Parent Handbook

Creative Learning Place (CLP) is a unique learning center that offers classes in a variety of subjects with the purpose of opening hands, hearts, and minds. CLP was founded by Karen Golden, a professional storyteller, arts educator, community activist, and homeschool mom. After thirty years of teaching, organizing conferences, classes, festivals and events, and hosting a daily talk show on public radio, Karen decided to put her knowledge of connecting people and ideas together at CLP. Each instructor is meticulously handpicked by Karen, and they are not only qualified to teach, they are also passionate visionaries who bring education to the next level. 

Class Drop policy:

If you enroll your child in a class and wish to drop it after the first class, you will be charged for one class but not the remainder of the session. There will be NO REFUNDS after the first week of class except for special emergency circumstances. Please choose your classes wisely! If you commit to a class, you must pay for the entire session by the end of the session. Students enrolling in classes after the start of the semester will have their tuition pro-rated and will be billed accordingly. There will be NO REFUNDS for classes if the class protocols change due to Covid policies such as the wearing of masks or in-person classes being moved to online if needed. 

Charter School Payment Instructions:

CLP is a vendor for a number of charter schools, and we are happy to add your school if it is not listed on our CLP charter school partnership page. Please follow these instructions to make sure we are paid in a timely manner:

  • 1. It is YOUR responsibility to submit your class requests to your charter school assigned teacher. Your charter school assigned teacher will then submit this request to your school. After your charter school receives this request, they will send us a Purchase Order (PO) and we will bill your school and be paid. 
  • 2. If you use all your charter funding and do not have enough funding to cover your class payments, you will be billed and must pay the difference. You can always find your outstanding balance here
  • 3. We require that a PO be received by CLP prior to the start of class or your child will be dropped from the class.
  • 4. If your child is not part of a charter school, we require a $100 payment prior to the first day of class to hold your space in the class. Payment options can be found here. 

If you are unable to pay your bill in one lump sum, we are happy to work with you to set up a payment plan. Please see our payment link to learn how you can pay us. 

Lunch and snack policy

There will be no eating in classrooms. All snacks and lunch are to be consumed outside on the patio. There is a 15-30 minute break in the middle of the day when students can eat lunch. The Synagogue asks that lunches be“Kosher Style” (no pork products, no shellfish, no meat and milk at the same meal). Thank you!

CLP Drop Off Policy

All students will enter the back gate of Temple Akiba off of Sepulveda Blvd. You will receive further drop-of instructions prior to the first day of class. There is plenty of street parking around the Synagogue. Students will not be allowed to leave the premises unaccompanied by an adult unless they are age 11 or older, with at least one other student, and we receive a permission form here.

Courtyard Policy

We are fortunate to have outside space at Temple Akiba which allows our students to eat between classes and make friends. The classrooms we are renting are across from the Synagogue and we ask that students be mindful of noise and any other disruptions to those working in the Synagogue. We are guests on this property and must be respectful.

If students have a gap in their schedule (they are not taking classes that are adjacent to each other), they are welcome to hang out and talk, bring a board or card game, study, eat lunch or play as long as kids under age 10 have adult-supervision. This must be arranged by parents. We do not provide supervision if there is a break in a student's day that is not listed as a break on our CLP schedule. 

There is no yelling in the outside space. If students will not abide but this rule, a parent will be asked to stay with students regardless of age when they are not in class. 

Electronics Policy:

Students are only allowed to use electronics on CLP premises for educational purposes. Students must keep their cell phones in their bags, unless they are communicating with parents outside of classes. Students who cannot abide by this policy will be asked to leave their electronic devices at home. Students who are asked multiple times to put away their devices and continue to bring them to CLP will be required to store them in a safe location for the duration of the day.

Parent Policy

Parents will have access to Wi-Fi and we will provide you with the password. Unless you are assisting your child as an aide or for emotional support, we request that parents not enter the classrooms. Thank you!