Enrollment Information

Access to the Center will remain limited to children and Center staff due to the Covid -19 pandemic. We hope to re-open access and tours in the future.  In the meantime please visit the Bowdoin College Children's Center virtual tour to view the Center.

In pre/post pandemic times:

• Families are invited on the first Saturday of November to the annual Open House, to tour the Center and meet staff. They have the opportunity to gather information in discussions with the director at this time.
• Parents who are applying to the Center are invited to visit the website and read the materials available about the programs, our practices, and articles on the Resources Tab.
• Once a family is offered a spot in the program, they may have a tour of the Center and meet with the director to discuss their child's placement. These visits are offered well in advance of a contract being signed.

• Bowdoin benefit-eligible employees are considered "Bowdoin Employees".  All other Bowdoin employees and non-employees are considered "Community Members". Bowdoin employees may apply for childcare as early as 8 months prior to the birth of their child and will be considered on a first-come-first-served basis.

• All Community Families interested in applying to the Center will complete an application and forward it to us. This secures a spot in the applicant pool/waiting list and puts your name on our mailing list to receive regular updates.

• Each family, from either category, who applies to the infant program is placed in an "applicant pool" as this group is not organized in an order until March 1 of the enrollment period. After infants are enrolled, the waitlist is established in the order we received applications and their priority status.

• Younger siblings have enrollment priority when their older sibling will attend during the same year. For this reason it is difficult to let anyone know where they are on the list as the order can be disrupted at any time.

• If a family leaves Bowdoin College employment during their contracted year, they may complete the contract and move to a priority spot on the community wait list.

• The year at the Children's Center runs from August - August in sync with the academic calendar. We are in session for the full year with the exception of one week in August, two professional development days (typically during the fall and spring breaks), and some of the major holidays (when classes are not in session).

• The enrollment period begins on March 1st for the upcoming year beginning in August.

• Families enroll in a 5-day week spot in order to secure a place for their child and then attend as they wish.  Some families like the 5-day week schedule and others use only some of the days.  In either case, they own that 5-day spot.

• Community members are offered a contract if there are open spots available after June 30th. When a community member has a spot in the Center, their child may remain enrolled throughout the five year period or when the parents wish to leave the Center.

• While infant families will sign contracts during the enrollment period, an infant will not begin enrollment at the Center until they are 12 weeks old. This is to protect the infant from the risk of exposure to illness early in their lives. Parents pay full tuition from the beginning of the August contract even when their child is not old enough to begin care or the family doesn’t want the spot yet.

• Faculty who are planning for sabbatical leave may withdraw their child from the Center for up to one year and return to their spot.
• Parents must notify the director by February of the enrollment year so that there is six months notice.
• Parents will complete a sabbatical contract and pay 25% of their monthly tuition each month to hold their slot. Children may return for the summer if a spot is available for them.
• Each Bowdoin family in the Center is able to use this benefit regardless of their affiliation to the College. Community members are not offered this benefit.

• Tuition Obligation: Parents agree to pay the Children's Center tuition fees each month during the enrollment period. The tuition payments must be paid via payroll deduction when child is of a Bowdoin employee family. Payroll deductions will occur on the last day of the month, beginning with the first month-end subsequent to the start date of the enrollment period.
• Tax Credit: Bowdoin College Children's Center is a level 4 on the state of Maine's Quality Rating System. This offers parents the ability to claim a double tax credit. You can find this number on the website in the parent portal.
• Sibling Discount: If siblings of children enroll for full-time care in any of the programs, a 10% rate reduction will be applied to the lower fee. This reduction is available to participating Bowdoin employees only.
• Summer Enrollment: Bowdoin employees may choose to enroll their child for a 10 month year (August to June) or a 12 month year (August to August). The 10 month contract is retained by paying 25% of the monthly tuition fee for the 2 summer months.

• To allow for employees at all salary levels to utilize the Center, a discounted rate will be reviewed annually for a limited number of full-time* child openings, based on need and availability of openings.
• Parents who want to be considered eligible for the tuition discount program may reach out to the Executive Director for more detailed information.  Part of the process to determine eligibility includes sending tax returns to Tama Spoerri in Human Resources.  For this reason, the deadline for contracts for applicants to this program is April 30th for the following enrollment year.
• Parents who are re-enrolling and want to receive a discount for another year must submit their tax returns for consideration by April 30th. Parents do not roll over from one year to the next without the appropriate materials submitted on time.