Terms & Conditions
South Bay Reading and Literacy
Effective Date: October 7, 2026
Welcome to South Bay Reading and Literacy. My goal is to provide thoughtful, individualized literacy instruction in a supportive environment where students can build confidence and develop the skills they need to become stronger readers, spellers, and writers.
These Terms & Conditions explain how tutoring services are provided, along with information about scheduling, payment, cancellations, refunds, and other expectations. By scheduling or purchasing tutoring services, the parent or legal guardian agrees to these Terms & Conditions.
1. Tutoring Services
South Bay Reading and Literacy provides individualized literacy tutoring for students, primarily in grades K–8. Instruction may include foundational reading skills, phonemic awareness, decoding, spelling, written language, handwriting, and other literacy skills based on a student's individual needs.
Instruction may incorporate structured literacy, multisensory instruction, Orton-Gillingham principles, and other evidence-based literacy practices.
Tutoring recommendations and instructional approaches are based on the information available about the student and may be adjusted as the student's needs and progress become clearer.
2. Educational Services — Not Medical or Diagnostic Services
South Bay Reading and Literacy provides educational tutoring and literacy instruction. Tutoring and assessment services are not medical, psychological, speech-language, or diagnostic services and are not intended to replace an evaluation or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare, psychological, speech-language, or other licensed professional.
Information gathered during tutoring or assessment may help identify areas of literacy strength and difficulty and may be useful for communicating with a child's educational team. However, tutoring observations and assessments do not constitute a medical or psychological diagnosis.
Parents and guardians remain responsible for seeking appropriate professional evaluation when they have concerns about their child's broader educational, developmental, medical, behavioral, or psychological needs.
3. Initial Consultation
South Bay Reading and Literacy may offer a complimentary brief consultation before services begin. The purpose of the consultation is to learn about the student's needs, discuss the family's concerns, and determine whether tutoring services may be appropriate.
A consultation does not create an obligation to purchase tutoring services.
4. Assessment
When appropriate, an initial literacy assessment may be recommended before tutoring begins.
Comprehensive Literacy Assessment: $250
The assessment is designed to provide information about a student's literacy skills and areas that may benefit from targeted instruction. Assessment results are used to help guide instruction and are not intended to provide a medical or psychological diagnosis.
When a family enrolls in an eligible tutoring package, South Bay Reading and Literacy may offer a $50 discount on the assessment fee, as described at the time of enrollment.
5. Tutoring Fees and Packages
Current tutoring rates are:
Individual Tutoring: $125 per 60-minute session
Twice-Weekly Tutoring Package: $240 per week, representing a discounted rate of $120 per session.
Other scheduling arrangements may be available by mutual agreement.
Tutoring packages and pricing are based on the services and schedule agreed upon with the family at the time of enrollment. Pricing may be updated for future services, with reasonable notice provided to families.
6. Payment
Payment arrangements will be discussed with the parent or legal guardian when tutoring services are scheduled or purchased.
South Bay Reading and Literacy may accept payment through methods such as Venmo, Zelle, check, or other payment methods offered by the business.
For prepaid tutoring packages, payment reserves the agreed-upon tutoring sessions and schedule for the student.
Payment records will be maintained for business and accounting purposes.
7. Refunds and Credits
Because tutoring appointments are scheduled specifically for an individual student, payments for completed tutoring sessions are generally non-refundable.
However, South Bay Reading and Literacy recognizes that circumstances sometimes change. When appropriate, a refund, credit, or rescheduling option may be offered at the tutor's discretion.
If South Bay Reading and Literacy must cancel a scheduled session, the family will receive either a rescheduled session, a credit, or a refund for the cancelled session, as appropriate.
For prepaid packages, unused sessions may be eligible for a credit or refund when circumstances warrant. Any refund will take into consideration the services already provided and the circumstances surrounding the request.
8. Cancellation & Rescheduling
At South Bay Reading and Literacy, I understand that schedules change and that children sometimes become ill or unexpected circumstances arise. At the same time, each tutoring appointment is reserved specifically for your child, and that time is held exclusively for your student.
24-Hour Notice: Cancellations or requests to reschedule made at least 24 hours before the scheduled session will not be charged a cancellation fee.
Late Cancellations: Cancellations made with less than 24 hours' notice will generally be subject to a $50 late-cancellation fee.
Same-Day Cancellations and No-Shows: A same-day cancellation or failure to attend a scheduled session will generally be subject to the full session fee. For students enrolled in a prepaid tutoring package, a same-day cancellation or no-show may be counted as one of the prepaid sessions.
Illness & Emergencies: I understand that illness and genuine family emergencies can happen unexpectedly. South Bay Reading and Literacy reserves the discretion to waive a cancellation fee when circumstances warrant. Please contact me as soon as possible if your child is ill or an emergency arises.
Please Keep Sick Children Home: If your child has a contagious illness, please do not bring them to an in-person tutoring session. I would much rather reschedule the session than have a child attend while sick or risk spreading illness to others. When possible, please contact me as soon as you know your child will not be able to attend.
Twice-Weekly Tutoring Packages: For students receiving twice-weekly tutoring at the package rate, the same cancellation policy applies to each scheduled session. A missed session does not automatically extend the package or create an additional session. When possible, an alternate session may be arranged based on availability.
My goal is to maintain a consistent schedule that supports your child's progress while also recognizing that families occasionally need flexibility. I will always do my best to work with families when circumstances arise.
9. Student Attendance and Participation
Consistent attendance is an important part of literacy instruction. Parents and guardians are encouraged to help students arrive on time, prepared, and ready to participate.
Because children have different energy levels, attention spans, learning profiles, and individual needs, sessions may not always look exactly the same from week to week.
South Bay Reading and Literacy will make reasonable efforts to provide instruction that is supportive, encouraging, and responsive to the student's individual needs.
10. Parent/Guardian Responsibilities
Parents and guardians agree to:
• Provide accurate information about the student's educational history and current needs.
• Share relevant evaluations, school information, or other documentation when appropriate and with the parent's permission.
• Communicate significant changes that may affect the student's participation or learning.
• Ensure that the student attends scheduled sessions on time.
• Provide a safe and appropriate environment for virtual tutoring, when applicable.
• Communicate scheduling changes as early as possible.
• Notify South Bay Reading and Literacy about illness or other circumstances affecting attendance.
Parents are encouraged to communicate questions or concerns at any time. Open communication helps ensure that tutoring remains productive and appropriate for the student.
11. Student Information and Educational Records
South Bay Reading and Literacy may maintain records related to a student's tutoring, including lesson notes, assessment information, progress information, work samples, and instructional recommendations.
Student information will be handled with care and used primarily for educational purposes, communication with the parent or guardian, and administration of tutoring services.
Additional information about privacy and the handling of personal information is provided in the Privacy Notice.
12. Confidentiality
South Bay Reading and Literacy respects the privacy of students and families.
Student information will not be publicly shared without appropriate parental or guardian permission, except when disclosure is required by law or when disclosure is necessary to address a legitimate safety or legal concern.
Photographs, testimonials, student work, or other identifying information will not be used for marketing purposes without appropriate permission.
13. Communication
South Bay Reading and Literacy may communicate with parents and guardians by email, telephone, text message, or other communication methods agreed upon with the family.
Parents are encouraged to use communication methods provided by South Bay Reading and Literacy for scheduling questions, tutoring-related concerns, and other necessary communication.
Because electronic communication cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure, families should avoid sending highly sensitive information through ordinary email or text unless specifically requested.
14. Website Use
The South Bay Reading and Literacy website is intended to provide information about tutoring services and allow families to learn about the business and contact South Bay Reading and Literacy.
Website content is provided for general educational and informational purposes and may be updated from time to time.
South Bay Reading and Literacy makes reasonable efforts to provide accurate information but does not guarantee that all website content will always be complete, current, or error-free.
15. Third-Party Services
South Bay Reading and Literacy may use third-party companies to provide certain website, scheduling, payment, communication, hosting, or other business services.
These providers may have their own terms and privacy policies. South Bay Reading and Literacy is not responsible for the privacy practices or policies of independent third-party providers.
Information about how personal information is collected and used is provided in the South Bay Reading and Literacy Privacy Notice.
16. Changes to Services or Terms
South Bay Reading and Literacy may occasionally update services, pricing, policies, or these Terms & Conditions.
Changes will generally apply to future services and appointments rather than services that have already been completed or prepaid, unless otherwise required by law or agreed upon with the family.
The most current version of these Terms & Conditions will be posted on the website.
17. Questions or Concerns
If you have questions about these Terms & Conditions, scheduling, payment, or tutoring services, please contact:
South Bay Reading and Literacy
424-236-2398
kate@southbayreadingliteracy.com
southbayreadingliteracy.com
18. Acknowledgment
By scheduling or purchasing tutoring services through South Bay Reading and Literacy, the parent or legal guardian acknowledges that they have had an opportunity to review these Terms & Conditions and agrees to the policies described above.
Thank you for trusting South Bay Reading and Literacy to be part of your child's learning journey. My goal is to provide thoughtful, individualized instruction while creating a positive experience for both students and families.