Frequently
Asked Questions

Registering your child at Little Kitchen Academy is simple, safe, and secure. Click here to choose a session and begin the registration process.

To assist you in registering, take a moment to watch this video to better understand the process.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL REFUNDS BE GIVEN

• Cancellation Policy: LKA reserves the right to cancel sessions that do not meet minimum enrollment requirements up to two weeks prior to the session’s scheduled start date. Families will be notified of cancellation via email. Students from cancelled sessions may be transferred to another session free of charge. No refunds or make-up classes will be offered to students who miss any classes that they were registered for but failed to attend.
• Illness & Removal Policy: LKA reserves the right to temporarily deny any student admittance to the Premises for reasons of obvious illness, or to request early departure should symptoms become apparent during the course of a class. Any student who seems unable to participate in the cooking classes for any reason will be sent home. This is to ensure the continued good health of everyone at our Premises. We realize that most of you are working parents, but for the health and well-being of the students in our care and our staff we feel it is vital to maintain a strict wellness policy. We ask for parents to assist by keeping sick students at home. It is up to our discretion when a student may return to the Premises. Additionally, fostering a safe learning environment for students is our number one priority. Therefore, LKA reserves the right to remove any student who fails to comply with LKA’s rules and regulations, including the Code of Conduct located HERE, or who engages in any unsafe activity. No refunds or make-up Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services will be given to any student who is removed from class; however, the student may be allowed to attend the next class within their session provided such student has corrected the behavior and will not be a disruption to their fellow students or instructor. Make up classes will be offered to any student who misses class due to illness only; and only when space is available.
• Withdrawals & Transfers: All requests for session withdrawals or transfers must be made in writing prior to the session start date. LKA does not offer refunds for withdrawals or transfers, however, LKA will happily issue a full credit towards a new session to be used at a future date if the withdrawal or transfer request takes place at least 10 days prior to the session start date. If the request takes place within 10 days of session start date, 50% credit will be issued to be used at a future date. Once the session has begun, no credits or transfers will be issued or allowed. Transfers are dependent on session availability.

Click the link below to see for yourself!

Watch Video

As space is limited to just 10 students per session, the LKA Season Pass was thoughtfully designed to give parents the peace of mind knowing their child will be cared for in a safe, inspiring environment all season long, by reserving their child’s space in three or more sessions.

Watch this brief video to learn how you can save a minimum of $150 with the LKA Season Pass:

To register for an LKA Season Pass:
Simply select three or more sessions for a single child during the registration process. At checkout, the registration fees will automatically adjust. Three or more sessions, for each child, must be registered for at the same time for the discount to be applied. There is no limit to how many sessions you can register for. This LKA Season Pass cannot be combined with multiple students (For Example: a family with 3 students, registering for 1 session each will not be edible for the LKA Season Pass).

*Note that Drop-in classes do not count towards the LKA Season Pass. Only sessions with multiple classes will apply.

If you have any questions or need assistance registering for a Season Pass, do not hesitate to reach out to info@littlekitchenacademy.com

       LKA Code of Conduct

At Little Kitchen Academy we are committed to providing a safe, inspiring, and empowering environment for our students, instructors, and parents/legal guardians. Our Core Values(Joy. Mindfulness. Empowerment. Health. Learning. Delight) guide our behaviour to create a more educated, able, and healthy society. Through Montessori-inspired practices, LKA values the development of the whole child – physical, social, emotional, and cognitive.

This Code of Conduct is an integral part of involvement with Little Kitchen Academy and requires all students, instructors, and parents/legal guardians of students to follow and uphold these Montessori Principles:

Care of self

Care of others

Care of environment

The Montessori philosophy approaches education through conscientious observation of children while they are encouraged to do work that they are naturally drawn to. The Montessori environment is beautifully organized into different areas to support the growth and development of each child. An area focussed on practical life skills includes work that stimulates both gross and fine motor skills and creates an awareness of the environment in which the child belongs. The sensorial area allows discovery of their senses and encourages constant refinement. The language and math areas introduce concepts starting from concrete to abstract, general to specific, and familiar to unfamiliar.

Little Kitchen Academy reflects the Montessori environment in many aspects. Our environment is beautiful, thoughtfully organized and built with materials and equipment familiar to the children’s environment at home. Recipes have been developed and formatted to suit the children’s abilities based on age. They joyfully practice a three-hour work cycle to experience a ‘from scratch to consumption’ class. Our teachers are here to show the children how to properly use the tools, but step back and observe the independent work- only to help when asked or when safety is concerned. Teaching our children independence in the kitchen reinforces the Montessori philosophy of allowing our children to develop themselves to become a productive part of their own environment. Tasting ingredients and learning descriptive words only refines their senses, igniting more and more interest in food. Working with practical units of measure and combining ingredients to create something new are basic math and science concepts only to be called upon in math and science classes later.

And in addition, the Montessori method knows how important the role of the Guide (teacher) is within the environment. The Guide feels honoured and privileged to work with children. At Little Kitchen Academy we believe that working with your children is an honour. We work with patience, humility, and passion. Want to hear more?

Watch Video

We do not host “birthday parties”. Little Kitchen Academy is a safe, exciting space for children and teens to develop practical life skills in the kitchen. We are honoured to be working with our students. We take our work very seriously and we admire and appreciate the hard work our students produce. We LOVE birthdays but we stick to the curriculum that has been thoughtfully developed.

Yes.

If we are made aware at registration, we will try our very best to accommodate allergies.

No! We have set recipes for each class and have shopped accordingly. We understand children are nervous about trying new foods, but they are encouraged to make the recipe provided and perhaps give it a try or share with family at home! We will certainly make changes to food sensitivities or allergies as long as we know ahead of time.

We don’t repeat recipes.  Because we try to cook with seasonal ingredients, we are able to change up easily.  There will be times the students make elements of the same thing- for example, we may make butter more than once, or tortillas to be turned into quesadillas one day, and tortilla chips another, or maybe the same salad dressing for an entirely different salad.  But they are always learning something new.

None of our recipes at LKA include meat, poultry or seafood.  We do this for many reasons:  If we cooked with meat, we would have to build in a different venting system to accommodate the grease-laden vapors.  The risk of contamination is so much higher with meat, and even though we have 3 instructors for 10 students, we want to try and eliminate any extra worries.  And the reason we are most passionate about this is because when we consider our recipes that we make, we think about our students heading off to independence- complete with new responsibilities and budgets.  We all know that the least expensive part of the grocery store is the local, seasonal produce, so we aim to teach our students how to choose nutrient dense foods from the produce section.  We take every opportunity to discuss adding meat to enhance the meal,  we just don’t cook with it here.

Our Food Philosophy

While our instructors are trained to be keen observers, and will certainly add or take away an element of difficulty, please consider the social time at the end of class when we set our community table and chat with each other. Your child will probably feel most comfortable with children their own age. Our curriculums are built for the specific developmental stages and the younger children will be so positively influenced watching the older children, and the older children will benefit and refine their skills when working with the younger children.

Our classes have been thoughtfully organized into the specific age groups and we have found that our students are the happiest and the most inspired when working in a class surrounded by children of a similar age.

Little Kitchen Academy focuses on our students ages three through late teens. While we want to encourage everyone to develop awesome skills in the kitchen, we don’t offer adult classes.

Suggestions are always welcome! E-mail us at feedback@littlekitchenacademy.com.

In order to provide a ‘from scratch to consumption’ experience, three hours is necessary. From learning safe hand washing, to learning about the kitchen, reading the recipe, collecting ingredients, prepping and cooking, cleaning up, setting a table and enjoying the ‘fruits of their labour’, three hours goes by fast!

We offer week-long Summer, Winter, and Spring Sessions as the school calendars allow. Week-long sessions give us time for more complex recipes that we can build on day by day. Our Summer/Winter/Spring Break sessions sell out very quickly. Make sure to join our mailing list for an invitation to register 3 days early.

LKA #1, our flagship Little Kitchen Academy located at 3744 W. 10th Ave., Vancouver, is Now Open.
Coming soon:  LKA #2 in West Vancouver, BC; LKA #3 in Surrey/White Rock, BC and LKA #4 in Kelowna, BC!

Click here to watch us grow!  Locations

Franchise Info

Absolutely! E-mail us at info@littlekitchenacademy.com

The LKA Recipe for each class will be posted at the front of our environment. Parents and students are encouraged to take a picture of the recipe during pick-up & drop-off times.

Make up classes will be offered to any student who misses class due to illness only; and only when space is available.

The safety and well-being of our students and instructors is a top priority at Little Kitchen Academy.  These protocols are put in place for the peace of mind and safety of all students, parents and staff. Following these protocols ensures that classes are able to be run smoothly and that students get the maximum amount of learning time in each class.

Emergency Contacts and Authorized Persons
At the time of registration, parents are required to provide two (2) local contact phone numbers where they can be reached in case of emergency. Only these contacts will be authorized to pick-up and leave the premises with the student. Additional authorized persons may be added to your Amilia account either during or after registration process. This should include nannies, grandparents, and other caregivers you authorize to be responsible for the student. Persons who are not listed on the Amilia account will not be permitted to pick-up or leave the premises with the student. In a case where an “unauthorized person” is attempting to leave with a student, the emergency contacts listed on the account would be called and be required to give authorization over the phone before the student is to be released.

Pick Up and Drop Off Procedure
Each student that registers at LKA is given a virtual ID Card accessible by downloading the free Amilia App from the Apple or Google Play Stores, and accessing your account. This ID Card will need to be scanned, allowing the student to check-in and check-out of each class.

Upon arrival at Little Kitchen Academy, all students will be signed in by an authorized person or by the student, using the Amilia Phone App to access the student ID Card. The ID Card/phone will be scanned, and the authorized person or student will hit a “check-in” button. When checking-out, the ID Card/phone will need to be scanned and the authorized person or student must indicate who is present to pick-up the student, before completing the check-out process.

If a parent or authorized person does not have their phone, or access to the app, they will be required to show picture ID which will be cross referenced with the list of authorized persons provided at registration. Authorizer persons will be strongly encouraged to have their phone/app accessible as this is the most efficient process and allows our instructors to focus on the students and begin/end class promptly.

For students over the age of 10, parents may permit their child to arrive and leave Little Kitchen Academy on their own but are required to indicate this on the registration form. You may also submit your consent in writing no less that 24 hours prior to the start of class.  If you have not indicated the child may leave, or have not submitted a written consent, the child will not be permitted to leave (regardless of their age) unless picked up by an authorized person.

All students under the age of 10 years old must be dropped off and picked up by a legal guardian or authorized person as identified on your Amilia Account. These authorized persons must present the students’ ID Card to be scanned at the beginning and end of each class. CLICK HERE to watch a short video & learn how to download the Amilia App and access the Student ID card.

Students who are authorized to arrive and leave on their own must present their ID Card (found on the Amilia App) to be scanned at the beginning and end of each class.

All students (regardless of age) that must leave during the class must notify the instructor prior to the start of class be picked up by authorized person.

No.

Drop Off – Students should plan to arrive 5 minutes prior to the start of class as classes begin promptly at their scheduled time. For the safety and security of our students and instructors, the doors are locked 5 minutes after the scheduled start of class and will remain locked until 5 minutes prior to the end of class.

Any student who arrives 15 minutes after the class start time will not be permitted to attend class that day.

This policy is in place to ensure the safety of our students and instructors and to maintain the integrity and flow of the class being taught. When students arrive late, it is often very difficult to “catch them up” and the entire class suffers as a result.

Pick Up – To be fair and mindful to the fellow students coming in for the next class, authorized persons should plan to arrive at LKA at least 5 minutes prior to scheduled class end time in order to pick up the student.

Instructors will open/unlock the door 5 minutes before the end of class. Students must be picked up no later than 10 minutes after the class end time. If a student is picked up later than 10 minutes after the end time of class, the following will immediately apply

First time – Parent/Instructor communication

Second time – $25 fee after 10 minutes (Paid by the start of the next class, added to their account on Amilia)

Third time – Removal from program with no refund

In the event that an authorized person has not notified or contacted the Instructors, and do not arrive 10 minutes after the class end time to pick up the student, the procedure is as follows:

1. An Instructor will phone your Emergency Contact numbers given at registration.
2. If no one can be contacted by 45 minutes past the end of class time, the Ministry of Children and Families will be called to come and pick up the student. You may contact the Ministry at 604-660-4927.

Students will not be sent home in taxis, nor will they be driven home by Instructors.

Give the gift of practical life skills and inspire our youth to live a healthy lifestyle with an eGift Card to Little Kitchen Academy.

To Purchase an eGift Card:
1) From the main website, choose the desired LKA location that the student will be attending.
2) Click the “Purchase a Gift Card” link at the bottom of the location page.
3) Fill out the eGift card form and choose to send instantly or at a future date.
4) Don’t forget to write a message to the recipient 🙂

To Redeem an eGift Card:
During the registration process, simply type in the last 4 digits of the eGift card number into the rebate code box prior to checkout. The registration amount will automatically adjust.

To Check the Balance an eGift Card:
1) From the main website, choose the desired location that the student will be attending.
2) Click the “Purchase a Gift Card” link at the bottom of the location page
3) On the new window that appears, click on the link at the top right of the screen that says “Need to check your gift card balance?”
4) Type in your eGift card number and click “Check Balance”

For the safety & security of our students, Student Access ID Cards must be presented and scanned during pick-up & drop-off at Little Kitchen Academy. CLICK HERE to watch a short video & learn how to download the Amilia App and access the Student ID card.

If you have provided consent for your child (10 years of age or older) to leave Little Kitchen Academy on their own, your child must download the Amilia App and present their own ID Card to the Instructor at start and completion of each class.

To download the Amilia App, follow the appropriate link below using your mobile device, or search for the Amilia app in the Apple or Google Play Stores. The app will have a “Health & Wellness” description and the app image may appear as follows.

For iPhone click here
For Android click here

Once you have downloaded the Amilia App, login using the email and password that you originally setup for your account during registration. The email and password is tied to the original account owner (the legal guardian who registered the student). If you wish to give access to additional guardians, simply have them download the Amilia App on their mobile device and share the username/password with them. The App can be on multiple devices, but the login credentials will remain the same. The Amilia App can be used to view your child’s schedule and view Student Access ID Cards.

LITTLE KITCHEN ACADEMY
CONSENT, RELEASE AND WAIVER

Little Kitchen Academy Ltd. (“LKA”, “we”, “us, “our”) requires that our students and/or parents (“you”, “yourself”, “your”)carefully review and accept the terms and conditions of this Consent, Release and Waiver prior to participating in any of the activities described below. By signing this Consent, Release and Waiver, you will waive certain legal rights, including the right to sue. As such, please read this document carefully.

As valid consideration for: (i) entry into the premises of any LKA location (the “Premises”) by you and/or your minor child; (ii) participation by you and/or your minor child in activities and classes (each set of classes being a “session”) offered on the Premises (“Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services”); and (iii) your and/or your minor child’s use of the supplies, ingredients, and equipment located on the Premises and other services offered by LKA, you agree as follows on behalf of yourself and/or your minor child:

• Assumption of Risk:
  1. Risks: You acknowledge and agree that: (i) the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services may involve risks of injury and illness (the “Risks”), including but not limited to cuts, falls, burns, allergic reactions, and other risks associated with preparing and consuming food; (ii) the Risks may be increased as a result of the fact that the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services are being offered in a group setting; and (iii) there may be Risks that are not known or reasonably foreseeable at this time. You acknowledge and agree to assume all Risks and associated damages or losses which you and/or your minor child may sustain in participating in the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services.
  2. Allergies: You acknowledge and agree that you are obligated to disclose whether you have and/or your minor child has any known food allergies prior to the commencement of the applicable Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services
  3. Ability to Participate:You acknowledge and agree that LKA, its affiliates, and franchisees, and all of its and their owners, employees, and contractors, assume no duty to you or your minor child regarding the medical ability to participate in any Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services.
  4. Equipment Usage: You agree that you will not and that you will instruct your minor child not to utilize any equipment on the Premises unless and until proper use of the equipment has been explained and is understood. You understand that such equipment must be operated in strict accordance with instructions.
  5. Emergency Treatment: If applicable, in the event of any emergency, you authorize LKA to secure from any licensed hospital, physician, and/or medical personnel any treatment deemed necessary for your minor child’s immediate care and agree that you will be responsible for the payment of any and all medical services rendered.
• Release of Liability: You, for yourself, your minor child’s other legal guardians, your minor child, and on behalf of any of your and their heirs, executors and administrators, as applicable, forever release and discharge LKA, its affiliates, franchisees and any of their employees, contractors, past, present, and future directors, principals, owners, subsidiaries, divisions, affiliates, agents, and officers (collectively, the “Released Parties”), of and from any and all liabilities, claims, demands, damages, costs (including reasonable legal fees and costs), actions and causes of action of any kind or nature whatsoever (collectively, “Claims”) related to or arising from, whether directly or indirectly, activities on the Premises or otherwise undertaken in connection with the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services (collectively, “Losses”). For greater certainty, Losses include, but are not limited to: (a) personal injuries or illness (including death), damages, or losses to you and/or your minor child; and (b) property damage (i) arising out of or relating to participation, whether passively or actively, in any Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services or other activities on the Premises, including but not limited to use of any equipment; or (ii) occurring on the Premises, including but not limited to your and/or your minor child’s use of any restroom area, common area, associated sidewalks, and parking areas. You agree not to bring any Claims against the Released Parties, whether personally or through any third party. The release contained in this Section 2)will be construed to apply to the greatest extent permitted by law and, if permitted by law, will apply even if any Losses are caused in whole or in part by the Released Parties’ own negligence or the negligence or willful conduct of any other patron who is on the Premises or who is participating in any of the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services. You, for yourself, your minor child’s other legal guardians, your minor child, and on behalf of your and their heirs, executors, and administrators, agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties against all Claims, each of every kind and nature whatsoever, which may in any way arise out of or result from your and/or minor child’s acts or omissions on the Premises. The indemnity contained in this paragraph will apply even if any Losses are caused, in part, by the Released Parties’ own negligence.
• Photography & Videography:
  1. Acknowledgement: You acknowledge that LKA may wish to film, photograph, or otherwise record your or your minor child’s image, work, or performance, or use my/their name, likeness, or other personal attributes (collectively referred to as “Works”), and may wish to display, publish, or distribute the Works on LKA’swebsite, social media accounts, or in LKA’s promotional materials or internal publications. You acknowledge that by your/your minor child’s participating in different activities on the Premises or in the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services, the Works may be captured in incidental ways.
  2. Consent: You give consent to LKA to film, photograph, or otherwise record the Works, and display, publish, or distribute the Works (including altering, modifying, and combining the Works with or into other works and creating derivative works, by means of all forms, media, and technologies now known or hereafter developed whatsoever), for the following uses:
     1. on LKA’s website:  Yes
     2. on LKA’s social media accounts:  Yes
     3. in LKA’s promotional materials (such as print or television ads):  Yes
     4. in LKA’s internal publications (such as newsletters and invitations):  Yes
     5. in LKA’s private, invite-only, Facebook group:  Yes

(collectively, the “Uses”)

If you do not so consent, you must notify LKA by completing and delivering Appendix “A” to admin@LittleKitchenAcademy.com.

1. Assignment: You hereby irrevocably and unconditionally assign and transfer to LKA all right, title, or interest that your minor child or you may have throughout the world in the Works, without any limitation of time, for the Uses. You acknowledge and agree that LKA and its successors, assigns, and licensees may use the Works for the Uses, by means of all forms, media, and technologies now known or hereafter developed whatsoever. You agree that no compensation will be given for the Uses.
2. Restrictions: You acknowledge and agree that you will not re-post any Works from any of the sources identified in Section 3)b)on any of your own social media accounts unless they solely contain images of you and/or your minor child.

• Fees, Tuition, & Payment Policy: Applicable Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services tuition and fees must be paid in full immediately following the completion of the registration form. Payments must be made via the Parent Portal accessible from our Website and may only be made using either Visa or Mastercard. For clarity, instructors do not have the ability to accept tuition payments on-site and will refuse all payment by cash, personal check, and credit card at the Premises.
• Cancellation Policy: LKA reserves the right to cancel sessions that do not meet minimum enrollment requirements up to two weeks prior to the session’s scheduled start date. Families will be notified of cancellation via email. Students from cancelled sessions may be transferred to another session free of charge.No refunds or make-up Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services will be offered to students who miss any classes that they were registered for but failed to attend.
• Illness & Removal Policy: LKA reserves the right to temporarily deny any student admittance to the Premises for reasons of obvious illness, or to request early departure should symptoms become apparent during the course of a class. Any student who seems unable to participate in the Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services for any reason will be sent home. This is to ensure the continued good health of everyone at our Premises. We realize that most of you are working parents, but for the health and well-being of the students in our care and our staff we feel it is vital to maintain a strict wellness policy. We ask for parents to assist by keeping sick students at home. It is up to our discretion when a student may return to the Premises. Additionally, fostering a safe learning environment for students is our number one priority. Therefore, LKA reserves the right to remove any student who fails to comply with LKA’s rules and regulations, including the Code of Conduct located HERE, or who engages in any unsafe activity. No refunds or make-up Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services will be given to any student who is removed from class; however, the student may be allowed to attend the next class within their session provided such student has corrected the behavior and will not be a disruption to their fellow students or instructor. Make up classes will be offered to any student who misses class due to illness only; and only when space is available.
• Age, Attendance, Parent Pick-up, Language, Medical, Learning Needs: Students enrolled in sessions must be the ages required for their specific Self-Improvement/Instructional Cooking Services session by the session start date, unless otherwise admitted by the instructor. LKA reserves the right to withdraw students who have been registered in an incorrect age category. Depending on availability, students may be placed in a similar session with their appropriate age group. Every student who attends a class at LKA must be registered online. Instructors do not have the ability to register students on-site. LKA is not responsible for the care of students before or after class time. Repeated lateness to class or failure to pick a student up from class may lead to a student’s discharge from the class with no refund. Classes begin and end promptly at the posted session times. Please ensure students are on time to prevent disruptions to the other students. For safety reasons, all students must have a comprehensive understanding of the English language before attending classes.
• Withdrawals & Transfers: All requests for session withdrawals or transfers must be made in writing prior to the session start date. LKA does not offer refunds for withdrawals or transfers, however, LKA will happily issue a full credit towards a new session to be used at a future date if the withdrawal or transfer request takes place at least 10 days prior to the session start date. If the request takes place within 10 days of session start date, 50% credit will be issued to be used at a future date. Once the session has begun, no credits or transfers will be issued or allowed. Transfers are dependent on session availability.

You, the undersigned, have thoroughly read this Consent, Release and Waiver and you understand that you are giving up substantial rights on behalf of yourself and/or your minor child by signing it. You understand that you have the right to have a lawyer of your choosing review and advise you as to the terms and conditions of this Consent, Release and Waiver. You are signing this Consent, Release and Waiver knowingly, voluntarily and without any inducement. This Consent, Release and Waiver replaces all earlier versions and constitutes the entire and exclusive agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter hereto and supersedes any oral or other written understanding. However, any registration agreement and any other non-conflicting documents executed contemporaneously with this Consent, Release and Waiver are to be read in conjunction with this document and are not superseded by this document. This Consent, Release and Waiver may only be modified in writing by the parties.

DATED:________________________________, 20____.

Please note:

• The law requires that minors (i.e. typically, children under the age of 13) are given the opportunity to protect their own image, so we ask you to discuss this form with your child/dependent and encourage them to write their own name.
• When only one parent/guardian signs to indicate consent, he/she does so in good faith and is presumed to be acting with the consent of any other legal parent/guardian.

________________________________________________

Name of Student

_______________________________________________

Signature of Student

________________________________________________

Name of Parent/Guardian

_______________________________________________

Signature of Parent/Guardian

Appendix “A”