Dear Friends,
As the situation with COVID-19 is extremely dynamic we at ARIEL are endeavoring to make decisions based on public health guidelines and our care and concern for our staff, participants and their families. Like all of you, we are navigating an unprecedented situation. Supporting the well-being of children and their families is the purpose for which ARIEL exists and we plan to continue to do so throughout this crisis.
In response to the “shelter-in-place” directive, all programs currently in production and those scheduled to begin before April 8 are suspended. Our goal is to remain “at-the-ready” so that programming may resume as soon as it has been deemed safe by public health officials. In a best-case scenario, some of these programs would be able, with adjustments in dates, to go forward. However, we recognize that conditions are evolving and that restrictions on assembling may be extended well beyond April 8. Whatever the case, we will stay in communication with participants and their families to determine the best course of action based on the local/state/national health mandates.
In regards to tuition payments for future programs that have already been processed we offer the following options: 1) wait for updated information to determine if the program can run as scheduled and proceed as planned, 2) roll registration fee over to a future program to be determined when health mandates are lifted, or 3) issue a refund and cancel participant registration. Please note that these options will be available as long as there are restrictions on public assembly and our scheduled programs are delayed or cancelled. We are hopeful that our efforts along with yours will expedite our return to “normal” life. It is our goal to jump back in to full activity as soon as is safely possible and we will continue to communicate updates as we prepare for our doors to reopen.
We are most grateful for the hundreds of children who participate in ARIEL programs and for their faithful, supportive families. We look forward to being together again.
Sincerely yours,
Gail Higginbotham, Founder & Artistic Director
Heather Kirk, Executive Director