Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for our program, students must be between the ages of 3-5 by September 1st of that school year, and must be “potty confident.”
“Potty confident” means that your child wears regular underwear during the day, is able to recognize when they need to use the bathroom, takes their layers on and off, etc. The outdoor preschool learning environment can be challenging for developing potty skills. Added variables include: managing multiple layers, being distracted by playing with peers, a new environment and composting toilet, etc. The added stress of bathroom related needs and frequent accidents at school can be a significant barrier to other learning for little ones. That is why we require that students are consistently demonstrating “potty confidence” at home so that there is a strong foundation to build these new (outdoor preschool specific) potty skills upon.
Some things to ask yourself might be: Does my child pull down their layers on their own? Does my child know when they need to go to the bathroom or do I need to give them frequent reminders? Does my child wipe themselves independently? Is my child no longer having frequent accidents (multiple times a week)?
Since kiddos this age are changing a lot from month to month, parents are often working on these skills at home leading up to the school year, letting us know if their kiddo is not quite ready and they need to withdraw before the school year starts.
Open House and 2023-2024 Enrollment Dates
We will be hosting an open house outside of school hours for families to meet the teachers, ask us questions, and explore the space. We are planning this event for Saturday, March 25th from 1:30-3:30. Scroll down to the bottom of our web page and sign up for updates to receive an email when we have more information!
We will be opening up enrollment for new families on Saturday, March 25th! On that day, visit this page and follow the link to start your registration. Depending on the level of interest and the number of openings, we may use a lottery system to invite the first group of families to complete their registration, and add the remaining families to a waitlist. In our experience, enrollment fluctuates a lot between springtime and the start of the school year as family plans change, so even if you are not selected off the lottery the first time, there’s still a good chance of getting in!
Financial Assistance
Families enrolled in our program will be eligible to apply for tuition subsidies from the state (restrictions apply- click here for more details), or financial assistance directly from us. Indicate on your enrollment form that you are in need of financial assistance, and once we have a more clear picture of how much we can offer we will reach out!
We are also excited to announce that we are piloting a “Tuition +” system this year, in which families can opt into adding a $10/$20/$30 monthly donation to their tuition to support our financial assistance program. In the past, we have relied upon grants and donations to increase the small amount of financial assistance we can allocate in our budget; but due to the inconsistency of grants and the limitations of a small school budget, we need to diversify our avenues for financial equity. We are hopeful that the Tuition + program will help increase our capacity to provide equitable options for more families!
Tuition Rates for the 2023-2024 School Year
The 2023-2024 school year will be September 1st-June 30th (we generally follow Bellingham school district breaks & holidays). All classes will take place from 8:30 AM-1:30 PM and will have a student to teacher ratio of 4:1 (12 students and 3 teachers).
Tuition is used to cover insurance costs, classroom supplies and maintenance, planning time for curriculum development and family communication/support, and paying teachers a living wage.
| Days | Total Monthly Cost | Total Yearly Cost |
| 5 days/week Mon-Fri | $957 | $9570 |
| 4 days/week Mon-Thu | $765 | $7650 |
| 3 days/week Mon/Wed/Fri | $574 | $5740 |
| 3 days/week Tue/Thu/Fri | $574 | $5740 |
| 2 days/week Mon/Wed | $383 | $3830 |
| 2 days/week Tue/Thu | $383 | $3830 |
Additional Costs & Required Gear
We acknowledge that providing gear for your child to be safe and comfortable outdoors year round can be a significant added cost. This gear includes rain pants, rain jacket, waterproof boots, warm layers, hats and gloves, etc. If finding or providing gear for your child is a barrier for your family to participate in our program, please reach out to us. We can provide more information/recommendations, and we also have a limited amount of outdoor clothing that we can loan out on an as-needed basis. We are also now selling wholesale, discounted rain shell mittens and have partnerships with kids outdoor gear companies for other discounts!
We are full for the 2022-2023 school year! Read below for more information on our 2022-2023 waitlist!
We will reach out to waitlisted families if and when spots become available.
When you click the link to register below, you will be asked to create a sign in for our Jumbula Registration site. You will select “Add to Waitlist” to be added to our waitlist for your desired class option/s. Keep in mind that you can add yourself to the waitlist for more than one class option (i.e. 2, 3, or 5 day/week classes).
You will then fill out our initial enrollment form, sign our risk wavier, and be directed to your “shopping cart.” Once you see the “shopping cart” page, you do not need to do anything else! You do not need to make any payments at this time. You will not receive a confirmation email, but you will be in our system as soon as you see that page. Note: The shopping cart will also initially display your first month’s tuition, but you will only pay your deposit when you finalize your registration if you are accepted off the waitlist for enrollment.
This is a new system for us, so please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any trouble at teachers@lichenearlylearning.org or (360) 386-5256!