Preschool Enrollment at Dodge Nature Center, West St. Paul, MN

Dodge Nature Preschool Schedule
Morning or afternoon classes are offered for preschool children at least age three by September 1st, in the year of enrollment.

Two-day programs
Tuesday and Thursday
Rate: $2,565 per year or $285 per month

Three-day program
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Rate: $3,465 per year or $385 per month

Five day program
Monday through Friday
Rate: $5,085 per year or $565 per month

Morning classes: 8:45am - 11:30am
Afternoon classes: 12:45pm - 3:30pm

Lunch Bunch
Our Lunch Bunch program is open for a limited number of children from 11:30am-12:45pm for an additional fee. Children bring their own lunch.

The fee for Lunch Bunch is $45/month for each day of the week your child attends.Children can only attend Lunch Bunch on days they are attending school.You may also sign up for a drop-in lunch bunch day when spaces are available for $12/day.

Our Calendar
We operate on a school year calendar from September-June, and also offer summer opportunities.

Enrollment Policy

To enroll your child in Dodge Nature Preschool, you will need to fill out a 2 page registration form and submit it with a $75 registration fee. The registration fee is non-refundable.

Current children and families returning to Dodge Nature Preschool will be placed first and may submit registration forms December 10-January 22 for placement preference. Applications from new families will be accepted beginning January 22, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. and will be considered in the order received. Exceptions may be made for creating optimal learning communities in each class and creating balanced classrooms. Examples of these exceptions include making placements to ensure a balance of three and four year olds or a balance of boys and girls. Placement letters will be mailed beginning in March 2008.

We will try to place your child in the section of days-per-week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings; Tuesday, Thursday afternoons, etc.) you have indicated you would prefer on the registration form. If we are unable to do so, we will attempt to place your child in one of your alternative selections.

Once a child has been placed, parents will receive a confirmation letter from Dodge Nature Preschool. At that time, May, 2009 tuition (1/9 of the yearly tuition) will be due within 10 working days to hold this place.
This is a non-refundable deposit.

In August, each child's teacher will contact parents to arrange an initial conference. This conference allows each child to examine his/her classroom with the comfort of the parents' presence and allows parents and teachers to get better acquainted. The teacher will conduct an informal interview to get to know each child's habits, preferences, and background. This information helps the teacher create the optimal transition into preschool for each child.

Documentation/paperwork required by the state of Minnesota before each child's first day of attendance includes:
- Proof of immunization.
- Health history, including information regarding health needs and allergies.
- Emergency contact information. We must have two people besides the child's parents to contact in case of an emergency.
- "Permission to administer syrup of ipecac" form.

How You Can Reduce Your Tuition
We know that providing the best quality preschool educaiton for your child represents a financial commitment. Fortunately, Dodge Nature Preschool has an endowed scholarship fund and an active fundraising committee which can reduce tuition for qualifiying families. The goal of this scholarship fund is to reduce tuition so that a family receiving scholarship aid will spend about 5% of its houshold income on a child's preschool tuition. For example, a family making $40,000 would pay approximately $2,000 per year, or $222 per month for nine months for a child's enrollment at Dodge Nature Preschool. Funds are limited, so apply today! Scholarship applications will begin to be processed in March 2008.

Payment Schedule
Tuition can be paid monthly or in one sum. Upon notification of placement in the program, the last month's (May's) tuition is due. This is a non-refundable deposit. Monthly tuition payments commence September 1st, with subsequent payments due on the first of the month.