Admissions

How to Apply

1. Check out our upcoming Course Dates and Locations and use the links to access the information available about those programs that interest you.
2. Decide on a preferred program and contact the Director of that program to discuss your plans and to get more detailed information.  Contact information is available at Course Dates and Locations.
3. Look at our Program Costs and our Payment Plans and Financial Aid information.  Then Print our Application Form and the Payment Plan Form.  If you will be paying upfront by check or credit card or if one of our standard plans meets your needs, proceed to step four.   If you need a different financial arrangement from those suggested on the Payment Plan form, send only your application and check to the Training Director and then call the national office at (405)579-0999 to establish a plan that works for you. In this case, you will send the signed plan directly to the national office.
4. Fill out our Application Form and the Payment Plan Form and mail them (see MAILING ADDRESSES) along with the non-refundable $50 Application Fee to the Director of your program. The Director will accept you into the program and send your Payment Plan form to the national office. The national office will process your payment plan and set up an invoice/billing for your payment(s).
5. You will receive notification of acceptance from your Program Director and additional program information once your application and payment plan have been processed. We must receive your Application and $50 fee, Payment Plan, and initial payment before the training begins in order for you not to incur late charges described below.

Costs

To make the training accessible for as many students as possible, the on-site classroom time has been spread over the course of a year.  LifeWays is known for its generous financing plans, and all sincere applicants are encouraged to apply. There is a $50 nonrefundable application fee.  Tuition is $3500, the mentor fee is $500 and the supplies fee is $500 ($4500 total).  Students also reimburse their mentor’s travel expenses for the mentor visit.  When necessary, we do our best to find a mentor who is nearby.  Other expenses may include the purchase of books and a pentatonic kinderlyre or kinderharp.  Daily organic lunches and snacks are provided at no added cost.  Auditing students pay tuition and supply fee only and do not have a mentor or do the Independent Study Requirements; thus, no graduation certificate is awarded or graduate benefits offered.  

LifeWays North America offers several options for payment:

You will see on the Payment Plan Form that there are several options.  We encourage you to pay the full amount up front so you no longer need concern yourself with future payments.  This may be done by check, money order or credit card. We appreciate your paying in advance and will send you a complimentary copy of the LifeWays book Home Away from Home as a thank you.

If you need to pay by installments, please note that half of the tuition is requested before the training begins and the remaining balance may be paid in two payments, quarterly payments or monthly payments.  If none of these plans works for you, please contact the LifeWays central office now at 405-579-0999.

Paying months before the training begins:  More of our students are seeing the advantage of starting their installment payment plans as soon as they enroll, even if it is a year or six months before the training begins.  A major advantage of this is that when your payments are stretched over eighteen months or more, then your monthly payment amount is smaller.  We encourage you to consider this option.

Payments may be made in one of three ways: 
1) sending us your credit card information for automatic billing
2) mailing post-dated checks for all the payments
3) setting up automatic bank payments in which your bank mails checks to us each month. 

On your Payment Plan form you must check which one of these you will be doing and send the checks or the credit card information with your form.  If you are doing automatic bank payments, this must be set up before the training starts.

Financial aid

If you feel you cannot afford the tuition at this time, we suggest a few options:

• Seek support from friends or family who are eager to help you take steps toward setting up your own early childhood business or deepening your own parenting practices.
• Seek a loan from an individual or organization interested in helping you.
• Set up an extended payment plan (such as mentioned above) so that your monthly payments are less.

If, after considering one of the above options, you are still unable to pay the full tuition by the time the course is completed, you may speak to us about an extended payment plan that continues for a brief period after the training is over.  However, you will not receive your graduation certificate until you have paid in full.  In the case of extreme financial circumstances that affect how much you can pay, we are willing to discuss a special tuition reduction.  The ability to offer such reductions often depends on the size of the enrollment in any given training.

Late fees, Refunds and Cancellations:

Late Fee:   Student must have a signed payment plan approved by the home office and have made their first payment prior to the first day of training or a $50/week late fee will be charged.

Returned check or declined credit card:  Please know what your bank balance or credit card limit is, as there will be a $25 charge for returned checks or declined credit card payments.

Refunds:  The $50 Application Fee is nonrefundable. If a student must drop out of the program, the other fees will be prorated as follows:

• Prior to the first session: Full refund less a $100 processing fee.
• During or after completing your first session: Partial refund based on a $100 processing fee and a prorated amount for the days attended.
• After the start of the second session, no refund or credits will be given on the amount owed for the complete training. Trainings are undertaken based on students’ agreements, so payment commitments will continue. Students may complete the training at any future time in any location.

Cancelled Trainings:  In the unlikely event that a training series must be cancelled or rescheduled, the student may either  attend in a different location or request a refund in full, including the Application Fee.

Starting Late:  It is sometimes possible to start a training after the first session, but the student understands that it may be necessary to make up missed session(s) in another location if the next training in the original location is postponed or cancelled.

Our goal is to do all we can to make it possible for you to take this training, while at the same time being respectful and responsible to the needs of our organization.  We want more children and families to experience the simplicity, grace and joy in life that the LifeWays training encourages.  We look forward to working with you.