Seeking advice re: karate

For a number of reasons, both physical and emotional, we are considering having Delia start taking karate. She will be seven years old at the end of the month. I have found a karate school, happily quite close to my home, and been in to talk with the head instructor, whose bio makes him sound like he walks on water. I will say that I came away with a very positive impression of him, based on the short meeting I had with him. My next door neighbor has been taking her children there for about four months and has nothing but positive raves, about both the school and the instructors and the beneficial effects for her children. She says that they are particularly concerned with safety (no sparring with others for a couple of years) and excellent at working with children with a whole range of abilities--they have a number of autistic kids in their programs, as well as kids with physical handicaps.

They have you bring your child in for a half hour meeting with the head instructor, and he goes through a basic introduction to karate (this initial meeting is free). You can try it on a one month trial basis for $29.95, and then after that, if you and the child wish to continue, they can set up a package to work around your goals and schedule, but I can probably count on it being about $85.00 a month. (That is, if just Delia does it. I must I'm tempted to study it myself, too. But *groan* so much money!).

My question, for all you martial arts buffs out there (worldforger, sleigh, Shari, if you're listening, and anyone else who wants to chime in): what should I look for in that initial 1/2 hour consultation? What questions should I ask? How do you evaluate a karate school and/or instructor? What are warning signs that I should be looking out for? Any helpful insights would be gratefully received.

Cheers,
Peg