The C.O.D.E. Initiative

Terms and Conditions of Use

Thank you for visiting The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation website. This platform is run by The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to provide access to personalized learning opportunities for children aged between 8 and 20, with a focus on children with learning differences to provide the best environment for computer programming classes such as coding and robotics. By accessing our website you agree to the outlined terms and conditions. If you do not agree with them, please discontinue use of this website.

The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation reserves the right to make changes to its website, intellectual property and terms without prior notification.

Key Terms

“Instructor” or “Teacher” means the person conducting the classes and teaching the online classes.

“Class”, “Session” or “Service” refers to the online classes where The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation instructors deliver the coding curriculum to the student.

“You” or “Your” refers to the person seeking information or the services either for themselves or another party.

The “Customer” or “Client” is the person that undergoes registration, signs up and pays for the service through the website.

“Student” or “the child” is the person taking the actual classes.

“Program” details all classes based on the chosen package.

Intellectual Property

The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation’s Intellectual Property includes its logo, name, slogan, visual and written material. All information contained on the site belongs to The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation and should not be distributed, copied, posted, modified or used without written permission from The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation management team.

Customer satisfaction guarantee

The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation promises to provide an excellent experience to customers and will ensure that we deliver services to our clients to the best of our capabilities. Our purpose is to meet unexpected events and circumstances with the proper solution that leaves our clients the best experiences.

Scheduling policy

A customer is supposed to make a booking for classes based on the availability of The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation instructors through the online booking system. The following are the conditions for making, rescheduling and missing class appointments:

i.                Instructors are only available according to what they have listed on their schedules.

ii.              In the case of a rescheduling, the next available appointment may occur a week after the missed class and based on the current schedule and the number of client bookings at the time. This does not guarantee learning will proceed with the same instructor or during the same time as the other booked sessions.

iii.             A client must notify The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation as soon as possible via email or phone channels if the student is unable to make it for a scheduled session. A client can only cancel or reschedule a booking made more than 24 hours to the booked time without loss to the class. The booking can then be rescheduled to another time but with no guarantee of having the same instructor.

iv.             If a client (or student) is unable to attend a class and does not notify The C.O.D.E. Initiative within 24 hours to the booked time, their class will be considered a missed class and will not be refunded nor rescheduled.

v.               If a client (or student) arrives for a booked class late, they will only sit in for the remaining allocated time, however if a tutor arrives late, they will be required to extend the time beyond the allocated time to compensate for the missed time.

vi.             If a client (or student) fails to attend a class within the first 30 minutes of the scheduled session, then the session is considered missed and will be not refunded nor rescheduled.

vii.           All requests to cancel or reschedule bookings must be made through The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation. All private messages between you (or the student) and the instructor regarding scheduling make-up or additional classes must be first approved by The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation.

Failure to meet the above conditions will result in loss of booked classes, course work, instructional time and payment made for the lost session. 

Cancellation policy

The C.O.D.E. Initiative strives to provide a satisfactory experience to our customers and guarantees that a customer will be eligible for cancellation of an online service under the following conditions:

i.            If a customer is not satisfied with the service after the first class.

ii.           In the case of an unforeseen event such that the child cannot attend classes anymore.

iii.         If the child loses access to communication channels such as the internet (Wi-Fi/ Mobile networks) due to a move to an area without access to network coverage.

iv.         If a child is incapacitated or undergoing serious health conditions that do not allow for learning.

Refund policy

Payment for registration of services will be termed as the payment made by the customer to ‘The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation’ only through the website thecodeinitiative.ca for registration to online classes and via payment methods, namely, VISA and Master Card. Therefore, a refund will be defined as a return of this payment to the customer based on certain conditions.

Only under conditions met in the cancellation policy above will a refund be issued for the classes unattended. If a child has already attended one or more classes, then the refunded amount will reflect a deduction of the cost of classes already attended, and only the remainder of hours not accrued will be sent back to the customer.

Once approved by The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation, a refund will be issued to the recipient’s bank account via the payment avenue that paid for the service initially. This means a payment reversal will occur and under no circumstances will the payment be made to another account.

Refunds for In-Person Camps and Workshops

Refunds after registration are not possible.

Refunds may ONLY be considered under the following conditions:

1. A recommendation to withdraw from our Camps Manager detailing why the program is unsuitable for the participant.

2. If a participant must withdraw due to medical reasons please contact our team immediately. Written recommendation from a medical professional will be required should a refund be deemed acceptable.

When processing refunds, a 15% administration fee will be excluded from the cost of the program. Transfers into different programs may be considered by C.O.D.E. on a case-by-case basis. 

A refund will not be granted if your student has been expelled from a program due to a violation of our code of conduct and/or our terms of service.

Privacy

Any private information shared i.e. passwords and account and credit card/payment information will be kept private between you and The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation.

Information written on The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation’s website or public boards, blogs or forums, including customer testimonials, discussions, comments, forums or reviews will be considered public information and will be open to the public. The C.O.D.E. Initiative Foundation reserves all rights to use information posted to our online platforms for marketing and research purposes.

User confidentiality

Any course information shared by The C.O.D.E. Initiative to you (or the student) during classes is meant only for its recipient and should not be shared with other people or entities. This information is as follows but not limited to class recordings, course syllabus, course curriculum, readings, class presentations and slides, practice games etc. Sharing of content without authorization may result in legal action.

Questions or Concerns

Please contact us at info@thecodeinitiative.ca if any of these terms and conditions have been violated, or reach out to us if any questions arise.

In Person Code of Conduct

Parents/guardians and students are expected to read and understand the following guidelines, ensuring the student(s) can comply to the conduct expectations. 

A copy of the following will be provided at the start of each program and parents/guardians as well as students over 14 years old, will be expected to sign their agreement to the expectations. 

Please review these carefully, and contact us directly if you have any questions.  

Parent Expectations

We require that a parent/guardian be available and reachable by phone during workshop hours should an issue arise. For in-person programs, if a student needs to leave camp for any reason, the parent/guardian will be required to pick the student up and take them home.  

Workshop/Camp Rules  

Workshop/Camp rules are rooted in respect and safety. Our participants, staff, and partner facilities must be treated with the care and respect they deserve by both students and parents/guardians.  

Participants will review all rules on the first day of their program with our staff, but we ask that you review these with your student(s) as well.  

If you/your student experience a violation of the following agreements by other workshop participants, please ensure that such is brought to our attention in a timely manner so that it can be addressed at once. Should you hear of any bullying happening at the program that we have not brought to your attention please let us know so that we can address it directly.  

o Respect Facilitators and Staff at all times.  

a. Listen carefully and respectfully. 

b. Follow all rules and instructions.

c. Take turns talking. 

o Respect other participants 

a. Participate in all sessions, and help others to do the same. 

b. Fighting and physical violence will not be tolerated. 

c. Name-calling, arguing, swearing and other aggressive behaviours will not be tolerated. 

d. Hate speech, racist or other derogatory language will not be tolerated.

o Respect the Property and Rules of Camp facilities 

a. Running and playing in the halls is not allowed.  

b. Vandalism and intentional damage will not be tolerated. 

c. Stay in groups, and let Staff know if you have to leave the group.  

Policy & Repercussions 

Students will be made aware of the rules and guidelines for behaviour and the consequences for breaking them. Staff will use their own discretion and common sense when dealing with disciplinary issues, ensuring the consequence corresponds with the severity of the rule broken.  

The following outlines C.O.D.E.’s policy for disciplinary action as a response to the violation of the aforementioned rules.

1. First incident - verbal warning: Staff will explain to the student why their behaviour or actions are not appropriate and that appropriate behaviour is expected.  

2. Second incident - removal from activity: Staff will remove the student from the activity and will notify parents/guardians along with sending a written incident report.

3. Third incident - removal from program: Staff will remove the student from the program and call parents/guardians to pick up the student. 

Students who threaten the safety of themselves or others, or are continually  disruptive to the running of the program will not be allowed to continue the program. If removal of a student from the program is necessary, The C.O.D.E  Initiative management will reach out to parents/guardians providing details and summary of incident reports. No refunds for the program or remainder of the program will be issued if such is the case.

Staff will be in consistent contact with all parents/guardians involved in any incidents.

Electronics  

Unless being used for the purposes of the workshop and/or distributed by staff, personal electronics will not be permitted at any workshop/camp, and may be confiscated and stored safely with staff until the end of the day. 

We are happy to accommodate the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication Devices (AACD), if needed. If your student requires an AACD, please communicate this accommodation to staff before the start of the workshop.