Here at Applewood, we understand that choosing a child care provider is one of the most important decisions you will make for your child. We’d like to help make that decision a little easier for you, and we do that by offering high quality care, with professional and nurturing staff in a safe, secure environment with a comfortable, home-like feel.
We’d like to guide you through our application process so that you’ll know what to expect.
Explore our Website, Facebook Page and Instagram Accounts
Here you will find valuable information about our programs, teaching staff, philosophy, mission, and more.
Inquire about Availability
You’ll want to email us for more information and to be added to our waiting list. We manage all of our inquiries and our waiting list via email. If you call about availability or for more information, you will be directed back to this website to send us an email.
If you are looking for immediate care, please be aware that our application and enrollment processes are designed to offer children and families a gradual transition into the program as we have found that this approach is best for children. When we’re actively enrolling, six to eight weeks is a typical turn around time from your first contact to your child’s first day.
Our Application and Enrollment Process
As openings become available, we review our waiting list for families whose child’s age, ideal schedule, and preferred start date are suited to the openings we have, and then compatible families will be contacted to apply. We provide the family with our virtual visitor packet to include our Family Handbook and other materials for all adult decision makers to review. As you review the packet you’ll want to consider if our philosophy and our policies are in line with what you’re looking for from a childcare program for your family. You’re encouraged to make a list of questions as you review this information.
If you like what you read, the next step in the application process will be to schedule an intake Zoom call with our Office Administrator. For families with two adults, we ask that you’re both present for the call. It’s an opportunity to tell us more about yourselves and your child, discuss your expectations, ask questions, and to clarify any policies or procedures that you read about in the Family Handbook and other materials.
If the intake call goes well, the next step in the application process is to offer a visit to the center and classrooms. This is an opportunity to observe the program in action, meet some of our teachers and ask additional questions. Classroom visits are scheduled based on the teacher’s and classroom’s schedule and are conducted during the mid-morning hours, last about an hour, and are offered Tuesday through Friday.
If everyone agrees that Applewood and the family will be a good fit, the family is offered an opportunity to enroll. To do so, they register with a two-week nonrefundable / nontransferable deposit and a $100 per child or $160 max per family nonrefundable / nontransferable annual registration fee. This secures the child’s spot for the agreed-upon start date, and the deposit is credited to your last two weeks at Applewood according to our admission policy. Next, families will complete and return an enrollment packet and schedule additional visits with their teacher as the start date approaches. A minimum of two additional visits to the classroom with a parent or guardian is required prior to the child’s start date. Families are encouraged to visit more often that that to start building relationships with their child’s new teachers and to help increase feelings of comfort and safety for both the child and their parents or guardians.
Please understand that to respect your time and ours, and to honor our commitment to the children and families already in our care, we only schedule visits for prospective families when we have reached that point in our application process described above.
Enrolling at Applewood
Once you’ve been offered an opportunity to enroll, we’ll begin the enrollment procedure. We’ll decide on your scheduled days and hours, and choose a start date. You’ll complete some initial paperwork, pay a $100 Registration Fee and secure your child’s space with a two-week deposit. An enrollment packet with additional forms will be sent home for you to complete. All enrollment forms are due back well in advance of your child’s start date. Now’s the time to call your child’s pediatrician for a current copy of their latest Health Exam and Immunization Records!
A Gradual Transition
Next, your child’s new teachers will work with you to plan a gradual transition where you and your child visit together several times prior to their start date, gradually increasing the length of your stay. This allows families and children to become more comfortable with the new surroundings, teachers, classmates, and routines. Families who are planning ahead can reserve a spot several months in advance, and in this case, the transition into the program would happen in the weeks leading up to the child’s start date.
Quality Indicators to Look For
Below are some tips that you may want to keep in mind whether you are visiting Applewood or another program. We’ve also provided a Printable Checklist for you to use in making your child care decision.
- Visit a number of programs … stay as long as you can!
- Visit the programs you like multiple times
- Consider making your first visit without your child … this allows you to decide if the program would meet your child’s needs and if the philosophy supports your family’s wishes and desires.
- Observe the interactions between caregivers and children, and among the children. Can you sense mutual respect? Are the children content? Engaged? Having their needs met?
- Is the environment clean and comfortable? Will your child feel comfortable here?
- Ask lots of questions
- What are the qualifications and experience of the teaching staff and the administration?
- How long have the teachers been with this program?
- Which teachers hold current certifications in First Aid, CPR and Water Safety?
- Can they provide you with references from current or former families?
- How does the teaching staff individualize care to meet your child’s needs?
- Does the teaching staff keep track of your child’s progress and development?
- Are family-teacher conferences held? How often?
- How are families involved at the center?
- How do staff communicate with families? Daily notes, newsletters, emails?
- What are the staff to child ratios? What are the ratios at naptime?
- Is there a Family Handbook available for your perusal?
- What happens if your child becomes ill while at school?
- How and when would your child transition into the next age classroom?
- Write down any questions that arise during your tour.
The Applewood Learning Center does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, veteran status, handicap status or age.