Mad Science^® is the world’s leading provider of educational science enrichment to elementary school-aged children.  We have been conducting programs throughout the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent areas since 1998.  Our mission is to spark the imagination and curiosity of children everywhere by providing them with fun, entertaining and exciting activities that instill a clear understanding of what science is really about and how it affects the world around them.  Our approach is simple.  We use exciting activities and spectacular demonstrations to capture the attention and imagination of children.

Our After School Program is designed for children ages 6-12 and introduces them to things like model rockets, lasers, dry ice and lots of really cool experiments.  We will supply all of the student materials and equipment used in the course and the children get to take home a nice variety of projects as well as a T-shirt.

Mad Science^® is always willing to bring our program to additional schools and we offer some exciting partnership benefits that are exclusive to schools that agree to host our after school program.  The first step in bringing our program to your child’s school is to speak to your school’s Principal and School Administrative Council (SAC) to see if they would consider hosting a Mad Science^® After School Program at the school.  Next we would ask for permission to make a presentation at a SAC or staff meeting to explain the program in further detail.  Once the school administration agrees to host a program, we do all of the work!  All that the school staff has to do is decide when they would like the program to take place and provide us with classroom space to run the program.

Mais oui!  We are able to offer our program in French on a limited "first-come, first-served" basis.  Please note, the program is presented in French; however, registration and take home materials are currently only available in English.

The fee for our Mad Science^® After School Program includes the GST, all student materials, cool take home projects and a T-shirt.  After backing out the GST, the cost of the program is $75.23.  The T-shirt and the projects that the kids get to take home have a retail value of approximately $26.  After deducting the value of the take home projects and T-shirt, the actual cost of the program is about $49 for six weeks.  This works out to $8.21 per one-hour session.  Many after school programs such as tutoring can cost up to $20 or more per hour.

Mad Science^® Programs get children, even children who have not previously expressed an interest in science, excited about science so that they go back to their parents and teachers wanting to learn more.  Some parents have told us that their children’s science grades have gone up after taking our After School Program.  In fact, a recent educational study (Char and Miller, 2006) found that participation in Mad Science^® led to a significant increase in students' knowledge of science content and concepts.  The study results may be downloaded from the home page of our web site.

Which grades can register for the program?

Mad Science^® visits students in Grades 1 to 6 as this is the age group that expresses the most interest in our programs.  However, any student in the school from JK to Grade 8 can register!

How big are the classes?

We believe in quality over quantity so we limit each class to a maximum of 22 students.  This allows us to provide the individual attention to the children that makes a Mad Science^® program so special.  If we have more than 22 paid registrants who wish to participate, we may be able to offer an additional class (with the school’s approval) to fill this need.  Subject to enrollment, the children will be grouped by similar grades.

Yes!  Our guarantee is simple.  You will be satisfied with Mad Science^® or we will make it right.  We are confident in and put our reputation behind, the quality of our programs and Instructors.  If your child attends the first session of the course and does not wish to continue, you will be given a full refund.

However, after the 2^nd class, if you choose to remove your child from the course for any reason, a pro rated refund will be given for all remaining classes, less a cancellation fee of $10.00.  No refunds are available after the 3^rd class.

Parents are responsible for their child’s attendance at our after school program.  Mad Science^® is not responsible for the children before or after the stated class times.  We will work with school staff and parents to facilitate the transition of students to and from our after school program.  Unfortunately, we cannot go "looking for" students who may have boarded a school bus or walked home in error on a Mad Science^® day.

Even though Mad Science^® does not start until 15 minutes after school lets out the Mad Science^® Instructors will arrive at the school each week at dismissal time.  On the first week we will meet the children in the gym or library and the Mad Scientists^® will escort the kids to the Mad Science^® classrooms.  On subsequent weeks the Mad Scientists^® will meet the children at these same classrooms.  Therefore, the children do not even have to leave the school building during the time between the end of the school day and the start of Mad Science^®.  To further facilitate the transition to Mad Science^® each week we ask the school to make a school-wide PA announcement and every teacher will have a list of the children enrolled in the Mad Science^® After School Program.

Our office accepts paymet by cash, cheque, money order, Visa and Mastercard. Unfortunately, we are not currently equipped to process debit payments. 

Payment for classes is due with the return of each student’s completed registration form.  Currently dated cheques or money orders made out to "Mad Science of Windsor" are the preferred method of payment for mail in registrations.  Please write your child's name and school on the front of the cheque.  Should you wish to postdate your cheque, we ask that you highlight the date so that we do not accidentally cash it early. Cheques must be dated prior to the start of the program. 

Please note that NSF or STOP PAYMENT cheques will result in a $25 administration fee.  If repayment is made in the Mad Science^® office within 7 days, the administration fee will be reduced to $10.  Failure to pay tuition and/or administration fees will result in a child being withdrawn from the program.

Your child will be dismissed from each class according to what you have indicated on the registration form.  Should this information change, we ask that you notify us in writing.  Walkers will be dismissed at the end of each class.  A teacher sponsor or a Mad Scientist^® will accompany students who attend after-school day care (if provided at the school) to the appropriate room.  For reasons of child safety, parents who will be picking up their children are asked to do so at the Mad Science^® classrooms.

Parents agree to pick up their children promptly after class.  Mad Science^® is not a "latch-key" style program.  Our Instructors may have other commitments and they cannot always stay and wait for you if you are running late.  Should a child remain unattended after class, the Instructor will contact the local police if a child remains 30 minutes after the end of the class and a reasonable solution has not yet been reached.  The child will remain in the care of a Mad Science^® Instructor until the parent or someone designated by the parent is able to pick up the child.

Parents who know that they will be late picking up their child are asked to call our office so that the message may be relayed to the appropriate Instructor.  After the second occurrence of picking up a child more than 15 minutes after the Mad Science^® class dismissal time and keeping an Instructor waiting, your child may be withdrawn from our program until such time that you are able to make arrangements to pick up or have your child picked up on time.  A pro rated refund, less a $10 handling fee, will be returned to you.

Program information varies by school.  Please see the registration form for your child’s school.  If you do not have a form, extras are available at the school office or Mad Science^® can fax, email or "snail" mail one to you.

Schedule conflict with the Mad Science^® After School Program at your child's school?

Do other activities conflict with the after school program at your child's school?  Then consider a Mad Science^® birthday or summer camp experience!  Call for details or browse the appropriate pages of our web site.

Registration and Waiting Lists?

Registration forms are accepted on a "first-come, first served" mail in or drop off basis (our address is on the registration form).  When this is not possible, registration forms will be accepted on a lottery basis.  Since original forms with a parent or guardian's signature must be on file with our office, we cannot accept telephone or on-line registrations.  

Schools are not responsible for accepting your child's registration.  Please do not return the registration form to your child’s school—school staff have been advised to "return to sender" any registration forms that end up at the school. 

Incomplete registration forms will not be processed.

What is the Waiting List Policy?

Mad Science^® is a very popular program and classes fill up quickly.  We do our best to accept as many registrants as possible; however, we are limited by the availability of classroom space and Mad Science^® Instructors.  As a result, we sometimes have to place children on a waiting list.  If additional spaces become available, these children are given first priority.  Please register early to avoid disappointment.

If you have missed the registration deadline, please call our office to verify that there are still spaces available before mailing in your registration form. A $10 late registration fee will apply to registrations that are accepted after the registration deadline.  The late fee will be waived for late registrations that are dropped off at the Mad Science^® of Windsor office.  Late registrants are not guaranteed a T-shirt.

We will email you one week prior to the start of the program to confirm your child’s registration and review the times and dates of the program at the school.  As we do not cash your cheque until we have enough students to hold a class, your cashed cheque also confirms your child’s registration in our program.  If you do not have an email address, we will attempt to contact you by telephone.

Please report your child’s absence to the Mad Science^® office by providing your child’s full name, grade and school.  Each class has an independent topic and the classes do not have to be taken in any particular order.  If a child is absent one week, it does not affect the child’s participation in other classes.  Unfortunately, due to scheduling differences and class size limits, missed classes cannot be made up.

If you know in advance that your child will need to miss a specific date, please let us know prior to registration and the tuition fee will be adjusted accordingly.  Please note that your child will not receive the take home project for the class missed when tuition is discounted in this manner. Once we have started the course, Mad Science^® has invested in the required course materials and personnel and we are unable to offer a refund for missed sessions.

Mad Science^® reserves the right to cancel a program due to insufficient registration.  Should we have to do so, we will strive to provide parents with as much notice as possible. 

Once underway, Mad Science^® classes will only be cancelled in the event of an emergency school closure.  In other words, if the school is open, then Mad Science^® classes are running!

Should school bus service be cancelled due to inclement weather, parents should use their discretion in determining when it is safe to drive their children to and from school.

Mad Science^® classes will be scheduled around Early Release days, Parent-Teacher Interviews, PD days and holidays.

Classes missed due to Early Release days, Parent-Teacher Interviews, PD days, holidays or school closures will be added to the end of the affected course as an extra class.  Such make up classes will take place on the same day and at the same time and in the same room that the regular class was scheduled.