Course Policies
Refund Policy – In Person Workshops
If you need to cancel your registration more than three weeks prior to the workshop, you will receive a refund minus a $50.00 administrative fee. There will be no refunds within three weeks of the start of the workshop unless there is a waiting list and your space is filled. You may also send a qualified substitute who meets the requirements to take your place.
For a $85.00 transfer fee, you may apply your tuition to a future Doulaing the Doula Basic Doula Training Workshop within the next twelve months. If you pay your tuition and do not contact me ahead of time and do not show up to attend the workshop, your deposit of $200.00 will be forfeited. Even with only a few days notice, with payment of the transfer fee it is usually possible to change your registration to a future workshop date.
If your space is not filled and you do not wish to transfer and it is within 21 days of the start of the workshop, the $200 deposit will be retained and the rest of the tuition will be refunded. All refunds will be given by check because Pay Pal refunds incur additional fees.
Introduction to Childbirth Class: Refunds will be given by check within 14 days of the start of the class. Within 14 days, refunds are at the discretion of the instructor. It depends on the location of the class, how many other students are attending and so forth.
Refund Policy – Online Workshops
If your Doulaing The Doula Box of training supplies has NOT been shipped to you, the same policies and timelines apply as an in person workshop.
The Doulaing The Doula Box of training supplies is not shipped until your registration fee has been paid in full. You may make payments, but make sure you allow enough time for UPS or FedEx GROUND shipping of your box to you from Madison, Wisconsin. You may pay extra for two or three day shipping, as long as it is paid before we ship the box.
If your box of Doulaing The Doula training supplies HAS been shipped to you (even if you have not received it), there are NO refunds for the training. You can transfer to a future online OR in person workshop one time with no transfer fee. If you decide to attend an in person workshop, there are no refunds for any difference in tuition. You may also transfer your tuition to another qualified person. It is your responsibility to inform us of the change in registration via email; make sure the new participant registers with us; AND to get them your box in a timely fashion.
Introduction to Childbirth Class: Refunds will be given by check within 14 days of the start of the class. Within 14 days, refunds are at the discretion of the instructor. It depends on the location of the class, how many other students are attending and so forth.
Babies
Infants under four months are invited to attend in person trainings if they are quiet and non-mobile. Participants are welcome to bring a “baby-minder” who is in and out of the room with an older baby. Older babies can be present until they become loud or disturb the flow of the lesson. Advance notice is required. Please call (608) 255-4738 or Amy Gilliland. With online trainings, the point is that you are not distracted during the training and spend 85% to 90% of your time focusing on what we are doing. Part of the requirement for completion of the workshop is for you to be on screen and attentive. You know your family best. If that is not possible for you right now, you may wish to wait until you have more assistance in minding your baby and can focus on training for your new career.
Meals
Meals are not provided with the in-person workshop, but hot tea, flavored waters, light snacks and fresh fruit (apples, oranges) are available.
Inclusion
All people (races, ethnicities, religions, sexes, genders, abilities, and other identities) are invited to participate in DTD trainings. Youth ages 16 and 17 may also attend; contact me and we’ll chat. Accommodation for differing abilities is also possible, depending on the site and your learning needs. All people deserve support during important life transitions, and all people deserve the opportunity to learn to care for others in their communities.
FSET Training Opportunity
Information on FoodShare Employment Training
Person of Color Scholarships
“The way to use white privilege to end racism is to provide opportunity.” -DeRay McKesson
“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity.” -Viola Davis, 2015 Emmy acceptance speech
“FAIR is what is needed to get to the best possible outcome.” – Natalie Burke, DONA International Summit Speaker, 2019
Partial and full scholarships are reserved for people of color who could not otherwise afford to attend a doula training and who expect to attend births of people in their own communities. If you receive assistance from FoodShare or Badgercare, you automatically qualify for a full or partial scholarship.
“Person of color” means that you identify with a racial or ethnic group that has a heightened risk of pregnant people, unborn babies and infants dying during pregnancy and the first year of life. In colonized parts of the world, that is Black and/or African American people. However, Indigenous and Latinx people also live with these same circumstances. Doula support can make a difference in outcomes, and lead to more involved and passionate parenting.
How to apply: Write Amy an email with a few paragraphs about how the doula training helps you to complete your goals and fulfill your dreams. You can also include what you can afford to pay for tuition. It’s preferred if you can pay a minimum amount of $200 for in person and $250 for online trainings. But if you can’t, don’t let that be the thing that stops you. Write to me anyway and we’ll figure it out. Your community needs well trained doulas! I find that people who are attracted by the “discount” don’t end up doing the prep work and fade away. The people who really want to be doulas are thrilled to get a scholarship and aren’t any different than anyone else in a training. THOSE are the people who I want to support. So, email me and we will make it work.
People attending the doula training who do not need a scholarship are welcome to donate to the scholarship fund. Your dollars will be matched one on one, increasing the number of doulas of color in the world and spreading the power of personalized caring labor support.
Claudia Booker, recognized for her accomplishments as a doula and midwife by the international organization Human Rights In Childbirth, has said she would not be where she is today if she had not received her doula training for free. That started the whole cascade of making a HUGE difference in perinatal care for Black women. Her story inspired me. Read more: Tribute to the Life of Claudia Booker
Hostess Work Scholarships – In Person
A hostess work scholarship is available to the first person to ask for it. We can negotiate a tuition discount in exchange for your help to set up the Intro Class and training the nights before they begin; stay a half hour each evening to set up the next day; stay an hour or so the last day to pack up; and maintain the snack table during the training. Depending on your availability we can usually negotiate a discount of $200-$300. This is a firm commitment – I’ll be counting on you! But it’s usually enjoyable because you have me all to yourself for a while each day.
Learner Absence During Training
If you miss a required portion of the training, you can make up that one or two hour session by attending that session during another online or in person training. Alternately, you can arrange for an individual learning session with a training assistant for your class to cover the material; there may be an additional fee for your training assistant’s time. You will not receive a completion certificate until all required sessions have been attended.
Illness of Instructor or Emergency
If illness, unforeseen technological difficulties, family emergency, intense climate event, or other circumstance make facilitating any course impossible or unfeasible, all efforts will be made to reschedule at a time convenient for both instructor and participants. In the eventuality that this is not possible, partial refunds may be given for some participants at the discretion of Doulaing The Doula. For example, when COVID-19 cancelled seven events, all were rescheduled. Participants who no longer felt safe at in person gatherings were offered the online workshop at no extra cost. People who did not want either option were refunded minus their deposit.
Amy brings practical wisdom, a sense of being well grounded and a juicy sense of humor! She is very clear about the importance of informed choices and gives great examples.
