Required Reading: Student Application Information
Student Admission and Scheduling Policies and Procedures
Our goal is to provide high quality therapeutic riding services to children with special needs and to do so as efficiently as possible. Although we understand that unforeseen circumstances and scheduling conflicts will arise from time to time, it takes considerable administrative resources for our staff to finalize, confirm and bill for each session’s lessons. Therefore, we have implemented the following policies and procedures with regard to admission, scheduling, and tuition refunds:
APPLICATION AND ADMISSION
All admission and student scheduling decisions are made at the sole discretion of the Ride for Joy staff. For both new and returning students, all required application forms must be fully complete and received by Ride for Joy before admission to the program will be considered. Ride for Joy student applications are only accepted by mail (faxed forms not accepted) and they are date stamped and processed in the order in which they are received. All Ride for Joy student applications must be renewed annually for returning students.
Following receipt of an application, the application is screened to determine if there are any physical or mental contraindications that would make equine assisted activities inappropriate for the student. If there do not appear to be any contraindications for therapeutic riding and there is room for new students on the current schedule an evaluation will be scheduled. An evaluation is also required for returning students who have not participated in Ride for Joy for more than 12 months, and may be required for other returning students, at the sole discretion of the Ride for Joy staff.
Factors considered in Ride for Joy’s admission decisions include, but are not limited to:
• whether, given the student’s needs and abilities, Ride for Joy staff is able to provide a safe experience for the student, staff, volunteers and horses;
• whether, given the student’s needs and abilities, the student is eligible for equine-assisted activities; and
• whether appropriate staff, horses, equipment, volunteers, and facilities are available to Ride for Joy to meet the needs of the student during the equine-assisted activities the student is eligible for.
SCHEDULING OF LESSONS AND WAITING LIST
If a lesson time offered on the schedule is not accepted, it will be offered to the next available student on our waiting list that is an appropriate match for that lesson, as determined by Ride for Joy staff in its sole discretion. Our staff will make every effort to find an alternative time on the schedule for the student declining the original lesson time, but if an appropriate lesson day/time is not available on the current schedule the student will be placed on the waiting list according to the priority levels below:
| First Priority Waiting List |
Students participating in the current or most recent session receive first priority in scheduling for the subsequent session, provided:
• there is an appropriate lesson time open and available on the schedule for that student; and
• all current (within last 12 months) application forms (including the physician form) have been completed and received by Ride for Joy before the current session’s schedule is finalized. |
| Second Priority Waiting List |
Students who participated in a session within the last 12 months but not in the most recent session receive second priority in scheduling, provided:
• there is an appropriate lesson open and available on the schedule for that student; and
• all current (within last 12 months) application forms (including the physician form) have been completed and received by Ride for Joy before the current session’s schedule is finalized. |
| Third Priority Waiting List |
New applicants for whom current (within last 12 months) application forms (including physician’s form) have been completed and received by Ride for Joy will be scheduled for an evaluation if there are openings on the current schedule not filled by first and second level priority waiting list students. If, upon evaluation, the Ride for Joy staff deem that the student will be accepted to the program, the student will be scheduled for the next available session in which there is an open and appropriate lesson available on the schedule for that student, which may or may not be the current session being scheduled.
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Students who have not participated in Ride for Joy in over 12 months will be considered as new applicants.
Ride for Joy reserves the right to make exceptions to the Scheduling Policy based on circumstances existing at the time not contemplated by the Policy as set forth herein.
MAKE-UP CLASSES AND REFUNDS
Because our schedule is very full and considerable resources are required to make our services available (facility, horses, staff, volunteers, etc.), Ride for Joy charges by the session (not by the lesson) and does not offer make-up lessons or refunds for lessons that a rider is unable to attend. Ride for Joy only offers make-up classes or refunds for lessons that are cancelled by Ride for Joy.
All session fees must be paid prior to the first day of a session, or the student will not be able to participate.
If a student cancels for the entire session before classes have begun, the full tuition less a $25 administrative fee will be refunded.
If a student cancels during the first week of a session, the full tuition less a $50 administrative fee will be refunded.
No refunds will be given after the first full week of a session.
Ride for Joy offers tuition assistance and payment plans if needed. Arrangements must be made with the Executive Director prior to the first week of a session.
Ride for Joy reserves the right to make exceptions to the Make-Up Classes and Refunds Policy based on circumstances existing at the time not contemplated by the Policy as set forth herein.
STUDENT ABSENCE NOTIFICATION
We ask that notification of any absence be given as soon as possible, preferably 24 hours or more before the scheduled lesson time, so we can be respectful of the many volunteers who generously give their time each week and let them know in advance if they will not be needed for a class.
If three lessons are missed with no notification to Ride for Joy in advance of the absence, the student will be canceled for the rest of the session and moved to third priority waiting list for all subsequent sessions.
Ride for Joy reserves the right to make exceptions to the Student Absence Notification Policy based on circumstances existing at the time not contemplated by the Policy as set forth herein.
Return to Admissions Process
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