Why a program agreement?



The truth is our program loses 80% of its effectiveness in teaching the necessary skills to be a safe, aware, and confident driver when it is not followed as recommended.  Large gaps in training cause students to forget critical information and develop poor habits.  Unfortunately, we are forced (by state requirements) to cram 30 hours of material into their heads before they even have the option to get behind the wheel.  It's imperative that students get out and begin applying that knowledge as soon as possible.  The same goes for driving lessons being spaced every couple of months so that our instructors can continue to reinforce and educate as the student is developing their skills.   We have the best driver's education program available to parents and teens, yet your money goes out the door when it's not reinforced on the road through structured training. 



The tuition you paid for this course covers 12 months of instruction.  Though that time is divided into 30 hours of classroom and 6 hours of behind the wheel, you are committing to complete that training within 12 months beginning the month the classroom starts.  This is similar to a semester in college. whereas you don't get a refund or free tuition for the following semester if you do not complete your training.   Because our expenses (classroom lease, training cars, insurance, utilities, and taxes) continue even during the months you are not doing driving lessons, the tuition you paid is helping to cover those expenses so when you are ready for your training, we have the resources to accommodate.  Basically, your tuition is divided out into 10 months, $40 per month helps cover the costs to stay in business.  Why don't all driving schools operate this way?  See Why Are We Different just below. 

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The benefits of our contract are two-fold.  You get the best training via a structured program, and if followed, your teen will become one of the lowest risk teen drivers.  The other benefit is that we are able to meet the needs of all of our students with minimal overlap.   When a contract is extended, that student has not only had a significant gap in training, (that often results in bad habits), but is now competing for driving hours with students that are still within contract terms.  You chose EDI because of the quality training we provide.  Our only expectation is that students and parents are as committed as we are.   To be fair to all, we do not allow contract extensions without the fee regardless of individual circumstance.

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Note:  If your contract is more than 6-months expired you cannot extend it with the $75 or $100 rate.  You will need to re-enroll in the 6-hour driving packaging and pay $235 (discounted from $255 as you attended our classroom training).   Some extensions will need approval as well as it depends on where the paperwork is with the state. 

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$105.50 if paying by credit card.  Avoid the Credit Card service fee by paying with cash or check and dropping at EDI.

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Why are we different - when being the same is easier?

I remember needing a shed on my property a number of years ago.  I looked at Menards, Home Depot, and Lowes to see what their sheds cost and to see what would fit my needs the best.  Each shed I saw had some good qualities and then some things I didn't need.  Some had cheap components, some had windows where I didn't need a window, and some doors weren't conducive to my needs.  Instead of settling on the closest fit, I decided to build my own shed.  From the ground up I designed it and built it to fit my needs.  I've been doing this most of my life; trying to make things better, stronger and more efficient. 



When I sat down at my computer the first day and started designing my first PowerPoint for our classroom component to driver's education, I came to the realization that "this was going to take me a long time.”  You see being a perfectionist has many perks... eventually.  The process of getting to that level of perfection is long, tedious, and often frustrating.  I could imagine myself instructing to these kids, being passionate about my experiences and helping them understand the importance of knowing this.  But how do I build 30 hours of material? How should it be structured and where do I start?  I did a lot of research on driver's education to see what was currently being done.  What have other driving schools been doing for the last 20 years?  Maybe I could find a program to mirror, I thought.  Well, much like the weeks I spent researching the options for storage sheds, I decided it was best to build my own.  What I saw being done was very disappointing and I knew we could do better. 

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Our program has grown into a driver's education program not just for teens, but for parents as well.  Our program builds parent instructors as well as new drivers, as that union is so vitally important to the success of a teenage driver.  When many people think of driver's education, they roll their eyes, recalling boredom, and time wasted.  Parents scoff at the cost of driver's education reflecting on their experiences thinking their money is going to waste.  Knowing this, it became my passion to change the way people see driver's education by changing the way driver's education is taught.  EDI was built much like that storage shed from the ground up.  Every part of it was customized to fit the needs of our students and parents.  Some might look at it and say, “that's not what I recall driver's education to be...” and I'm happy with that response.  Our success was built on passion for safe driving.  Why are we different, because we care about our students and our program shows that, through our instruction from the classroom through the behind the wheel lessons.

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Brief History of Driver's Education - Why you now pay for it!

When legislation decided there should be a standard for driver's education and mandated that teenagers take a course before obtaining a license, the federal government covered the expenses.  In the eyes of the public, driver's education was free as it was offered through the schools, sometimes being an actual course like math or science. About 30 years ago the federal government began cutting costs and their funding of driver's education ceased.   The state did their best to absorb the cost and continue to offer this through the schools, however eventually the money was no longer there.  The industry went from government run to privately run. 



This should have been a positive move as a privately run business is looking to make a profit.  Profit is usually generated by offering a quality product that is better than the competitor.  The problem is that competition was minimal as often there was only one driver's education option in each town or school district.  The state requirements for driver's education were also minimal and the lack of competition meant privately run driver's ed was not closely monitored.  Instructors had minimal training and much of the focus was getting a student to pass their permit test, which in no way tests a driver's understanding of driving, only a few basic laws and expectations on the road. 

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So here we are now.  The private industry pretty much teaches every new driver in the state of Minnesota.  There is no state or federal funding to State Licensed Driving Schools and we cannot apply for any grants or assistance because we are a "for profit" business.  All income is generated through tuition.  The state mandates licensure costing EDI close to $1000 per year.  The state mandates insurance, and bonds, another $12,000 - $15,000 per year.  When you add those expenses to all of the other costs of driver's education, you can see very quickly why the federal and state governments wanted out of it. 



The driver's education industry is far from a highly profitable business.  Which is why many of these companies cut corners in training equipment, quality of instructors, and updated classroom materials for their students.  At EDI, we charge a bit more, however you get a lot more.  You’re investing in your teens road safety and that's why parents choose EDI.