 |
| |
 
Mother Earth School |
| |
  Where the Elements are our ElementIs Mother Earth School right for your family?
The Faery Garden meets 3 days each week Tuesday – Thursday from 9:30 - 12:30 and is for children who are 3 years old by December 1st. Our classes spend their days outside on a working farm in all types of weather. The children pee outside or use composting toilets and must be potty trained. They interact with farm animals daily and get MUDDY (like you've never seen before)!! Unique physical challenges exist in the forest/farm setting as well. Children who are generally healthy benefit greatly from these challenges. Considering that there are no perimeter fences at TLC Farm, the teacher:child ratio is 1:4 in the Faery Garden and 1:7 in the kindergarten. Though our teachers are quite vigilant, children must be able to respond to verbal requests and should not be prone to wandering off. Parents are asked to commit to the school in a variety of ways. Before applying, we ask that parents carefully read our parent handbook to find out more about our policies and expectations. Please note that school may be canceled in extreme weather conditions. Application ProcessIf you feel that Mother Earth School may be right for your child and would like to apply, please fill out an application for enrollment and mail it along with your $25 application fee. (If you are applying for the current school year please contact us right away for a farm visit with your child's prospective teacher.) If you are interested in the upcoming school year, after receiving your application we will contact you with the time of our next open house and farm tour. These dates will also be posted on our website. We begin accepting applications on January 1st of each upcoming school year. We do not keep a wait list more than 9 months in advance of the start of a school year, and applications will be filed according to when they are received. We host our open house information session (for parents only) at the end of January in order to answer questions and to give more detail on the philosophy and logistics of our program (attendance is optional). Farm tours for parents and their children will be scheduled beginning in February. These tours are for families who have already sent in applications and who have read the parent handbook. (You must attend one of the farm tours before your application will be considered.) After receiving applications and meeting the parents and children at one of the farm tours, we will begin filling spaces for the upcoming school year. The order that applications are received will be taken into consideration. We will contact families in early March to schedule individual meetings with the teachers or to let you know that you have been placed on our wait list. Because our program is so unique, we need to make sure that we have the full support of the parents and that the individual nature of the child fits with the special conditions of our program. During this meeting, if we establish that MES is a good match for your family, then you will be asked to sign an enrollment contract. (If you are enrolling mid-year, the first week that your child attends school is on a trial basis in order to ensure that the group dynamic is beneficial for all.) TuitionCurrently the cost of tuition is $4000 for the Faery Garden and $4500 for the Kindergarten. Both classes require a non-refundable $500 deposit (which will be applied towards tuition) and a one-time materials fee ($100 for the Faery Garden, $200 for the Kindergarten) due by August 15th. For your convenience the tuition (after deposit and materials fee are paid) can be divided up into 10 equal payments throughout the school year, due on the 15th of each month beginning in August and ending in May. There will be a $25 late fee charged every time tuition is received after the 20th of the month. Tuition will be prorated for mid-year enrollment. ContributionsThose families that are able to pay more than the set tuition are asked to pay any extra amount that feels comfortable. That money is tax-deductible and will go directly toward subsidizing the tuition of a family with a lower income that cannot pay the full tuition amount. Financial AssistanceWe are making every effort to keep costs reasonable while maintaining the health of our school. Currently our tuition is set as low as possible while still being able to effectively run our school. If you feel strongly that this program is right for your child but are unable to come up with tuition, we ask that you first explore creative ways of sourcing the money. Being willing to extend yourself financially usually results in a deeper appreciation for the work being done at Mother Earth School and completes the circle of giving and receiving. We have a very limited amount of financial assistance that we can offer. We ask that families first explore work trade options that are available. All of these options contribute to the financial health of the school either by bringing money into the school (grant writing, helping with our cottage industry, creative fundraising etc.) OR by saving money for the school, (through administrative tasks, carpentry/repair, substitute teaching, web maintenance, donation of needed items, etc.). The teachers are open to making individual arrangements as long as the bartered service decreases their personal expenses (ie. car maintenance, food, childcare, medical services etc.). Although luxury items and services are greatly appreciated, they cannot be the sole offering. Financial Assistance Guidelines:
|