Enrollment Eligibility: see information below

​Enrollment option: 2 days/ week (7:30am-4:30pm)- Monday and Wednesday OR Tuesday and Thursday. Playschool is open on Fridays (September- May)

Tuition fee:
$320 paid on a monthly basis (due the 1st of the month)

​

​Enrollment process:
​When an opening becomes available it is offered to families in the following order:

1. a sibling of a currently enrolled family
2. a sibling of a family that has previously had a child enrolled
3. a family from the waiting list

Enrollment Eligibility

For a child to be eligible for Secret Forest Playschool he/she must be 3 years and potty trained before September 1, of that year. Because of the structure of Playschool (the number of children that are enrolled, their ages and the activities/opportunities that are offered) these requirements allow the program to function at it's best.

(Playschool is happy to make an exception to the potty trained requirement in order to provide equal opportunities for children that are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act.)

• 1) Why is the age requirement 3 years old? And why before September 1st?

The full day programming at Playschool can be both emotionally and physically demanding for young children. It has been found over the years that with the structure of the day that in order to keep a good balance that a minimum age of 3 years old allows the teacher to best meet the needs of all of the children enrolled. Keeping the program mixed aged (3-5yrs old), all within a similar development stage, allows the children the opportunity to work together and learn from each other in an environment that is comfortable, yet stimulating.

The age requirement (3 years old) is set before September 1st is to align to the MN State age requirement for when a child who is entering kindergarten must be 5 years old by. Following this standard will generally allow children to be enrolled at Playschool for one or two years before starting kindergarten. It is not likely that a child will be recommended to stay enrolled longer than two years because for a majority of the children after two years they have mastered their environment and are ready to be challenged in new ways. However, on occasion a third year might be offered if it is the best for the child.

    *All incoming Playschool enrollment begins the Tuesday/Wednesday after Labor Day to align similarly to the local ISD709 school calendar, but primarily to allow all children that are new to transition in together at the same time (this helps us build our new community from day one!).

• 2) Why does my child need to be potty trained? What does potty trained (for Playschool) mean?

With Playschool spending a majority of the day outdoors, it is required that all children enrolled be *potty trained BEFORE starting. This allows the program to provide unique opportunities such as field trips, sleeping outdoors, extended outdoor play time, and more.

(There are different perspectives on what it means or looks like to have a child that is potty trained. To make sure there is a common understand of what it looks like for Playschool it is outlined below. The hope is that this gives families a clear understanding of the potty trained requirement, with plenty of notice, so that their child is prepared for this new adventure!)

*A child is potty trained and ready to be enrolled in Playschool when he/she recognizes his/her body’s need to void and can go to the bathroom independently. At Playschool children:

• Take regularly scheduled bathroom breaks with the teacher every 1.5-2 hours throughout the entire day
• Can respond to their own body’s need to void during play AND during sleep.
  • There are indoor facilities, an outdoor sawdust composting toilet, as well as the option to go on trail in Mother Nature. If your child is able to express their bathroom needs the teacher can always help him/her find a place to go!
• Go into the bathroom by themselves; get their own pants and underwear down, void and wipe (if needed), pull their own underwear and pants up, flush and wash

If a child need more than the occasional reminder to check-in with his/her own body, outside of the regular scheduled bathroom breaks, he/she is not yet potty trained but is rather in the process of potty training and is not ready for Playschool.

• Wearing disposable training pants (Pull-Ups) and diapers are not allowed (this includes during nap time) 

​If you have any questions or concerns related to these requirements please don't hesitate to contact us. ​

---

Secret Forest Playschool has created a small community where relationships are built and individualized attention is sure to be given. In order to meet the children's needs there will never be more than ten children under 5 years old being cared for at once. When we don't have openings please check out these other high quality nature programs in the Duluth Nature Play Collaborative: Hartley Nature Preschool, Wind Ridge Schoolhouse, Wandering Roots Preschool, Duluth Forest Kinderhaus and Little Barnyard Preschool.