HOW TO APPLY

Enrolling in Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten:

Students are admitted to Gifft Hill School's Early Childhood Programs on a first-come, first served basis. Space is limited in each classroom to maintain an effective student/teacher ratio. The class sizes are determined by the school's Operational Board. Waiting lists are kept when registration is full. Students currently enrolled in the school have priority for class enrollment, though re-enrollment of current students is not guaranteed and can be denied at the discretion of the school.

For families who are not ready to send their children to school full-time yet, Gifft Hill offers a part-time option for Preschool. With this option, children can attend either two days per week (Tuesday and Thursday) or three days per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). This part-time option is on a space-available basis, and full-time students are given priority for enrollment.

Families wishing to send their child to Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten must complete a written application and attend an interview session in which they tour the facility and meet the faculty and administration of the Early Learning Center. All students applying for admission to our Early Childhood Programs must be toilet trained and be able to follow the reasonable directions of an adult. Besides space availability, the following guidelines will be used to determine admission:

Preschool: The Preschool program is for students aged 3 (as of September 1) to 4 years old. Students who will turn 4 prior to September 1 will be enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten.

Pre-Kindergarten: The Pre-Kindergarten program is for students who turn 4 years old prior to September 1 of the school year, but who do not turn 5 prior to September 1 of the school year.

Kindergarten: Students who turn 5 years old prior to October 15 of the school year can enroll in Kindergarten.

Once admission is offered to your student, steps 3-5 below should be followed to complete the enrollment process and guarantee your child's place in our program.

Enrolling in grades 1-12:

1) Submission of Application Form: The student initiates the enrollment process by submitting the application form found in this enrollment package. Records of past and current academic performance, such as standardized test scores and/or a recent grade card or transcript, must also be submitted at this time.

2) Notification of Acceptance: When the above steps are completed, the school will notify the student and family of the student's acceptance. Upon acceptance, each student will be provided a handbook outlining school policies and an enrollment contract.

3) Submission of Enrollment Contract and Pre-payment: In order to guarantee a student's placement in the school, a signed enrollment contract and a tuition pre-payment of $500 (this is not a deposit, but is subtracted from the overall tuition due) must be submitted to the school. The $500 pre-payment and signed enrollment contract will be due within 15 days of notification of acceptance.

4) Sign Up For FACTS Tuition Management Program: The final step in the registration process of your child is to sign up to use our tuition management program. You will receive specific directions on how to do this in this enrollment packet. You have 2 choices for paying tuition: 1) automatic withdrawal from your checking or savings account or 2) using a major credit card (MasterCard, Discover, or American Express).

5) Submission of Records for Student File: Prior to the first day of school, each student must provide the following records to be kept on file in the school office:

a. Previous Academic Records: For students entering 1st - 9th grade, a copy of a final report card and/or official transcript from the previous year will suffice, unless previous years to that are specifically requested by the school. For students entering 10th grade or above, official transcripts are needed for all past grade levels down to 9th. Students entering Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten do not need to submit academic records.
b. Birth Certificate or Passport
c. Medical Reports: New students need a recent (within 3 months) complete physical before entering and an up-to-date immunization. A physical form can be picked up at the school.
d. Other Forms: Emergency medical form, internet access, shirt order, and lunch freedom forms will be sent out with acceptance.

At this point, the student's enrollment file is complete.