ARRIVAL AND SETUP
Village Edu Company staff members aim to arrive 20 minutes prior to the time at which a program is scheduled to begin. If for any reason you believe that we will require additional time before the show to locate our designated showing area or to set up our equipment, please communicate this to our staff. Our shows require a minimum of a 10’x10’ space.
PARKING
Because our shows involve live animals and several pieces of equipment, our team will need to make several trips from the parking lot to our showing location. To minimize stress to our critters and assure that our staff can set up in a timely manner, we ask that you reserve a parking spot(s) within 50 yards of the setup area for staff vehicles. In the case that parking within 50 yards from the showing location is not available, please provide a location where vehicles can be temporarily parked both before and after the program to drop off/pick up materials. Without the provision of these accommodations, the additional time required for transport of materials has potential to overlap with the designated time set for the program. Staff will provide an abridged presentation in the remaining available time until the scheduled end time.
INSURANCE
Village Edu Company carries all appropriate insurance and will produce certificates of insurance upon request. Companies or locations can be added as certificate holders for an additional $10 administrative fee upon request.
RESCHEDULING/CANCELLATIONS
Rescheduling requests are accepted 49 hours or more prior to the event free of charge. Rescheduling an event 48 or fewer hours prior to the scheduled time will result in a penalty fee equal to 25% of the total event cost, excluding any applicable transaction fees. Unenrolling from an afterschool club within 48 hours of purchasing will result in a complete refund minus the 3% Strip fees. Cancellations are accepted 8 or more days prior to the event and a partial refund will be provided. A partial refund following cancellation is equal to 50% of the total event cost, excluding any applicable transaction fees. In the case that an event is cancelled 7 or fewer days prior to the event, no refund will be provided. Cancellation/Rescheduling fees will be charged to the card on file. Changes or cancellations must be made via phone or by email, and you will receive a confirmation email from Village Edu Company. If you do not receive an email confirmation of any changes or cancellations within 24 hours of communication, we have not received your request – please reach out to us to ensure that changes to your event are properly documented. Cancellations must be made at least 7 days prior to the event, rescheduling must be made at least 48 hours in advance of the event.
WEATHER
Village Edu Company houses and travels with a number of exotic species that are highly sensitive to environmental conditions. For this reason, our team prefers to present indoors. If your building does not have heat/AC or if the event will take place outdoors, please communicate this with our team upon booking so that we can plan accordingly. Village Edu reserves the right to deny requests for certain species when conditions pose a risk to their overall health. We are often able to substitute a temperature sensitive animal with a more tolerant one that can be used to illustrate the same teaching points. The more notice given, the better job we can do of assuring that the program will include all the desired types of animals.
EVENT CHANGES
Please email us with any changes you would like to request. Changes are not confirmed until you receive an email from us. Should there be any changes concerning location, attendance, or other variables (excluding date and time) we are happy to accommodate to the best of our ability. Please note that we cannot guarantee solutions for requests as last-minute changes might impact our ability to meet the needs of our other customers.
SCHOOL CLOSURES
In the event of a school closure due to an unforeseeable event, every effort will be made to accommodate and reschedule the presentation. If you know that a closure is imminent, please contact us as soon as possible to coordinate.
PAYMENT
Payment is due upon booking and is required to reserve your timeslot. If you would like to explore financing, please speak to our staff and ask about deposit options.
PETS AND PERSONAL ANIMALS
Due to the nature of our programs, being that all programs involve live animals, we ask that any pets or personal animals not owned by Village Edu Company be restrained for the duration of our attendance a minimum of 15 feet away from the presentation area. This assures the safety of animals involved. At larger events where many guests may visit our location, we will provide signage to inform guests of this policy.
SUBSTITUTING ANIMALS
Live animals are the heart of our company and as such, our first priority is always the health and safety of our animals. In the event that an animal reserved for a show is determined unfit to travel or participate in a show, Village Edu reserves the right to change the content of the show. Changes will be made in consultation with both our education and animal care departments to insure that such changes do not impact the overall trajectory or benefit of the program. Our team will always do our best to present with the animals reserved and requested. We keep replacements for the majority of species that appear in our shows in order to reduce the probability of needing to deviate from the prearranged roster of animals for a show. Despite this, living creatures can be unpredictable.
WAIVER OF LIABILITY
The programs and services of Village Edu Company include use of living creatures chosen for safety as well as relevance to the subject taught. That notwithstanding, some individuals are extremely sensitive to stimuluses or experiences. Village Edu Company requests that participants review the information provided by Village Edu Company, ask questions, and inform Village Edu Company of uncommon sensitivities prior to each presentation. By hiring Village Edu Company the customer (and/or any person or organization reserving any form of entertainment) acknowledges that he/she has had the opportunity to read and understand, agree with, and accept all of these terms and conditions. Customer, and/or any person or organization reserving educational services or entertainment services, agrees to hold harmless Village Edu Company, its employees and personnel, its affiliates’ employees (including
independent subcontractors, subcontracted companies or any other persons) from and against any and all liability and/or any losses, costs, damages,
expenses, including attorney’s fees, on account of any and all lawsuits, or claims for personal injury, illness or death resulting from uncommon and unforeseen circumstances not communicated to Village Edu Company or for which Village Edu Company is provided insufficient time to prepare for said circumstance.
The customer hereby assumes all of the risks of participating and/or hosting this event and will indemnify Village Edu Company against any claims brought by any of their guests and use the customers’ homeowners or business insurance policy to cover any liability. The risks include, but are not limited to, those caused by animal bites, stings, scratches, actions of other people including, but not limited to, other guests and participants, visitors, and spectators. Village Edu Company’s animals are well cared for and their health is closely monitored. However, customers realize that liability may arise
From the innate nature of the animals, from uncommon allergies individuals might have, or because of possible liability without fault. Customer accepts for itself, Customer’s children, Customer’s executors, administrators, heirs, next of kin, successors, and assigns as follows: (A) Waive, Release and Discharge Village Edu Company and its officers, agents, employees, and volunteers from any and all liability for personal injury, disability, death, property damage, property theft, lost income, or any other losses, costs or actions of any kind which hereafter may accrue to said guests or children by virtue of Customer’s guests’ or children’s voluntary participation in the Village Edu Company programs.
RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE
The safety of the Village Edu Company staff and animals is of utmost importance. Should staff members feel at any given time that their safety or the safety of the animals is in question or if they have entered into a volatile situation, are abused physically, or harassed in any way, Village Edu Company reserves the right to refuse service. All Village Edu Company staff have been instructed to exit the premises immediately in such a case. Customers will not be refunded any payments they have made in the event that this occurs.
