Preschool enrollment contract
Hello,
Has anyone actually heard of having to pay a years tuition to a private preschool they backed out of? The one we backed out of has a "you are responsible for full year" stipulation. We are going to look into legal advice to see how enforceable it is. We accepted after the traditional May 1st date because the class wasn't full but we backed out in less than 30 days later due to logistics with job change, drop off, and commute. I understand this is the agreement I signed and the school has said they will, in good faith, try to find a replacement so we are not charged. If they do not find a replacement (a secondary concern, I'm not sure how we will be able to tell or not tell if its our child's spot they filled if there are more open spots in the class), has anyone in a similar circumstance actually had to pay the full year? Or heard of anyone having to?
Thanks,
Parent Replies
I imagine you have already figured out your path forward, but yes, this is a very standard contract for both preschools and independent schools, and very much enforceable. It can be very difficult to fill spots in the summer months before school starts, so the contract is intended to keep the school whole if families back out between enrollment and the start of school. Most of the families I know who had similar situations were eventually able to find replacements so did not have to pay for the full year. One was able to take it as credit for a younger child, and one was able to convert it to a donation to the school so that it was tax-deductible. Some schools are also more accommodating depending on the circumstances (e.g., you are unexpectedly moving out of the area vs. just decided to go to a different school). I would do your best to advertise the spot and let the school know if you are referring families to them--if one enrolls on your referral, it seems very reasonable to ask them to consider that filling your child's spot, even if other spots remain open. Then good news is that spots are very limited at many preschools this year, so there is more demand than some years. Good luck!