REGISTRATION
Q: How do I register?
A: The quickest and easiest way to register is to fill out the contact information form by clicking on the school locations tab above, and then on your school name. You may also register by emailing the Registrar at: Register@PreKindergartenEd.com. If you have additional questions, please call the Registrar at (403) 605-2988.
Q: What is the difference between the Kindergarten Enhancement program and the Out of School Care program? which one do I need to register for?
A: The Kindergarten Enhancement program is a program for children enrolled in 1/2 day Kindergarten at one of our host schools. Kindergarten Enhancement will enable the Kindergarten child to spend the full day at school during regular school hours. Children can attend their Kindergarten class in the A.M. or P.M. and attend the Kindergarten Enhancement program in the other half of the day. This program also includes Lunch Care supervision.
The Out of School Care Program operates outside of regular school hours: Before School Care is from 7 am until the start of AM classes / After School Care runs from PM school dismissal time until 6 pm.
If your child is in Grades 1 - 6 and you require care outside of the regular school hours, then you need to register for Out of School Care: either Before School Care, After School Care, or Both.
If your child is in 1/2 day Kindergarten and you require care during the other half of the school day, you need to register for Kindergarten Enhancement. If you ALSO require care before school starts in the AM, and/or after school finishes in the PM, then you must register for Out of School Care in addition to Kindergarten Enhancement.
Q: What is the Pre-K / Kindergarten enhancement Activity Fee used for?
A: This fee pays for your child's participation in all off-site field trips, and special in class activities & visitors throughout the year, which incur a per child cost.
Off-Site trips and In-Class Visitors: Throughout the year, the children benefit from both off-site trips (most of which are school bus trips) and special in-class visitors.
Examples of off-site trips: Telus Spark Science Centre/Creative Kids Museum, Butterfield Acres Farm, Calgary Zoo, Calgary Corn Maze, Bow Valley Habitat, Children’s librarian presentation at the local library, Art studio trip (Northmount Pleasant Art Studio, Leighton Art Centre, etc...).
Examples of in class visitors: Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, Mad Science, Butterfly Wings ‘n Wishes, Music classes, Dance, Yoga, Calgary Public Library Story Van, Spanish, Reptiles, Outdoors In.
Q: What is the Registration Fee used for?
A: The registration fee is a processing fee which sets up an account for each child and manages it. The registration fee shows good faith that you intend to not just hold a spot in our program, but actually attend classes, since this fee is not refundable. It is a common procedure with many child care programs.
Q: What is your potty training policy?
A: Children must be potty trained to attend our classes. This means your child is able to recognize the need to go to the bathroom and go to the bathroom independently. If your child is not potty trained, we reserve the right to withdraw him/her from the program immediately.
We do of course understand that small children will have the occasional accident. Parents who are concerned about this, are encouraged to pack a dry change of clothes (including socks) in a resealable ziplock bag. We can change the child if they have a pee accident. However, if the child has a poo accident the parent will be called to come and immediately pick up their child. If your child is having multiple pee accidents, or has a second poo accident, they will be immediately withdrawn from the program and your deposit will not be refundable. We are not licensed to "clean" or wipe for children.
Q: What is your withdrawal policy?
A: Email withdrawal notice to the Registrar only. We need one month notice, on the 1st day of the month before your withdrawal. By emailing the Registrar one month before your withdrawal we can stop all of your upcoming payments, including the next one dated for the 15th of the month. Once a payment is made or a cheque deposited, it is non-refundable. The Initial Payment is always Non-Refundable. These policies are also indicated in the Parent Handbook which you will get on the first day of class. Thank you very much for your cooperation.
Q: My family is going out of town for a few months in the middle of the school year- can I put my registration on hold?
A: At the time of registration, please take into consideration that you are registering for the full school year from the month you begin until the end of June. We do not offer month-to-month, or partial registration options. We also cannot hold a spot in class for your child without payment.
If you are going out of town for a month or more and want to secure your child's spot in class when you return, you will need to continue paying the monthly tuition. If you do not want to pay for the months that your child will not be attending, you must withdraw from the program following our withdrawal policy guidelines. You may then place your child on our wait list and upon your return we can re-register your child, space permitting.
If you withdraw from the program and re-register within the same school year, you do not have to re-pay the non-refundable Registration Fee or Activity Fee.
Q: Does your program accept subsidy for low income families? How do I apply?
A: Our programs are listed with the Alberta Government Subsidy Branch. Email the Program Director (Director@PreKindergartenEd.com) to obtain a Facility ID #. You must apply for subsidy funding directly with the government, not through us. All families are required to pay the full tuition each month. This is how our program works cooperatively with the subsidy branch: At the end of the month, we submit an attendance report to the Government so that they can verify your child has been attending classes. The Government then issues subsidy reimbursements for those families who have been approved for funding, and we provide this refund to you. The process takes a few weeks, so you can expect to see your Government subsidy reimbursement roughly mid-month for the previous month. i.e.; you would likely receive your September subsidy reimbursement mid to late October.
PRE-KINDERGARTEN
Q: How many children are in each class?
A: The maximum class size is 22 children, with 1 adult to 11 children ratio.
Q: What are the parent volunteering requirements?
A: Parent volunteering is not mandatory, but welcome. Please notify your teacher if you wish to volunteer.
Q: How long are the classes?
A: Classes are 2 ½ hours long (Genesis Centre - 3 hours). School specific times available on this website, please click on the school locations link, and school name.
Q: What is "Early Literacy"? How is this program different than Pre-School, Playschool or Day Care?
A: Our philosophy is “Learning through play, with an educational focus”. Early Literacy can be explained as:
Fostering an environment which develops the love of reading for our children. Exposing children to pre-reading skills, which lead to reading skills.
Reading skills form the basis for learning in all subjects.
Assisting children in letter recognition and letter sounds, including both upper and lower case letters. Letter sounds are presented in a fun way – example for letter A, we sing a song called Alligator Alarm Aaaa!
Children need to associate letter recognition with letter sound. (Phonemic awareness)
We teach children correct pencil grip and the formation of letters, learning to print their name using both the initial upper case letter followed by lower case letters. This is how they need to be able to print their name in Kindergarten.
Literacy materials include books, paper, crayons and pencils.
Q: Are we a Montessori OR Reggio program?
A: We do not promote ourselves as a Montessori or Reggio program, but we have many families who attend our program and who plan to continue with their education in a Montessori or Reggio school. Accordingly, we share many common educator goals and are a great bridge to the continuation of a child’s learning in these program types. Our program recognizes the importance of a combination of teacher led and child led learning and provides ample opportunity for self exploration. We share common educational outcome goals with both program types.
Q: Do we have separate classes for each age group or do all ages attend classes together?
A: We believe that there is value in multi-age grouping and work with children at the stage that they are at, rather than their chronological age. Younger children learn by the example set by more mature students, and the more mature students benefit from leadership roles. One example of this would be during Show and Tell, where our more mature students usually display more confidence in public speaking. This age group mix enjoys “creative play” and socializes well together.
Q: What does my child need to bring?
A: On the first day of classes, please ensure that your child has the following items:
Backpack / School Bag
Indoor Shoes
Healthy Snack (water bottle preferred)
Appropriate Seasonal Outdoor Clothing
Q: What does the daily class routine consist of?
A: Daily Routine
Circle Time
Center Time
Snack Time (parents pack the snack)
Large Motor Movement
Gym, outside, action songs
OUT OF SCHOOL CARE
Q: What are the regular Out of School Care Operations?
A: Out of School Care is for grades Kindergarten to 6 and operates on all regular school days. PD Day Care is available for children attending our Kindergarten Enhancement and/or Out of School Care programs for an additional fee of $50/month.
Q: My child's school has early dismissals every friday- does out of school care cover this?
A: Early dismissal Friday is included at no additional cost when registered in After Care. For children in Kindergarten Enhancement, please check with us regarding the Friday details for your particular school location.
Q: Do you offer care for children during PD Days, Teacher's Convention & School breaks and holidays?
A: On either professional development or organizational days, child care may be added to your child’s registration package at an additional cost of $50/month. This care is available for children registered in both Out of School Care and Kindergarten Enhancement. The program does not operate during Christmas break. The program has the option to operate during Spring break, with a minimum number of children signed up.
PRIVACY POLICY
For information about our Privacy Policy regarding this website and our Facebook Page, please click here