Admissions Information

Dear Prospective Families,

Thank you for your interest in The Learning Tree Montessori Preschool. We are a yearround program that begins each September and goes through the third week in August. Enrollment is now full for the 2009-2010 school year, and our wait pool for the 2009-2010 school year is closed until October 31st . We encourage you to check back with us after that date if you are interested in applying for the current school year (September 2009-August 2010).

Starting in October 2009 we will be accepting applications for the 2010-2011 school year. Children will need to be at least 2 ½ years of age (30 months) by their desired start date.

The Learning Tree is a Montessori Program. We encourage and request that you find out as much as you can about the Montessori Philosophy in the months to come. 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 Montessori program.

We strongly encourage you to attend a guided tour during the school day and one of our weekend Winter Open Houses (parents-only 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.

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 to three applicants per each space available. We give priority to siblings of our current and alumni students.

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 Montessori learning environment. We also attempt to balance the classroom by age, by gender, and social and economic diversity.

Summary of our application process.
We have developed this enrollment procedure as a result of the high demand for our program.

Application Deadline:

April 12, 2010

Application Fee (non-refundable):

$50.00

Classroom Observations:

We begin to schedule classroom observations during the second week in October. 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. Our tours take place on Friday mornings, from 9:30-10:30 am, and you must have a reservation in order to attend.

Open Houses:

We will hold two adult-only Open Houses. They are scheduled for February 6, 2010 and April 10, 2010. Both open houses will begin at 10:00 AM with teacher-led tours of the school. We will then hold a presentation which will begin at 10:45 am. We encourage all prospective families to attend. Please arrive by 10:15 am. You do not need to RSVP.

Testing/Observation:

The Learning Tree does not test nor observe children in order to make a decision regarding enrollment.

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 mailed on April 16, 2010. Families have one week 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.

Wait Pool:

We have a wait pool for families that we are not able to enroll in the first round. As soon as any spots open up for enrollment, we will enroll only from the wait pool. The wait pool will include all of the families who applied before the end of the day on April 12, 2010. It will remain closed to any additional applicants until October 31, 2010 when we will establish a new wait pool if that wait pool has cleared.

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 eight 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 it’s own limited tuition assistance fund for families who do not qualify for either subsidy program. Please ask for details.

Summary of the application process:

1. Call for an enrollment packet and application
2. Schedule an observation visit
3. Attend one of the informational Open Houses
4. Fill out and return application and application fee by April 12, 2010