What we ask, and what we do not.

What we ask of families

• Tell us what is happening. A move, a new baby, a hard week, a medication change. Not details — just enough that we do not misread a kid.
• Keep your phone number current. The one thing that actually breaks the relationship is a number that does not work.
• Pick up on time, or call. We will never charge you for a late pickup. We will worry.
• Do not do the project at home. We can tell, and the kid learns less. Help them practice, not perform.
• Let them be bad at it. The first four weeks are supposed to be frustrating. That is the program working, not failing.

What we ask of kids

• Come when you can. Two afternoons a week is the minimum to hold a seat; life happens and we do not punish absence.
• Wear clothes that can get ruined. We have aprons, but glue finds a way.
• Phones stay in the cubby during program time. They can come out at pickup.
• Clean up your own bench plus one shared thing. Everybody does this, including the director.
• Ask before you touch someone else's body, hair, or project. This is the whole culture in one rule.

What we do not ask

• That you volunteer, donate, or attend events.
• That your kid be good at school, or good at anything.
• That you explain your income, your family structure, or your immigration status.
• That your kid behave perfectly. We are equipped for bad days; we are not equipped for a kid to be sent home for one.
• That you agree with us about the lentil week. Rosie does not.

Behavior, in plain language

We do not suspend kids. We do not have a punishment room, a demerit system, or a color chart. When something goes wrong, a staff member talks to the kid, then to the family, then to both together if needed. If a kid is repeatedly unsafe with tools or with other kids, we may reduce their access to that program for a term. That has happened four times in fifteen years and each time we wrote down why.