FAQ

Scheduling Appointments

What is a regular or standing
appointment?

During the school term (September to June) students
receiving one on one support have regular or standing
appointments. This means they see a teacher on the
same day and at the same time every week, excluding
statutory holidays or during periods when the Centre is
closed.

How long is an appointment? Generally, appointments are one hour in length.
I want my two children to receive
support at the Centre. Can their
appointments be at the same time?

We do everything in our power to schedule siblings’
appointments for the same time. Sometimes, siblings
may start out having appointments at different times.
We do our best to make changes so that their
appointments are at the same time or that there is a
period of overlap.

I need to change the time of the
regular (standing) appointment for
my child, but I want the same teacher.
Is this possible?

It depends. Most of our teachers work part time and on
specific days. If you want to change your regular
appointment to another day, it may be a day your
child’s teacher does not work or at a time they are
scheduled with another student. Though we will always
do our best to accommodate your wishes, we cannot
guarantee the same teacher. If you need to change
days, please let us know as far in advance as possible.
We will make a note on our computerized schedule
and advise you if your preferred teacher on your
preferred day and time comes available.

What happens on Statutory Holidays
and school holidays? Is the Centre
open?

We are closed on all Statutory Holidays. We are open
during Spring Break and Teachers Conventions. We
close the Saturday before Christmas and reopen the
Saturday before students go back to school.

Which days are you open?

During the school term, the Centre is open Monday
through Saturday. We have some students who attend
sessions during the day, although the majority come
after school and on Saturdays. Some of our teachers
work with older students with appointments ending
around 9:15 pm.
During July and August, the Centre is open Monday
through Thursday. Most students come during the day
in the summer though appointments are available into
the evening.

Will my child automatically get the
same regular (standing) appointment
every year until we withdraw?

It is not an automatic process. In April of each year,
existing clients are asked if they want to reserve their
regular appointment time for the next school year.
Families are asked to respond by a deadline. If a
standing appointment time is not confirmed by a
family, it may be released for use by another student.

Does my regular (standing)
appointment during the school term
continue into the summer?

No! Regular standing appointments do not carry over
into the summer. However, a summer schedule can be
customized for a student around family vacations and
summer camps. Students often attend appointments
two or three times per week during the summer on
weeks when they are not away on a vacation or
enrolled in programs like day camps. During the
summer, most students have appointments during the
day, although evening or late afternoon appointments
are available.

How are summer appointments
scheduled?

We work with families to determine an optimal
schedule at the Centre that works around their
summer plans.

Appointment Cancellations

What happens if my child is sick and I
need to cancel at the last moment?

Please let us know as soon as you can that your child is
ill. A dual approach is appreciated: 1) Please email us at
info@Centre4Literacy.com. 2) Leave a voice mail at
780-434-3698. We know that kids get sick, and we
appreciate that you may not be able to give us 24
hours’ notice. Our Service Agreement gives you the
opportunity to schedule make-up sessions when your
child is ill, and you need to cancel with short notice.
If you have a child with a chronic illness, let us know.
We appreciate that children with chronic health issues
may need to cancel, at the last minute, more often
than other students. We will work with you to develop
a plan to work around cancelled appointments
resulting from your child’s health issues.

Will you call me to schedule make-up
appointments?

No. It is your responsibility to contact the Centre to
schedule any make-up sessions. We will provide you
with up to three possible options for a make-up
appointment, doing our very best to meet your needs
as a family. We regret we are unable to provide you
with credit for the cancelled appointments if one of the
three make-up options do not work.

Sometimes my child has events that
conflict with their schedule at the
Centre. Can I cancel appointments
where there is a conflict? Will I still be
required to pay?

If you let us know 24 hours in advance or longer, we
will work with you to schedule a make-up
appointment. However, you are responsible for
contacting the office to schedule make-up
appointments. Our Service Agreement stipulates that
you must do that within a week of the cancelled
appointment.

We had a family emergency and
cancelled at the last minute. Can we
schedule a make-up appointment?

We do our best to be as flexible and family centered as
possible. If you let us know the circumstances around
the need for a last-minute cancellation, we will do our
best to work with you and your family to reschedule an
appointment. Our intent is to be as supportive as possible.

We typically go on holidays during
Spring Break. Can I cancel these
appointments without being charged?

We are happy to cancel appointments if you are away
for a family holiday if we know before we issue
monthly invoices. For example, if you are taking a
family holiday during Spring Break, please advise us by
the third week in February before we generate
invoices. If you take a last-minute holiday, i.e., after
we have generated the invoice for your child, we are
happy to work with you to schedule make-up sessions.

When is it best to let the office know
about holidays that will impact my
child’s schedule at the Centre?

We appreciate as much notice as possible. However,
we need to know about your plans before we issue
invoices. That would mean five working days before
the end of the month in which you plan to take a
holiday.

I tried to contact the office to advise
you that we needed to cancel because
we had forgotten about an event at
the school. However, the office was
closed. It was on a Sunday and my
child had a Monday appointment. I
still advised you within 24 hours so
can I schedule a make-up
appointment?

We do not count days when the Centre is closed as
being part of the 24 hours’ notice period. This type of
cancellation would be regarded as a short notice. Our
Service Agreement enables you to schedule a make-up
session up to two times per year following a short
notice. If circumstances arise where you need to
cancel an appointment when we are closed, please
email us at info@Centre4Literacy.com. We monitor
that email for notices of that nature. We also
appreciate you leaving a message on our voice mail at
780-434-3698.

I slept in and missed bringing my child
to an appointment. Do I still need to
pay even if I called right when the
appointment was scheduled to begin?

We would consider this situation a missed
appointment. We charge in full for all missed
appointments.

I did not get a reminder email so I did
not come to the Centre. I found out
later that my child was scheduled for
an appointment. Do I still need to
pay?

Payment would still be required. As a courtesy to our
clients, we have enabled our cloud scheduling program
to send out auto email reminders. However, depending
upon the sensitivity of different email servers, the
auto-reminders may go into spam or be blacklisted. We
have no control over this situation.

Payment and Payment Options

Where can I find my invoice? Are they
mailed to us?

We do not mail out invoices. Invoices are distributed in
the grey mail box in the Centre’s waiting room filed by
student/family last name. If you and your child have
different last names, and you cannot find an invoice,
please check under both names.

Is there a way for me to automatically
pay my invoice at the Centre?

Yes. We are set up to automatically charge your credit
card. We process payments on the first of the month
for that month, e.g., on October 1 for all scheduled
visits and other charges in October.

I don’t want to pay by credit card, but
the Service Agreement indicates that
there needs to be a credit card on file.
Do I have to leave you a credit card?

We ask that you give us a valid credit card number to
keep on file. There are a variety of options to pay your
account. We will not charge your credit card unless
your account is in arrears.

When do I have to pay my bill?

Invoices are due immediately upon receipt. That means
they are due on the first of the month. Any accounts
aged greater than two weeks (15th of the month) are
considered overdue. Late fees are applied to all
accounts that are not paid within 15 days of issue.

How did you figure out how much to
charge as a late fee?

We charge an amount approximately the same as firms
like TELUS or EPCOR.

My child’s other parent and I co-
parent. We both pay for support. Can
you split our invoice and charge us
both separately?

Absolutely. We are happy to do so.

What types of payment do you
accept?

We accept Debit, Cash, Visa, MasterCard and Cheques.
We are also set up to receive e-Transfers at
info@Centre4Literacy.com.

Can I give you postdated cheques?

Yes. We are happy to receive post dated cheques.

We currently ran into financial
difficulties. Will you work with us to
create a payment plan?

Yes. We are most happy to work with any family that
has this need.

How do you distribute receipts for
clients who have set up an auto-pay
program? Do you mail out receipts?

We do not mail our receipts. We place all receipts in
the grey mailbox that is in our waiting room. Items are
placed in envelopes alphabetically filed according to a
family’s last name.

I need a receipt for tax purposes.
Does the Centre prepare these
receipts?

Yes. Sometime in February, receipts are generated for
all fees that have been paid (received) during the
previous calendar year. Separate receipts are issued for
each student in a family who may have received
services. Receipts are automatically generated for
current clients. Previous clients must request receipts.