Continuous Enrollment

Frequently Asked Questions About Continuous Enrollment

What is re-enrollment?

Re-enrollment is an annual data collection process that schools use to update enrollment records of the current student body.  Basically, the simple question is: “Are you coming back to school next year?” The Leadership Team needs to know how many students are returning for the upcoming school year.

Why does re-enrollment matter?

The Pardes Leadership Team does a significant amount of planning to ensure that we are providing your child(ren) with a world-class Jewish Day School experience every year. Until Pardes families commit to returning to the school the following year, we can’t make solid plans for staffing, programs, materials, curriculum and facility usage. We take the stewardship of tuition dollars entrusted to us every year very seriously. We want to invest these tuition dollars wisely so that we can provide the best education possible for our students.

What is Continuous Enrollment?

Up until this point, re-enrollment has been an “opt-in” program. We annually ask every family, “Are you coming back?” Given that more than 90% of families return each year, we realized we are forcing everyone through an unnecessary and time-consuming process.   By signing your Continuous Enrollment contract, you will be flipping that script. Rather than an OPT-IN annual re-enrollment process, Pardes Jewish Day School’s annual re-enrollment will become an OPT-OUT process. In other words, if you’re coming back after signing your “Continuous Enrollment Contract,” you’ll never have to worry about completing an enrollment contract again.

What needs to be returned to the Admissions Office with this year’s Continuous Enrollment contract?

The documents to be returned by March 15th this year look very similar to previous year’s paperwork.  Families will need to return the signed Continuous Enrollment contract along with the non-refundable per child deposit, the Business Office Form and the Synagogue Affiliation Form. Next year, no new paperwork is necessary!

What will “Re-enrollment Season” look like after this year?

Once all of our families are on the “Continuous Enrollment Program,” the typical re-enrollment season (January through March) will simply be a communication reminder from the Enrollment Office informing our families that might be thinking about leaving our school to notify us prior to March 15. If last year is any indication, this means that 90+% of Pardes  families will have the convenience of ignoring this message and doing absolutely nothing!

What is the penalty if I break the contract?

Pardes families who are re-enrolled, but break the contract by dis-enrolling their students after March 15th and before July 1st will be contractually obligated to pay three (3) months of tuition.  Parents who dis-enroll their students after July 1 will be subject to the same penalty as previous years, which is payment of the entire year’s tuition.

I am planning to remain at Pardes through all of my children graduating eighth grade but what if I re-enroll and there is an extenuating circumstance that requires me to dis-enroll my child after the March 15 deadline?

Pardes has built flexibility into this contract. If there is an extenuating circumstance such as a Pardes family relocates more than 25 miles from Pardes, if it is determined that Pardes can no longer meet your child’s educational needs, if we ask a family to leave, or if there is some unforeseen circumstance that our Board of Directors approves, there will be no financial penalty. In the event that that an enrolled family applies for financial aid or assistance and are not awarded the full amount on or before July 1, the family may dis-enroll their student(s) without paying the tuition penalty.

After this re-enrollment year, what should I do if I would like to change my method of payment in a future year?

Once a family has signed the Continuous Enrollment contract this year, Pardes will continue to use the payment schedule and method identified on the completed Business Office Form. Should a family wish to change either of these options, it would be as easy as contacting the Business Office to complete a new Business Office Form.

After this year, when will the annual re-enrollment deposit be collected? What if I want to avoid the 2.2% convenience fee required when using a credit card?

This year, each family will submit their re-enrollment deposit with their Continuous Enrollment contract. In future years, deposits will be charged on March 16th unless it falls on a weekend in which case it will be the following Monday.  If a family wishes to have the deposit collected prior to that day, they can contact the Business Office. To avoid the 2.2% convenience fee, families should choose the ACH or debit card option for their deposits. If they wish to pay the deposit by check, it is as easy as delivering the check to the Business Office by March 15th.