Admissions

Tuition

Summer Program

Admissions

Dear Prospective Families,

Thank you for your interest in The Learning Tree Montessori Preschool. We are a year-round program that begins each September and goes through the third week in August. Currently our enrollment is full for the 2007-2008 school year. However, we do keep a wait pool year-round that you are welcome to apply for. The cost for which is $25.00. We are also accepting applications for our 2008-2009 school year. Children will need to be at least 2 years 6 months by their desired start date.

You are applying for a Montessori program. We encourage and request that you to find out as much as you can about the Montessori Philosophy in the months to come (you may visit www.montessori.org for more information).  Because we are a Montessori program, we ask our families to make at least a two-year commitment in order to fully benefit from the Montessori curriculum.  The Learning Tree typically does not enroll children after 3 years 9 months for this reason.  The occasional exception being when a child is joining us from another preschool program.

We strongly encourage you to attend one of our Winter Open Houses (no children please).    These Open Houses will provide more detailed information about our program and answer any questions you may have.  They last about an hour and a half.

To follow please find a summary of our application process.  We have developed this enrollment procedure as a result of the high demand for our program.  We typically have only 20-25 placements per year, and less when high numbers of siblings enroll. This means that there are on average two applicants per each space available.  We give priority to siblings and children of our staff. 

Application Deadline: March 24th-after that date children will be placed in our non-linear wait pool.

Application Fee (non-refundable):  $25.00

Admission to The Learning Tree is based on a variety of objective and subjective criteria. The Admissions Committee will make every effort to accept not only the children, but also the families whom we believe will thrive in our specialized Montessori learning environment. We also attempt to balance the classroom by age, gender, and social and economic diversity.

Classroom Observations:  Parents are encouraged to visit and observe the classrooms (without their children). Since we only tour four to five families at a time (so that the classrooms do not get overcrowded with extra adults) you will need to call the school to schedule tours in advance.

Open Houses:  We will hold two adult-only Open Houses. They are scheduled for January 26th and March 22nd. Both open houses will begin at 10:00 AM with teacher-led tours of the school. We will then hold a presentation which will be begin at 10:45 am. We encourage all prospective families to attend. Please arrive by 10:15 am. You do not need to RSVP.

Orientation: When possible, we prefer that children start school in the summer. For those who can not, special arrangements can be made. At the very least, your child will need to come for a two-week orientation between June and September, 2007. The cost for this is $300.00 for a Monday-Friday 9:00 am-1:00 pm schedule. Please call to schedule.

Testing/Observations: The Learning Tree does not test nor observe children in order to make a decision regarding enrollment of your child.

Age Requirements:  Students must be at least 2 years 6 months by September of the year they begin school. We typically do not enroll students after 3 years 9 months to ensure a two-year commitment from our families to fully benefit from the Montessori curriculum. The exception to this is if a child has had previous preschool experience. Children may stay with us through their kindergarten year.         

Notification:  Letters of notification will be sent out during the last week of March (for families who have turned in applications before our deadline), and families have 10 calendar days to decide whether or not they would like to take the space, and turn in a deposit. Families either on DSHS (State) or DHHS (city) subsidy programs will need to submit the equivalent of 50% of their current or anticipated co-pay. Those families who turn in their applications after our deadline will be notified as space becomes available, and will be given 10 calendar days to make their decisions as well.  

Wait Pool:  A wait pool is established for children we are not able to accept initially as well as for families who turn in applications after the March application deadline. We make a decision to fill a space based on the needs of the classroom and not on a first-come first-serve basis. From September through April we typically make about 8 offers of enrollment from our wait pool.

Financial Aid:  Each year we reserve a limited amount of spaces for families on DSHS (state) or DHHS (city) subsidy programs. To find out whether you are eligible for either of these programs, you may call The City Program (DHHS) at 386-1050 or your local Department of Social and Health Services Department (DSHS). The Learning Tree also has its own tuition assistance fund for families who do not qualify for either subsidy program. Please ask for details.    

Admission Form

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The Learning Tree

1721 15th Avenue

Seattle, WA  98122

(206) 324-4788

email:  seatree@aol.com

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