Enrollment
Enrollment at Robin's Nest Children's Center
Robin's Nest is a small program that operates on a first come, first serve basis.
We work with up to 36 children per day, including:
- Infants: Up to four per day
- Toddlers: Up to twelve per day
- Preschoolers: Up to twenty per day
Due to the size of our program, we are only able to offer a limited number of openings each year across the birth to age-five range. We welcome any family in our community to enroll their child(ren) at Robin's Nest based on available openings.
FAQ's on Enrollment
1. Do you have a wait list?
Robin's Nest does not have a wait list. We have found that establishing an annual open enrollment date for families allows us an efficient way to fill our available slots (for both full and part-time care). In the event that there are slots that open up during the year, we use our parent and organizational networks to spread the word and fill the space. By eliminating a wait list, we are able to respond to families' inquiries with direct answers instead of asking them to "wait and see." Our annual open enrollment for fall slots begins on the third Monday in June.
**Please note: We do NOT anticipate any INFANT or TODDLER openings for fall 2018
2. What is the enrollment process?
The administration spends time each day engaged in enrollment outreach. This includes answering phone calls, giving tours and notifying the Robin's Nest community as well as community agencies when spots become available. All families are welcome to inquire about open spots throughout the year (please see suggested times to call in questions #3 and #4).
Current Robin's Nest parents are ambassadors in the field who share experiences and insight into life at the center. Available spots will be filled by the first interested family that matches the opening. For example, if a parent calls looking for a 3-day-per-week toddler spot, and Robin's Nest has an opening that matches this need, the family is added to the schedule and the spot is reserved while the formal enrollment process begins.
The enrollment process includes: filling out enrollment forms, paying a deposit and registration fee, reading the parent handbook, planning a start date and transition into the program.
3. How do I know if you have an open spot?
Phone calls are encouraged. Throughout the year we encourage community members interested in program enrollment to call the program. The director ensures transparent information and predictions about upcoming program changes.
**Please note: We do NOT anticipate any INFANT or TODDLER openings for fall 2018
4. When do spots typically open up?
Fall Enrollment:
The program contract year runs from September 1 - August 31. Each summer a group of children transition from the program to Kindergarten creating a group of slots to offer to the public. Open enrollment for fall slots begins on the third Monday inJune. Call the center on that date to see if there are openings. Families are matched to available spots on a first come first serve basis.
Mid-Year Enrollment:
Mid-year can also be a time of opportunity for community members seeking care. Transitions within the program such as 3 year olds transitioning to preschool or infants growing into the toddler group can create program openings. We encourage families to begin calling in October to inquire about potential mid-year openings.
5. What does the center do to promote diversity in the program?
The Robin's Nest community is broadly diverse. Our children, families, and staff come from a range of cultures, traditions, socio-economic status and family structures. Our multi-age, family style program fosters the appreciation of all people and abilities as well as human responsibility to care for and support one another.
6. What is the fee structure?
Robin's Nest is committed to supporting families of all walks of life. We recognize the financial burden of rising child care fees. We reserve 25% of our total enrollment for families receiving state funded child care financial assistance and accept the state rate as full payment for care. We do not charge a co-pay to families receiving 100% state subsidy. Robin's Nest is also committed to providing wages, benefits and incentives that retain the dynamic and skill staff necessary to maintain high quality services. We are committed to reaching live-able wages. Our fee schedule balances the challenges associated with family budgeting while raising revenue to support professionals in the field.
Child Care Fee Schedule: Child care fees cover all costs associated with providing quality year round child care and education. Child care fees cover all time not paid by Act 166 state preschool funding. Realizing that all families have differing abilities to pay, RNCC has a voluntary 4 Tier pricing program.
Price A is our base rate and does not reflect true operating cost.
Price B more accurately accounts for true costs, including live-able wages for full-time staff and facility maintenance.
Price C allows us to provide live-able wages for assistant staff and professional wages for teaching and administrative staff.
By choosing to pay a slightly higher fee families can help us support live-able wages for the staff. This program is voluntary and in no way influences the experience children receive, yet it offers the opportunity for families to take an active role in supporting the true cost of high quality early care and education
Our 2017-2018 fee schedule is:
5 days 4 days 3 days 2 days
Price A
Full Days 246 204 163 113
Half Days 185 152 122 85
Price B
Full Days 263 219 184 129
Half Days 197 165 133 97
Price C
Full Days 278 235 194 144
Half Days 208 176 144 108
Price D
Round up the base rate in Price Schedule A to an amount that fits your family budget.
Act 166 Funding: School districts offer funding for preschool tuition for children who will be three years or older before September. Anyone who applies for funding will receive a tuition discount of approx. $3000 for the school year (varies per year). The discount will be subtracted from tuition from September 1 - April 30. From May 1 - August 31 the family will be obligated to pay the full price of child care following the above child care fee schedule. Each family must complete a registration packet for the district of residence and be approved by the district prior to receiving the discount. Please contact your local school district to learn more out about the process.