
Arrival & Pick-Up
Please arrive and pick up your child on time.
Our classes are scheduled back-to-back without breaks, so late pick-ups may delay the next class.
Our teachers open the front door at the beginning and end of each class. Please wait to be invited inside rather than entering on your own. We'll welcome you in as soon as your class begins.
Please help us keep the hallways quiet. Bee Bilingual Learning Center is located in a professional office building where other businesses are operating throughout the day. Building management enforces a $250 fine for excessive noise or disruptive behavior in the hallways and common areas.
If you would like to talk with another parent or have a longer conversation, we kindly ask that you use the first-floor lobby, where conversations will not disturb neighboring offices.
Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful environment for everyone in the building.
Behavior Expectations
Our classes are designed to provide a positive, respectful, and enjoyable learning environment for every child.
We understand that children have different personalities and need time to adjust to a new classroom. Our teachers work patiently to help every student feel comfortable and succeed.
However, our classes are not intended to address ongoing behavioral challenges. If a child consistently demonstrates behavior that is disruptive, disrespectful, or prevents the class from learning, we may determine that our program is not the best fit for their current needs.
If a student's behavior creates a safety concern or significantly disrupts the learning environment, we reserve the right to contact a parent or guardian and request that the child be picked up before the class has ended.
In such cases, tuition for that class session is non-refundable.
Our priority is to provide a safe, respectful, and positive learning experience for every child in our community.
Respect for Our Studio
Bee Bilingual Learning Center is more than just a school to us—it's a place where children learn, grow, and feel at home. We kindly ask all students and families to help us keep our space clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone.
Please help us by following these guidelines:
During rainy, snowy, or muddy weather, please make sure children arrive in clean clothing whenever possible.
For everyone's safety, climbing, jumping, or standing on the couches is not permitted.
Children may not take games, books, or materials from the shelves without a teacher's permission.
We have carefully built our collection of educational materials and board games over many years. Many of these games are rare or no longer in production, so we appreciate your help in treating them with care so future students can enjoy them as well.
Shoes & Socks
To help keep our classrooms clean and comfortable, everyone removes their shoes upon entering the studio.
Children and adults wear socks inside the classroom.
During warmer months, please remember to bring socks for your child if they are wearing sandals or open-toe shoes. Our classrooms have light-colored carpets, and socks help us keep them clean for everyone.
Food & Drinks
To help maintain a clean and safe learning environment, the following items are not permitted in the studio:
Candy
Chewing gum
Sweetened drinks
Milk
Water bottles are always welcome.
Nut-Free Studio
Bee Bilingual Learning Center is a 100% nut-free facility.
Please do not bring any foods or snacks containing peanuts or tree nuts into the studio. This policy helps us provide a safe environment for all children.
Restroom Policy
Students are expected to be toilet trained and able to use the restroom independently.
Children may use the restroom at any time during class, but they must first let their teacher know before leaving the classroom.
Our teachers cannot accompany children into the restroom or provide assistance with toileting, clothing, or personal hygiene. If a child requires assistance, a parent or authorized caregiver must remain available to provide it.
The restroom is located just next door from our classroom. For our younger students, a teacher will monitor that the child safely leaves the classroom, enters the restroom area, and returns to class. However, children are expected to use the restroom independently.
To minimize interruptions during class, we encourage all students to use the restroom before their lesson begins.
Personal Belongings
To help children stay focused during class, we ask that toys and personal belongings be left at home whenever possible, especially items that are valuable or have special sentimental meaning.
Our teachers are actively teaching throughout the lesson and are not able to supervise or keep track of children's personal belongings.
If a child brings a toy or other small item to class, it should either:
be given to a parent or caregiver before class begins, or
be left on the bench in the coat area for the duration of the class.
Bee Bilingual Learning Center is not responsible for lost, misplaced, or damaged personal belongings.
Phones & Smartwatches
To minimize distractions and help children stay engaged, the use of cell phones, smartwatches, and other personal electronic devices is not permitted during class.
The only exception is in the case of an emergency or with prior permission from a teacher.
Sick Policy
Please keep your child home if they have a fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or other contagious symptoms. This helps keep our students, families, and teachers healthy. If your child becomes ill during class, we will contact you and ask that they be picked up as soon as possible.
Attendance & Tuition Policy
Monthly Tuition
Tuition reserves your child's place in their class and is not based on attendance. Monthly tuition is due by the 5th of each month, regardless of any missed classes.
Since each student's space is reserved in advance, tuition remains the same whether or not a child attends every scheduled class.
Why Do We Charge Monthly Tuition?
Your monthly tuition reserves your child's place in a small group throughout the school year. Whether a student attends every class or misses a class, we continue to reserve that space, prepare lessons, and schedule teachers accordingly.
Our goal is always to help students make up missed classes whenever possible, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.
Make-Up Classes
If your child misses a class due to illness, we will do our best to offer a make-up class in another group with available space.
If a make-up class is not available, your child may attend one of our monthly Game Nights as a make-up opportunity.
Please note:
Make-up classes are offered as a courtesy and are subject to availability.
Missed classes may not be carried over beyond the following calendar month.
Make-up classes have no cash value and cannot be credited toward future tuition.
Make-Up Class Eligibility
To help us accommodate as many families as possible, please notify us of your child's absence at least 24 hours in advance whenever possible.
If we receive less than 24 hours' notice, we reserve the right not to offer a make-up class.
An exception is made for unexpected illness. However, if last-minute absences due to illness become frequent or habitual, we may also limit or decline future make-up class requests.
Because our classes are intentionally kept small, your child's place remains reserved even when they are absent. In some classes we also have waiting lists, which means we are unable to fill that reserved space on short notice.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us provide the best experience for all of our students.
Make-up classes are offered as a courtesy and cannot be guaranteed. Availability depends on class size, scheduling, and space in an appropriate group.
Planned Absences
If you know in advance that your child will miss class because of a vacation, sports competition, or another planned event, please let us know as early as possible.
The earlier we know about your absence, the more options we have to arrange a make-up class. Whenever possible, we may be able to schedule a make-up class either before or after your child's absence.
Communication, Teacher Availability, and School Schedule
Since all classes at our school are taught by the school founders, Olga and Anna, we are always closely familiar with each student’s progress, strengths, and areas for improvement. Families are always welcome to discuss their child’s development, ask questions, or share feedback directly with us.
Because our classes are scheduled back-to-back, we are not always able to have detailed conversations immediately after class while also respecting the schedule of the following groups and maintaining each family’s privacy. If you would like to discuss your child’s progress or any concerns, you are always welcome to contact us by message or schedule a short meeting after all classes are finished on an agreed-upon day.
Typically, each group is led by one of the teachers who becomes familiar with the group’s learning dynamic and individual needs. However, Olga and Anna regularly switch groups and observe different classes to provide a fresh perspective, evaluate students’ progress, and identify areas where additional support may be helpful.
Teacher Breaks and School Closures
Because the school is operated by only two teachers, and we work six days a week, often teach during school breaks, holidays, and days when local school districts are closed, we may occasionally take our personal vacations at different times in order to spend time with our families and children.
We believe that it is important for teachers to take breaks throughout the year in order to rest, recharge, and return to the classroom with new ideas, creativity, and a positive attitude. This is especially important at our school because we create most of our curriculum and class materials ourselves from scratch.
When one of us is away and the other teacher is unable to cover your child’s class for any reason, we will notify families in advance. Those specific missed lessons will not be charged.
Thank you for your understanding and support. We truly value the trust our families place in us and are committed to creating a consistent, engaging, and positive learning environment for every student.
Lending Library Policy
One of the special features of Bee Bilingual Learning Center is our Russian Children's Library.
We offer a carefully selected collection of Russian books for children who are already reading independently. Our library includes books for a wide range of reading levels—from simple readers with just a few sentences per page to chapter books for more advanced readers.
Borrowing Books
Library books are available to families who have become regular, responsible members of our school community.
Because Russian children's books are often expensive, difficult to obtain, and in many cases no longer available for purchase, we ask every family to help us preserve our collection for future students.
Caring for Library Books
Parents are responsible for ensuring that borrowed books are treated with care.
Please do not:
write, highlight, or make notes in books;
draw or color in books;
fold, tear, or damage pages;
bend or damage the book cover or spine;
expose books to food, drinks, or water.
Every book is carefully inspected before it is checked out and again when it is returned. We keep a record of which family has borrowed each book.
Lost or Damaged Books
If a book is lost or returned with damage beyond normal wear and tear, the borrowing family will be responsible for paying twice the replacement cost of the book.
The replacement cost will be determined based on the current market price from U.S. or international booksellers, as many Russian books are out of print and can be difficult or impossible to replace.
Thank you for helping us preserve this unique collection so that many children can continue to enjoy reading in Russian.
Books are typically borrowed for up to two weeks unless another arrangement has been made with a teacher. Please return books by the agreed-upon due date so other students can enjoy them as well.