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Payment Policy

Registration

Payment is due at the time of registration.

At registration, participants may choose one of the following options:

  • Payment in Full – Full tuition is due upon registration.

  • Financial Aid (50%) – Approved financial aid recipients are responsible for 50% of tuition, due at registration.

  • Repair Fund (Full Tuition Support) – Available to Wôpanâak/BIPOC families and adults. This fund covers 100% of tuition costs.

​Repair Fund recipients are invited to make a donation of their choice if they wish.

For payment plans or additional financial support needs, please contact us.

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Attendance Requirement

All Financial Aid and Repair Fund recipients are expected to meet attendance requirements in order to safeguard and honor the funding that makes these opportunities possible.

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Tribal Member Tuition

All programming for Tribal members is offered free of charge. Costs are covered through our Repair Fund (see above).

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Refund Policy

Sassafras does not offer refunds. Exceptions for medical/personal reasons may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Knife & Sharp Blade Safety Policy 

At Sassafras everyone is asked to strictly support, follow and implement our Knife & Sharp Blade Protocol.

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The use of knives, saws, hatches and axes, is a privilege. at Sassafras. Youth (and others) not adhering, will be asked to hand in their knives for a specified amount of time, often till the end of the program day. All participants are required to pass knife safety, before purchasing or bringing a knife to program.​

 

Do's

  • Knives are for youth ages 8 and up, no exceptions.

  • Consult with us on the purchase of a knife for a youngster.

  • Sassafras only uses fixed-blade Mora knives.

  • Knives are to be kept in backpacks at all times and only come out during designated carving time.

  • Knives, saws, hatches and clippers are only utilized under close supervision in appropriate age groups. 

 

Don'ts

  • Do not carry your knife on your belt, it's a hazard.

  • Do not play games, or run with a knife.

  • Do not leave your knife out, on the ground, bench or table.

  • Do not send your child with folding knives, gadgets or any other knives than the knife specified above.

  • Do not send your child with saws, hatchets or other sharp blade gear.

  • Do not assume that your child can carve safely by themselves at home, always monitor.

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Knife Safety 1-2-3

  1. Ask an adult or staff

    • Carving happens under close adult supervision only.

  2. Sit down in your carving bubble

    • Always sit down before you open your knife and remain seated

    • Create an imaginary bubble with your outstretched hand (not with your knife).

    • Warn others that are close or about to enter your bubble and stop carving.

  3. Practice safe techniques from beginning to end

    • Don't talk and carve, focus on your work.

    • Always carve away from your body (this includes all body parts, hands, legs, etc…)

    • Carve in a controlled manner, and keep your movements small.

    • Keep your eyes on your blade, when interrupted, stop.

    • When not in use, put your knife in the sheath, secure it with a rubber band and put it away in your backpack or return to staff.

Tick Policy

For All Parents, Caregivers, Teens, and Staff.

 

Prevention

The best prevention of tick-borne diseases is TIMELY TICK REMOVAL. Finding and removing all ticks takes time, scrutiny, and consistency! At Sassafras we regularly spray all fields, camps and paths with a natural tick repellant. This consistent practice has really helped to reduce the amount of ticks. Protective clothing is important in the woods against ticks and poison ivy too. Wear long pants and tuck clothing in (pants in socks, T-shirt in pants), wear a hat or bandana, and tie up or braid long hair. Upon returning home, leave “woodsy” clothes outside or put them in a dryer for 20 minutes. Repellent is helpful, but no guarantee against ticks. All participants and staff should apply tick repellant before coming to camp. At Sassafras, we only allow natural repellents, and toxins are not permitted on the land. 
 

Timely Action: The sooner you remove a tick the better. Ideally, you want to remove a tick before it bites. Below is our recommended tick-check routine.
 

During Programs:  We conduct intermittent tick checks during program hours within our group,  pairing up participants to check each other's clothing, shoes, and hairline. At the end of each day, staff will remind participants to do a full-body tick-check at home, making this happen is the responsibility of the guardian/parent. 
 

Removal: If your youth has a tick that is attached during program hours, staff will remove the tick and sterilize the bite area. When a tick is removed from a participant, our staff notifies the parents by the end of the program day. Note that if a tick is found attached towards the end of the program day, staff will notify and ask the parents to remove it.
 

Back at Home: Intermittent tick checks during the program are not enough. Everyone needs to do a full-body tick check at home. If you want to learn more about ticks and the various tick-borne illnesses please visit the Martha’s Vineyard Board of Health websites.
 

Tick-Check Routine

  • Intermittent Tick-checks & Tick Spotting: While outdoors, check yourself and others periodically for ticks, on clothing, shoes, exposed skin, and hair

  • Full Body Tick Check: Perform a full-body tick check at least once a day. Check as soon as possible, after exposure.

  • “Skinspection”: A thorough and detailed inspection of every piece of skin is called for. Use glasses if you have them, or a magnifying glass as ticks can be extremely small, even as small as a period. Scan and examine small dots and spots, look especially well in dark places, creases, skin folds, in between fingers and toes, in belly buttons, under underwear, private areas, behind ears, inside ears, and along the neck and hairline. 

  • “Look before you itch”: This is an important habit to develop because you do not want to scratch the tick off, but remove it with tweezers. 

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Removal

Remove ticks while alive and do not suffocate, burn or kill ticks with vaseline, a lighter, or the likes. Grab the tick with pointed tweezers, as close to the skin as possible (behind the head), and pull out in the direction it went in. The goal is to remove the tick in its entirety. Clean the bite area and tweezers with alcohol right away. 
 

Bite-areas: Take extra notice of areas where you recently had a tick bite and monitor healing progress and coloration. Growing red rashes, especially a bulls-eye rash can indicate disease transmission, and timely action is required. See a doctor asap. Note that not everyone develops a rash, in the event of disease transmission. Bite areas can remain red and extremely itchy for days, which is normal for some people and does not necessarily indicate disease transmission.
 

Antibiotics & Prophylaxis

Antibiotics/Prophylaxis: If a tick has been "in" for more than 24 hours, you need to talk to your doctor. In most cases, antibiotics are prescribed for a minimum of 21 days. Some off-island doctors do not have accurate information on tick-borne diseases. For children approximately 10 years and over, and adults, there is another option. If a tick has been “in” for more than 24hours, you can take a prophylactic dose within 72 hrs. of contracting the tick. A prophylactic dose consists of a one-time 200mg dose of Doxycycline. Do not take on an empty stomach.

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