Admissions

Admissions policy

Admission to Children First is open to any child in the community. In general, we accept children on a first-come, first-serve basis, based on date of application. We do guarantee spaces for children already enrolled, and give preference to siblings. We may also give preference in order to balance a class by age and gender. Further consideration may be given to enhance racial and cultural diversity. Children with special needs will be accepted if teachers feel confident our program will be able to meet the individual needs of all children enrolled.

Admissions process

Download your application and mail it to us along with the $50 application fee to get on our waiting list. Our waiting list is ordered by date of application, so the sooner you return your application the better. When you send in your application, we will mail you a letter acknowledging that you are on the waiting list.

Once you are on the waiting list, you will also receive an invitation to our next Open House for Prospective Families, which we hold each January and October. Open Houses are an opportunity to meet the teachers, ask questions and see your child interacting with our environment.

We invite currently enrolled families to re-enroll in late January or early February, and begin enrolling for any remaining spaces in early February. In a typical year, our enrollment process is finished by early March. When there is a potential opening for your child, we will call to invite you and your child to visit. During this visit, you will observe our classroom in action, and we will all have a chance to observe your child in our environment. A teacher will be available to discuss the program and answer your questions in detail. Our goal for this visit will be to make sure you have the information you need to make the right decision for your family.

When you accept a place for your child, we will ask you to secure that space with a one-time, non-refundable enrollment fee of half a month’s tuition.

You are welcome to contact us at any time you would like an update on where we are in the enrollment process.

Visiting

We hold a Saturday morning Open House for families interested in visiting Children First each January and October. Because we get so many requests for visits, and because visits interrupt the normal flow of the children’s and teachers’ days at school, we generally do not schedule individual visits for families before they apply or before we have an opening for them to consider.

Tuition Aid

In our ideal world, Children First would be open to any family who shares our vision and aspirations for young children, regardless of their ability to pay.  In the real world, we have a small scholarship fund, and we may be able to offer some tuition aid to families who would not be able to attend without financial support.  Ask us if you are interested in learning more about the current status and availability of scholarships, and how you might qualify.

Wheelchair Accessibility

We apologize, but the geography of our location – deep in the backyard of a steeply sloped residential lot – does not allow for wheelchair accessibility.  If you or your child has special needs that may affect your ability to access our environment, please contact us directly so that we can talk through the possibility of creating an adaptation that may help.

Apply to Children First!