Notice

The following policies go into effect starting with programs booked for the 26-27 school year. If your program was booked before April 2026, please refer to your invoices for payment guidelines or reach out to education@historysanjose.org. We apologize for any confusion this might cause.

School Programs

General Payment Guidelines:

• To ensure that we can pay our staff fairly for their time, all programs have a minimum program fee generally equivalent to twenty-one students. Smaller classes are welcome, but will need to pay the minimum fee.
• Our preferred payment methods are credit card and check.  We do not accept POs.
  • If you have paid via check, be sure to note your check number and the date issued before mailing.  We will ask for these details if your payment is lost or delayed in the mail.

Deposit Policies:

• Deposit amount:
  • To encourage timely payment while preventing overpayment as you settle your class numbers, our new deposit amount as of 2026 is 50% of the minimum payment for each program booked OR a $50 refundable deposit per program for grantees.
• Deposit deadlines:
  • If you register before October 5th for a program occurring after October 30th, you have 15 business days after October 5th to pay your deposit to hold your reservation; this date will be specified on your invoice.  Failure to pay your deposit may result in the loss of your reservation.
  • If you register before October 5th for a program occurring before October 30th, please plan to pay your balance in full two calendar weeks before your first program date.
  • If you register after October 5th, you have 15 business days after your invoice is sent to pay your deposit to hold your slot; this date will be specified on your invoice.  Failure to pay your deposit may result in the loss of your reservation.

Full balance Payment Policy:

• For all programs, balances are due two calendar weeks prior to the date of your first program.  If your invoice is not fully paid two calendar weeks prior to your first program start date, your program(s) will be cancelled and your deposit is forfeited.

Customer Refunds/Cancellations:

• Cancellations:
  • All of our programs have rainy day modification plans and we will not offer refunds should you cancel due to weather, barring extreme conditions.  Should extreme conditions or operator error occur, we will make every effort to work with you to either reschedule your program or offer a full refund.
  • Should you choose to cancel your program, full refunds are only eligible to those who give 30 or more business days notice.  In all other cases, regular deposits are not refundable.
  • Grantees hoping to receive their $50 refundable deposit must cancel or reschedule with at least 10 or more business days notice.
  • To cancel or reschedule your program, please reach out to education@historysanjose.org as soon as possible.
• Other types of refunds:
  • If 3 or more students were absent on the day of your field trip, discrepancy refunds up to the minimum payment are available upon request up to two weeks after your program date.  Please note that educators tally your students upon arrival, and refunds are distributed via check.
• Refundable deposits for grantees:
  • All refunds are supplied via check.
  • In order to secure the return of your refundable deposit and up to $300 transportation reimbursement, please submit the following within 30 calendar days of your final program completion:
    • receipts/paid invoices for your transportation
    • our program evaluations, which are google form links sent via email following your programs.  
  • Grantees who are unable to submit their program evaluation within 30 calendar days will be held responsible for the full regular price of their program(s).
  • Grantees who do not submit their transportation documents within 30 calendar days are not eligible for reimbursement.

Fees:

• Bringing additional students on the day of your program will incur a penalty fee of $20 per student (or $10 per student to be deducted from your deposit for grantees).
  • Our educators are scheduled and set up materials based on the number of students booked on your invoice.  Bringing additional students can upset our supply tallies and student-to-educator ratios, disrupting the timing and quality of the program.
• Eating outside at History Park or at our downtown sites is completely free and there are usually ample picnic tables to choose from. If you plan to stay for lunch on a rainy day at History Park, indoor eating spaces are not guaranteed but can often be made available. A $75.00 cleaning fee for indoor lunchroom use will be added to your bill if you request to eat indoors at History Park.
• Any given school program can bring up to 8 chaperones without incurring additional charges.  We will charge the student rate for each additional chaperone beyond 8 actively participating in the program.
  • We love chaperones and definitely need their help to have a successful program!  However, we’ve found that, especially in our smaller historic houses, you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. 
  • If you need a high number of chaperones because you are arriving by car, you can avoid this fee by asking additional chaperones to wait in a non-program area nearby.
• Program specific fees/add-ons:
  • For groups participating in our “From Tamien Nation to Gold Country” program…
    • there is a “trash-in/trash-out” policy. This means that ALL TRASH must be removed by the group from the property. Groups that don’t comply will accrue a $50 fee.
    • Teachers booking back-to-back programs will automatically be given our garden activity, but teachers booking a single slot of this program may request to add-on the garden activity for an additional $75 if timing allows. Be sure to talk to communicate with the Public Programs Coordinator when booking if you would like to explore this option.
  • For teachers booking our Early to Rise or Historic Transportation Experience programs, our digital teacher packet provides an optional scavenger hunt to be completed at the park while you wait for your session. The digital packet is included and sent to your email once your invoice is paid, but if you would like us to print the scavenger hunt for you, we will charge a $25 printing fee per program day.
  • For teachers booking our Adobe Days or Gracious Living programs downtown, add-ons are often available to take a short tour of a second historic home after your program and a short lunch break. Pending availability, this add-on costs an additional $5 per student and will extend your field trip to 1:30pm.

Funding Assistance for School Programs

Title I Grant
Thanks to the generosity of the Hugh Stuart Center Charitable Trust, Title I Schools are eligible for a grant that covers all the HSJ program costs (excluding fees and add-ons) and reimburses groups up to $300 in transportation costs per visit for onsite school programs. When registering for school programs, please indicate that you believe your group is eligible and would like to be considered for the grant. 

We confirm Title 1 grant eligibility through both the California Department of Education and Ed Data sites.  Your school will need to appear on at least one of these two sites to receive funding at this time.  Once we confirm your eligibility, we will apply the grant to your invoice automatically and request your refundable deposit.

Immigration: What’s Your Story Grant
The Chinese History & Cultural Project (CHCP) offers a grant to public schools in the Santa Clara Valley to attend the “Immigration: What’s Your Story?” onsite and virtual programs. Schools based outside Santa Clara County are not eligible at this time.  The grant covers the program costs (excluding fees and add-ons) and reimbursement of up to $300 of transportation costs per visit to History Park.  To apply for the grant, please fill out CHCP’s form here.

Refundable Deposit Policy for Grantees
If you receive our Title 1 Grant or the Immigration Grant through CHCP, you will need to pay a $50 refundable deposit per program to secure your spot. This deposit will be refunded via check pending program completion and evaluation if no cancellations occur.

• All refunds are supplied via check.
• In order to secure the return of your refundable deposit and up to $300 transportation reimbursement, please submit the following within 30 calendar days of your final program completion:
  • receipts/paid invoices for your transportation
  • our program evaluations, which are google form links sent via email following your programs.  
• Grantees who are unable to submit their program evaluation within 30 days will be held responsible for the full regular price of their program(s).
• Grantees who do not submit their transportation documents within 30 days are not eligible for reimbursement.
• In cases of cancellation or last minute reschedule, grantees hoping to receive their $50 refundable deposit must give at least 10 or more business days notice.

Traveling Trunk Policies

Our Traveling Trunks are rentable for 2-week spans, starting with your preferred pick-up date and ending with the trunk’s return date. Rental cost is a fee of $100 and a refundable deposit of $50. This deposit will be returned pending the safe and timely return of all items in the trunk.

Trunks may be kept until the final date on your invoice (2 weeks after your pick-up) unless otherwise specified in writing. Trunks must be returned to the pick-up point—which is generally the Pacific Hotel at History Park—before 4pm on your return date. Failure to return the trunk on time will result in the loss of your deposit. Failure to return the trunk at all will impact your ability to book any programs with HSJ in the future. For the promptest return of your refundable deposit, please email education@historysanjose.org with the name and address you’d like your refundable deposit sent to once you’ve returned the trunk. All refundable deposits are issued via check.