Policies & FAQs

No cell phone use policy in youth & teen classes

As of Fall 2023, we’re piloting a new no cell phone use policy in our youth & teen classes. Tinker is a hub for community and connection through art making, and removing cell phone use during Tinker classes will further support our students in building community and connections with their peers and teachers. If your student requires an accommodation to this policy or if you have any questions, please reach out to us! While we will talk with students here in the studio, please also plan to talk to your student about this policy prior to their first day of class. Thank you for your understanding and support!

Summer Camp FAQs

Click here for Summer Camp FAQs.

COVID POLICIES

I have questions about your COVID policies. What is your mask policy, and what COVID precautions do you have in place?

Find our full COVID policies and procedures here!

Illness Policy:

When do I or my child need to stay home and not attend class?

While we do as much as we can at the studio to mitigate the spread of germs, we also rely on the support of our families to ensure sick students are not in class. We ask that you stay home and/or you keep your child at home if they are ill. Thank you for your support!

If you or your child is sick, or exhibiting any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please keep them home. Symptoms can include: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea.
If your child has a runny nose, cough, or other symptom consistent with COVID-19, but has an alternative diagnosis (i.e. allergies, etc), please let their teacher know.
Students should not attend class if they are in the process of COVID testing (i.e. waiting for test results to return) due to being symptomatic.
Students with a family member or close contact who has tested positive should wear a face mask.

Age FAQs:

Does my child need to be the age listed on the class, or is there some flexibility?

We strive to provide the best experience possible for all of our artists. We use age-appropriate materials, and put much thought into planning and teaching our projects for the specific ages of each class. Therefore, we do ask that you adhere to the stated ages for each program. We also want to be true to our advertising and the other children who sign up for the class by meeting their expectations of the age-range of program.

My 12 year old is advanced in their art, can they join a Teen class?

No, and there are a couple of key reasons for this policy. We always want to be true to our advertising and provide our teen students with the social experience they were expecting when signing up for a teen class with listed ages beginning at 13. Additionally, we have found that the topic of conversation among teens has a different rhythm than our younger classes, and we want to ensure our students are in the class that is the best fit with their like-age-peers.

More on Teen classes at Tinker…

Our Teen classes are very tailored to the specific group’s interests and requests. It’s important to note that the topics in our Teen classes are very independent in nature — they will have structured art lessons with skills, techniques, and media demonstrations, but teen students generally choose their own subject matter throughout the session. As such, students in Teen classes at Tinker will be exposed to other Teen student’s artwork. The artwork is often personal to their experience, with topics including gender identity, friendships/relationships, body image, and more. We support our teens to use art as an expressive outlet, and parents/caregivers should be aware that we support our teens in this fashion. It’s also important that your student is able to build a relationship with their instructor which includes trusting them with their artwork. We always encourage students to share their work with their families, but don’t require this of our students. Unless we have a very specific concern about your student, we will not reach out to parents to share student work, as that could feel like a breech of the trust built between student and teacher. We do not allow images of violence towards self or others, and would both talk to the student and reach out to parents in that case. Sometimes students have a rationale for use of weapons or some form of violence in their artwork (i.e. comics with superhero themes, manga and anime, other story-focused art, etc) and we do talk through that style with students and allow them to move forward with their ideas within a contextual understanding of their rationale. If you have any questions about our Teen program at Tinker, please do not hesitate to reach out — we’re very happy to speak with you further.

MISSED CLASSES

I know that I/my student is going to miss a class this session because we’re out of town. Can we get prorated tuition?

We are not able to offer prorated tuition, even if you know you will be missing a class. We hold the space in the class for you for the entire semester, and as such are not able to offer prorated tuition. While it is very common for a student to miss one or two classes over the course of a full semester of classes, if you know you’ll miss several classes, you might like to wait and sign up for a different semester when it fits better in your schedule.

For our classes with starting ages of 4 through 7 (i.e. ages 4-6, 5-8, 7-10) we offer for your child to select a “grab bag” art project to complete at home when they have missed a class during their session. For our upper elementary, middle, teen, and adult classes, your instructor will chat with you at the following class to help get you caught up.

I/my student missed a class because they were sick. Can we make it up?

Due to our full class schedule, we are not able to provide make-up time in the studio and our teachers cannot provide individual lessons for classes missed.

Why is your missed class policy the way it is?

We enjoy providing high quality classes and instruction for adults, teens, and children. Each class requires a minimum number of students enrolled to ensure adequate accommodations for teachers and materials. Additionally, we hold your spot for you while we might have others on our waitlist for the class, and also secure appropriate staffing for the number of students enrolled. As we make decisions regarding classes based on a variety of factors, including the number of students enrolled, we are unable to offer make-up classes, credits, or refunds for classes missed.

WEATHER Closure Policy

What is your weather closure policy?

We follow CU Boulder for all weather related closures. If CU Boulder cancels classes due to weather, we will follow suit and cancel any Tinker classes or programming for the same timeframe.

Do you issue credits for missed classes due to weather closures?

We do not issue credits or refunds for missed classes due to weather closures. We’re a very small, community focused business, and we still incur the same costs of operating the business when there are weather closures as if there were not weather closures. We have to pay our rent, staff salaries, and all expenses. We work hard to still provide an alternative for our students in the event we have a weather closure, and we keep our fingers crossed for minimal disruption throughout each season. We greatly appreciate your understanding and support.

For our classes with starting ages of 4 through 7 (i.e. ages 4-6, 5-8, 7-10) we provide a “grab bag” art project during the next scheduled class. For our upper elementary, middle school, and teen students, we provide a guided at-home lesson and materials during their next scheduled class.

For our adult classes, we do our best to extend the session by 1 week or find an alternative make up class option. Adult class decisions are on a case-by-case basis each weather closure.

Why don’t you follow BVSD?

We found that while BVSD and CU Boulder both cancel with about the same frequency for classes held from 7am-3pm, BVSD cancels their after school programming quite often even if the weather isn’t too poor. Because CU Boulder holds classes throughout the afternoon and evening hours, it is more aligned with our programming which runs throughout the afternoon and evening hours as well.

WAITLISTS

How do I get on a waitlist?

When a class is full, you will see a “join waitlist” button. We invite you to register for the waitlist for any class you are interested in.

I’m on a waitlist. How do your waitlists work?

If a space becomes available in the class, we will notify the waitlist via email in groups of 5 at a time. The first 5 people to register for a waitlist will be the first group notified. If the space does not fill after the first 5 are notified, the next 5 on the waitlist will be notified, and so on. The next group will be notified 2 hours after the previous group, in the event the space is still open. Spaces are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis once your group has been notified. Beginning the week before the program start date, the entire waitlist will be notified at the same time.

What are my chances of getting into the class?

While we do often have movement in classes and programs, we just can’t say whether a spot might or might not open up for you. Even if we have several people on a waitlist, sometimes, we move through to the bottom of the waitlist very quickly, while other times no one drops a class that is full and waitlisted students do not get into the class. People’s plans change and we always encourage you to get on a Waitlist for a class you’re interested in.

I received the Waitlist notification email, but the class still says “full”. Why can’t I register?

If you attempt to register and the class is full, another person in your notification group has already filled the spot and it is no longer available.

Why don’t you just go down your Waitlist in priority order, or run your Waitlists a different way?

We understand this waitlist notification system is not perfect, and we have been through many iterations to find the best possible solution to waitlist notifications. We often have 20+ people on a waitlist, and we feel this is the most sustainable way to support offering waitlists for classes. We thank you for your understanding and support.

CLASS CANCELLATIONS

Can I get a refund for a cancelled class?

We do not issue refunds, but will put a credit on file, minus the cancellation fee, for you to use on a future registration. Issuing refunds costs us fees that we cannot recoup, and causes hardship on us as a small business. We are as transparent as possible about our no refunds policy in every class description and confirmation emails, and greatly appreciate your understanding and support.

I need to cancel my class. Can I get a full credit on file?

Each program has a non-refundable cancellation fee. Please see the Cancellation Policy listed in your class description, and in your confirmation email. After the non-refundable cancellation fee, the remainder will be issued as a credit on your account. Please note, no credit is given if you cancel within a certain time frame of your program. Please see your specific program’s Cancellation Policy for details.

Why is there a cancellation fee if I cancel?

The non-refundable cancellation fee is an important part of your program registration, as it helps to support the agreement between you and Tinker Art Studio that comes along with registering for a program with us. Additionally, your cancellation fee helps offset our processing fees and costs associated with your cancellation such as: issuing the credit, updating the website and registration form or notifying students on the waitlist, registering a new student to fill the space, invoicing, and more. We greatly appreciate your support and understanding of this policy.

If you fill my space, why don’t I get a full credit on file?

We adhere to our Cancellation Policy regardless of if we fill your space. Filling the space requires a significant amount of administrative work, often after hours and on weekends. We strive to be as transparent as possible with our cancellation policies, and appreciate your understanding and support.

What if I find a friend to fill my space — can I have them pay me for the spot and give it to them?

Unfortunately, no. While we are happy to transfer your spot to a different sibling in your family (if they are the correct age for the program), we do not allow transfers between families. There are a few reasons for this: this bypasses our Waitlist system for students who have been on a Waitlist for the program, and it also causes the same amount of administrative work as a regular cancellation.

WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO WORK WITH THE FLUID NATURE OF FAMILY'S CHANGING PLANS. AS A SMALL BUSINESS, WE NEED TO HAVE POLICIES IN PLACE TO SUPPORT OUR ABILITY TO BE HERE FOR YOU AND CONTINUE OFFERING PROGRAMMING. WE GRATEFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU RESPECT OUR CANCELLATION POLICIES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Do you have some other questions that aren’t answered here? Please just ask! We always love hearing from you and talking to you. Feel free to email us at tinker@tinkerartstudio.com or give us a call at 303-503-1902. We look forward to speaking with you!