Enrollment FAQs

We curate two waitlists; one for Bowdoin employees and one for Community families. The age of your child may determine which program you will enroll your child in.  Often, we use October 15^th as a general cut off rule to match with the public school system however, depending on demand and our individualized curriculum planning, we can have older or younger children in each program. We are unable to guarantee a spot in a program until we are in our enrollment period or a space has opened.

What is the rate increase and how are the rates determined?

We survey area childcare programs, both accredited programs like ours and non-accredited programs, in order to determine a “market rate”.  Each year, we reach out to childcare programs and schools in the Brunswick/Portland area to inform our tuition rates and found that there remains a gap between private school tuition for preschool, NAEYC accredited program tuition, the DHHS market rate for Maine childcare, and what we are charging for care.  

We continue to work to bring our tuition rates to reflect the standard of care we provide and the current market rate for “like-childcare centers”. Our goal is to approximate the DHHS market rate for non-accredited programs (the lowest tuition amount for childcare) taken from their 2018 survey.  We believe that this increase is an appropriate initial increase.

When do I sign the new contract for the next year?

The deadline for signed contracts is March 31, 2021.

The 12-month contracts are August 16, 2021 through August 12, 2022. 

The 10-month contracts are August 16, 2021 – June 17, 2022.

There is no deposit required for returning families.

When does the new year begin for children?

Our first day of the new year with children is August 23^rd.  We use the week of August 16^th for our professional development.  This is factored into your contract, so you aren’t “paying extra”.  You will see your child’s tuition is withdrawn from employee pay prior to the month of care. 

Who can sign the 10-month contract?

Any Bowdoin employee is offered the option to sign a 10-month contract.  This means that they will not choose to attend during the summer months (June 21– August 13, 2021).  Families who chose this option will pay 25% of their monthly tuition for the program they are enrolled in during those two months.

May I change my mind about the amount of time I need for my child?

You are welcome to make those decisions until March 31, 2021 when signed contracts are returned. If you have a 12-month/10-month contract that you want adjusted to include or exclude the summer of 2021 (June 21– August 13, 2021) you must sign that contract by March 31, 2021. After that time, we will make adjustments, plan for summer staffing,  and create schedules for the contracts we have received.  For this reason, changes are not available.   

Where can I learn more about the program, the curriculum, and the Center policies?

You can learn more about the programs, the curriculum and the Center policies in this website.