Small Group Policies

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1. Small groups contain between 4-6 students at any given time.

2. Small group membership is $130 a month per child.

3. All payments are made through Square. Families will receive an invoice every month for the group, payment is due within one week of billing.

4. Even if a child misses a class, full payment for the month is required, barring exceptions listed below.

5. If a child needs to miss a specific meeting due to an unexpected schedule conflict, illness, or other unforeseen circumstance, CSC staff will try and arrange a make-up with another group. If a make-up is not possible, for any reason, the full amount for the month will still be billed.

6. CSC does not offer prorated classes or carry-over payments to the next month if a student misses a class for any reason.

7. Exceptions may be obtained by special permission, at the sole discretion of Common Sense Chess staff, in the case of exceptional circumstances such as a sudden family emergency, or in cases of pre-planned travel that CSC is notified about in writing at least one month in advance.

8. If CSC staff are forced to cancel a class due to illness or emergency, we will happy to offer a make-up or pro-rate the next month to compensate.

9. We request that parents make an effort to be consistent in their sign-ups for our small groups. In general, we ask that students remain with their group for at least three months at a time to ensure a quality experience both for your child and the other children with whom they will be learning. Organizing these groups can be very time-consuming and tricky, as every effort is made to try and balance student needs, skills, and personalities to ensure a smooth group dynamic.

10. All classes are currently held using a combination of Zoom and Lichess.org (both of which are free and easy to use.) If you have any trouble with either system, we will be happy to assist you in setting it up as part of your free trial.

11. If your child is part of a special, invite-only group such as our Man-Eaters or Mini-Masters, consistent attendance will be considered mandatory (barring exceptional circumstances.) In the event that a child is unable to consistently attend class (missing classes every month, for example), they will be invited to attend a different, less elite group instead.