FAQs: Artree Online Classes

Lessons


How do the online lessons work?

We release three lessons per week, September through June. Each lesson is roughly 30 minutes long, and consists of segments focused on art, reading, math, science, singing or kids yoga. Not every lesson may include all the mentioned areas, but any given weekly set of three lessons will include them all. 

You and your preschooler can complete the lessons on your own schedule within the given week. We find that Monday – Wednesday – Friday works well, but do what fits best into your family’s schedule. If your child needs more time to get through a lesson (such as to complete their art piece or even create two or more!), pause the lesson and finish it later. 

If there’s anything within the lesson that didn’t quite make sense, let us know at [email protected].


Are all lessons available at the same time?

No. Our lessons have been designed in an incremental fashion, just like in a regular preschool during a regular school year. We gradually immerse in art, explore math and science concepts, and work on reading comprehension. We strongly recommend that you follow our sequence of courses. 

Each monthly course consists of 12-15 lessons depending on the month, with three lessons per week. We release the course at the beginning of each month, starting with the Monday of the first full week of that month. 

Within each course, we release just the lessons for a given week, which will allow your child to properly absorb the content of the lessons, work on their art, enjoy suggested offline activities, and be ready for new content the following week. This method of releasing our content applies to both subscription as well as individual course purchases.

We offer the same set of lessons as a monthly package, and also as individual lessons.


How do I and my preschooler try a free lesson?

It’s simple! You, the parent or legal guardian click the Enroll for Free button on our free Reduce, Reuse & Recycle lesson, create your parental account, and start learning with your child! No payment information is required.


How old should my child be?

We developed the program for kids 3-5 years old.


What supplies do I need?

We have put together a list of common art supplies and materials that we use in our program. You can get them through our affiliate Amazon store for your convenience.


Who is behind this program and why?

We are a real Reggio-inspired brick-and-mortar preschool in Sammamish, WA. We have been working with families in our community for over four years. Because of the current Covid crisis we started transitioning online in the spring 2020. We started with a simple book club for our current students, then added online summer camp option for our students and their friends and because of the overwhelmingly positive feedback we decided to share our love for art, science and play with even more families – here.


Will my child be Kindergarten ready?

Yes. We do not emphasize worksheets but we teach academics through play, songs and manipulatives. Our curriculum is age-appropriate, fun, engaging and creative. Kids do not even realize they are learning.

We teach reading through Jolly phonics (songs, stories and games) and Math through Singapore Math, that focuses on mental math and concepts rather than copywork.

Our curriculum is based on current research in child development and follows the Washington State Early Learning and Development Guidelines, ensuring a through-line from Artree preschool to any future school.

Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.


Why is creative ART important?

Creative arts actively engage children’s imagination through art, dance, dramatic play, dance and music. They engage children across all domains—cognitive, language, social, emotional, and physical… and they bring a lot of benefits along with them:

  • Help children realize that many problems have many possible answers. The goal is to explore and discover.
  • Help children monitor and accept their own feelings.
  • Recognize and value children’s creativity. Help them stay creative without anxieties and worries.
  • Help children appreciate their own unique characteristics and expressions.
  • Help children persevere. Encourage them to explore, discover, and explore again.


(Mayesky, Mary. 2013. Creative Activities for Young Children)


How do I and my preschooler access all lessons?

Log in with the same credential that you used for the free lesson, or create a new parental account if you’re brand new to our learning portal. 

You can also start by going straight to the desired single lesson, a monthly course or a bundle, and enroll there. In that case you (meaning you the parent or legal guardian, not your child) will be prompted to create an account, and enter your credit card information to process the payment. 

See additional information below about our pricing options.


Can my preschooler log in directly?

No. Our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy require that only a parent or legal guardian register for an account. It is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to help the child access the course content.


Pricing and Billing


What pricing options are available?

We currently offer two options – a monthly subscription to our school year bundle for $45 per month (holiday 2020 special: $30/month), individual monthly courses for $50 per course (holiday 2020 special: $35/month), or single lessons for $3 per unit. The charge will appear on your credit card statement as ARTREE PRESCHOOL.


How does the subscription work?

The subscription is only available for our school year bundle. Your credit card will be charged $45 per month (base price if no promotions or offers are applied). Once purchased, you can go to My Account > Billing to see the next billing date. You can also update your credit card details there. 

You can cancel the subscription any time. In that case, you will have access to the content until the day before the next billing date displayed next to the Cancel button.


How do individual course purchases work?

If you’re not sure about committing to a subscription, you can purchase a single monthly course instead for $50 (base price if no promotions or offers are applied). Depending on the day of your purchase and the specific course, not all content may be available yet. Please note that once you purchase an individual course, you will be able to access the content for 45 days after your purchase date. You will not be able to access the course content afterwards.


I just paid for the course or subscription, but I don’t see the lessons. Now what?

No worries! This is because we release content on specific dates, just like we would manage the in-person curriculum at our brick-and-mortar preschool. For example:

  • If you sign up for the school year bundle subscription on Tuesday 8/25/2020, the first set of weekly lessons (for the first monthly topic, which is Getting to Know Each Other) will be released early morning on Monday 9/7. The second set of weekly lessons will be released the following Monday 9/14/2020.

  • If you instead sign up for the bundle on Friday 10/16/2020, you will immediately have access to all the lessons from the first month (Getting to Know Each Other), as well as the already-released October content (Falling for Fall) for weeks of 10/5 and 10/12. You’ll have to wait till Monday 10/19 morning to get access to lessons for the subsequent weeks.


What happens to my subscription during the summer, given that the lessons run from September through June?

If you keep the subscription on through summer holiday 2021 and beyond:

  • You will have continued access to all the lessons from September 2020 – June 2021

  • You will have access to summer camps – one in July and one in August

  • You will have access to new lessons for school year 2021-2022, released gradually just like lessons for 2020-2021

If you decide to cancel the subscription at the end of June:

  • No problem, you can re-join again in September 2021 if you choose to do so


Can I cancel my subscription?

Yes, you can cancel any time. Simply log in to your account and navigate to My Account > Billing to see your billing details, and click the Cancel button. You will still have access to the purchased content until the end of the current billing period.


Will I get a refund if I cancel?

Please note that due to the nature of online learning, we do not provide refunds for content that’s already been made available to, whether via a subscription or individual course purchase. We will provide a refund if we are unable to publish the lessons properly.


Community Connection


How do you bring in the social aspect into online classes?

We have a private Facebook group which you'll be invited to upon registering. That is our preferred way of communication among parents and for sharing your preschooler's art creations.

However, if you don't feel comfortable about Facebook, we have message boards called communities within our learning platform. When you subscribe to the school year bundle, we will add you to the community where you will stay for the duration of your subscription. 

Please note that messages and pictures posted in the Facebook group or the community board within our learning environment are visible to the teachers and other parents in the community. If you’d like to send us a private message, reach out via email at [email protected].