How to avoid the September shuffle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for grades K to 2, Yu Ying required a 2 week summer session. The deposit is $450. You get the deposit back if your student attends, forfeit the deposit if a no show.

The justification is that YY hires the faculty, but only gets the summer school funding from the city after a child attends.

Wait. I'm sorry. What!?!

So if you don't have $450 for a deposit, you can't attend Yu Ying? That is so beyond fucked up. And I don't care if they have some special arrangement for FARMs. We are not FARMs, but we also don't have an extra $450 lying around. How is that even legal for a "public" school to do?

[Anonymous]

Yes, can someone familiar with YY please explain how families can be held responsible for this hefty payment when the school is funded with tax dollars? It certainly seems like a barrier to entry to me. And you mention a "deposit" for $450 for the summer session...is that the total cost or is it actually more?

[Anonymous]

The $450 is REFUNDED IN FULL, in fact, the uncashed check is returned to the family WHEN YOUR CHILD ATTENDS SUMMER PROGRAM

[Anonymous]

if you don't attend summer program why not just release that enrollment spot to one of the 100s of families on the waitlist? Why require payment at all?

[Anonymous]

There is no charge for the summer school at YY if your child attends. If you SAY your child will attend, and the school hires staff because of it, but then you don't, you forfeit your "deposit"

[Anonymous]

What I would have given to have gone to a school like Basis or Latin. And to feel lucky enough to be there that I would work hard to stay. School choice is the best thing that could happen to my kid.

[Anonymous]

the $450 is also only for the summer program, that is funded based on enrollment from the city. If kids don't show they still need to staff for that, but they won't get the money from the city with which to do so. They hold onto your check and hand it back to you when you are done with the 2 weeks. It has nothing to do with attending in the fall.

[Anonymous]

if a child is newly admitted to the school for K, 1, or 2, then the summer program is mandatory. As a condition of enrollment, a check is required from the family, and summer school program is required of the student.

I don't know how the school would react if for whatever reason the family was unable to write a check (e.g., no checking acct) or the student was unable to attend (e.g., conflict with calendar). We were able to do both.

[Anonymous]

"a "deposit" for $450 for the summer session...is that the total cost or is it actually more?"

The cost is zero. The checks are held, uncashed, until summer school begins. The cash flow for the family is zero if they honor their enrollment commitment. The checks are not cashed if the enrolled student shows up. The check is cashed if the student is a no show. I do not know what the deadline was to rescind enrollment, but there probably was one.