Criteria

Applicants to Bellevue Discovery Preschool are considered for admission based on their potential for success in our program.  The admissions policy at Bellevue Discovery reflects the special mission of our school:

Challenging and nurturing preschoolers

who are bright, curious, and original thinkers,

using research-based methods for working with young gifted children. 

Consideration is given for:

• High intellectual ability
• Creativity, unique learning style, and independent thinking
• Creating gender balance, a healthy mix of personalities, and cultural diversity
• Social and emotional development, and
• A match between a family's educational goals and our preschool's program and teaching philosophy.

2010-2011 Preschool Class

Our preschool class for 2010-2011 is now full.  If you would like to have your child added to our wait list, please email Ren Cedar Fuller at Director@BellevueDiscovery.com and include your child's name, gender, and date of birth.  If an opening occurs, we will contact you to see if you would like to complete the application process for your child.  We are accepting children who will be four or five by August 31, 2010, to our wait list.

2011-2012 Application Process

1.     Attend an adults-only Program Overview:  Our Program Overview dates will be posted in the Fall of 2010.                       

2.     See the preschool in action during a Parent Visit, starting in December.  Our visitors are encouaged to first attend a Program Overview.  Visits last 45 minutes and are for one or two adults.  Our Visit times are limited, of course, due to the number of school days between December and February.  Please email us at Director@BellevueDiscovery.com to schedule a Parent Visit.

3.     Request that your child's current preschool teacher or child care provider complete a Teacher Questionnaire (available in the Application Packet).  Please give the teacher a stamped envelope, addressed to Bellevue Discovery Preschool.  (A note of appreciation to the teacher is always nice.)

4.     Submit an Application Packet (this is the 2010 packet; the 2011 packet will be put up in the fall of 2010).  The Application due date will be determined in the fall of 2010.  A completed application packet includes an Application for Admission, a Parent Questionnaire, a $125 non-refundable application fee, and a Teacher Questionnaire. 

5.     After all application materials have been received, we will notify the applicant's family by email regarding the date and time of their Child Visit.  Child Visits are for the preschool applicant and one or two parents (no siblings, please).  Child Visits last 45 minutes, and will take place on a Friday to be determined in the fall of 2010.

        Several children will be scheduled for the same 45-minute Child Visit, which is structured as an "activity playtime."  Your child's visit will include time for free play and exploration, an informal individual assessment by the teachers, a group circle time, and a short teacher-directed activity.  Parents need to stay at the preschool during the Child Visit.  We don't expect your children to do everything we ask during their visits - we're looking for eagerness to learn, not a performance.  Our goal is for children to enjoy their visit to Bellevue Discovery Preschool.

6.     Notification:  Families will be notified of their child's enrollment status by mail in March of 2011.  A signed enrollment contract, along with a tuition deposit, will be due due weeks later.  If we have more qualified applicants than openings in our class, some children will be offered a place on our wait list.  As space becomes available, children on the wait list will be offered enrollment based on their unique strengths and learning styles, as well as the existing class composition.