The Applegarden Montessori School is located in a charming single-family dwelling on the property of the Montclair Presbyterian Church. We are 4 blocks from the Warren Freeway and one-half mile from downtown Montclair. We are located directly on a bus line. Parking is available in the Church parking lot next door to our school.

 

Click here for a map with location and driving directions.

We have an annual school-development/parent education fee of $600. Parents may deduct $300 of this payment from any tuition installment when they have completed 20 hours of service for the school. This work may be professional or other services such as construction, sewing, school site development or substituting for a sick teacher. Parents are also invited to volunteer additional time sharing their talents with the school by attending a class session and sharing a special skill or interest. We hold several parent meetings throughout the year on topics related to Montessori and childhood development. Parents are expected to attend a minimum of two parent meetings each year that their child attends our school. We firmly believe that parental involvement with and understanding of the philosophy and practices of Montessori education will enrich their parenting and enhance the development of their child. In addition to regular parent meetings, we have special social events at school, such as:

• picnics
• a Halloween party
• a Holiday Party
• a Parents' Night
• a Mother's Day Tea
• a Kindergroup Parents' Dinner (prepared and served by our kindergroupers!)

These are announced in a monthly newsletter. And, as a matter of course, parents are always encouraged to observe in the classroom.

To ensure a developed Montessori curriculum, our staff devotes one day a month (not including vacation days) to preparation of the environment. Childcare is offered on most of these "teacher workdays."

There is no school or childcare on:

• national holidays
• the week before Labor Day
• the week following Christmas Day
• or during the month of August, unless there is demand. Such a demand in the summer of 2010 helped us develop a
• very fine 4-week August program, which may be repeated yearly in the future on an as-needed/staffing avaiable basis.

Read about our school on our web site, www.applegardenschool.org. Review our policies, daily schedule, fees, school calendar, etc. Note our Open House schedule.

Attend a school Open House (children welcome!) and receive a school brochure and/or...

Make an appointment to observe a class in session (without your child) and receive a school brochure. Review our classroom newsletter, AppleSeeds, to broaden your understanding of our school's daily life.

Complete application form(s) for summer and/or fall and submit with appropriate non-refundable fees. (This may be done before you have seen the school if you wish to have early placement in our waiting pool.)

You will be notified to bring your child for a get-acquainted interview prior to acceptance. Sometimes this happens at a school Open House.

You will be notified regarding acceptance and asked to submit the non-refundable school development/parent education fee to hold your child's place in a class.

You will receive a school contract, a Parent Handbook and various enrollment materials to return before your child's first day.

You will also be billed for half of the summer tuition and/or the final installment for the school year.

You will receive a questionnaire to complete about your child and family to bring to a scheduled one-on-one pre-enrollment interview with your child's teacher.

Your child will begin school!

Please send the Registration Form and the fee(s) for the program(s) of your choice. We will contact you prior to enrollment. Following confirmation of your child's enrollment, you will owe one full tuition installment and the school development fee. At that time you will receive a Parent Handbook and enrollment materials. Make checks payable to: The Proludium Corporation. Send to our school's business office at: 5667 Thornhill Drive, Oakland, CA 94611.

 

Registration Fee: $50
School Development/Parent Education Fee: $600

Sibling Discount: 5% reduction per child

Morning Preschool Program
M - F	8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.	$990/mo. or $9,900/yr.
Afternoon Preschool Program
M - F	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	$660/mo. or $6,600/yr
MWF	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	$528/mo. or $5,280/yr
(special circumstances and very limited availability)
Extra school sessions		$10.25/hr.
Kindergroup (Ages 4 1/2 through 5 only)
M - F	1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.	$150/mo. or $1,500/yr.
Full-Time Preschool & Childcare
(9 hrs./per day maximum)
	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Option A:M - F, school days only		$1,620/mo. or $16,200/yr
Option B: above program, with 18 extra days		$1,782/mo. or $17,820/yr

Option C: 3 full days/week only (limited availability)	$1,200/mo. or $12,ooo/yr.
Option D:2 full days/week only (limited availability)	$800/mo. or $8,000/yr.

 

Enrollment in Option B entitles your child to care for 3 days during Christmas vacation, on 8 teacher work days, on 7 midwinter and spring vacation days and on both school year phase-in days.

 

There is no childcare provided in 2012 on June 13, 14 or 15, July 31 through September 5, December 24 through January 1, or June 13, 14, or 17, 2013.

 

A special summer session August 1 through 28 will be arranged if there is sufficient interest.

 

Part-time Childcare
available 8:00 - 8:30 a.m., 1 - 1:30 p.m., & 4:30 - 6 p.m. only
Contracted (scheduled in annual contract)	$9.75/hr
Unscheduled (all uncontracted hours)	$10.75/hr.

We have only one long summer session. It includes two morning preschool options, a full-day childcare program, and a Montessori/art-exploration program in the afternoon. Children may enroll in a full afternoon of Montessori, art and childcare on a regular hourly basis from 1 p.m. on. Children attending full time (9 hours per day) have the option of attending for only 3 weeks of the summer session. The school is closed July 4th and during the month of August.

Children love dinosaurs and their love for dinosaurs will bring them into contact with many new delights this summer. No one can find more thrilling or innovative ways to earn about dinosaurs than we can. We will count, hunt, sort, scrub, paint and eat dinosaurs, learning their names and habits as we go. We will create prehistoric dinosaur scenes and dig for dinosaur bones in our sandbox like real archaeologists. We will assemble dinosaur skeletons and mobiles and learn about all the creatures and plants once preyed upon by this giant friend of the child. We will sing about dinosaurs and do dinosaur dances. The world of dinosaurs is an exotic and intriguing way to interest your child in the Montessori classroom. We will watch many little Pteranodons take flight!

From 1:30-4:30 p.m. daily, children enrolled in the afternoon Montessori program will enjoy a special “art exploration” period in which extended art activities not ordinarily available during regular preschool sessions can be fully explored and integated into our “Dynamic Dinosaurs” summer explorations. Clay, mural painting, collage, wood painting, printmaking, and many other experiences will be developed. Children will create independently and in collaborative groups. The concluding session “Art Exhibit” will be integrated into our summer dinosaur party and will feature the work of each child artist as well as group projects we have completed.  We hope your child will join us!!

 

Fees for the 30-day summer session are:

 

Registration fee: $30

 

There is no school or childcare on July 4th. The extra long summer session includes 3- and 5-morning preschool options, an afternoon Montessori class with a strong art exploration emphasis, and a full-day extended-day option. If there is sufficient demand, a special 4-week summer program will be arranged for the dates August 1 through 26. Arrivals and departures may not occur during school sessions. School year fees are based on 18-day installment periods. Fees for the longer 30-day June/July summer session are:

Summer Preschool Programs:
M - F	8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.	$1,650
MWF	8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.	$ 990
M-F Montessori/Art Exploration	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	$1,100
Full-time Childcare:
Including above M-F preschool program and Montessori Art Exploration (9 hours per day maximum)
M - F Full session	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.	$2,600
M - F Partial session 6/18-7/9/11 OR 7/10-7/30/11	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.	$1,300

 

Part-time Childcare:
Scheduled 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. & 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. & 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.	$9.75/hr.
Unscheduled	$10.75/hr.

Extra School Sessions and Special August Session:

$12.25/hr.

Registration Fee: $50
School Development Fee: $500

Parent Education Program Fee: $75 (due 10/01/11)

Sibling Discount: 5% reduction per child

Morning Preschool Program
M - F	8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.	$990/mo. or $9,900/yr.
Afternoon Preschool Program
M - F	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	$660/mo. or $6,600/yr
MWF	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.	$528/mo. or $5,280/yr
(special circumstances and very limited availability)
Extra school sessions		$10.25/hr.
Kindergroup (Ages 4 1/2 through 5 only)
M - F	1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.	$150/mo. or $1,500/yr.
Full-Time Preschool & Childcare
(9 hrs./per day maximum)
	8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Option A:M - F, school days only		$1,620/mo. or $16,200/yr
Option B: above program, with 21 extra days		$1,782/mo. or $17,820/yr

Enrollment in Option B entitles your child to care for 5 days during Christmas vacation, on 8 teacher work days, on 7 midwinter and spring vacation days and on both school year phase-in days.

 

There is no childcare provided in 2011 on June 14, 15 and 16; August 29 through September 5; December 24 through January 1, or June 13, 14, or 15, 2012.

 

A special summer session August 1 through 26 will be arranged if there is sufficient interest.

 

Part-time Childcare
available 8:00 - 8:30 a.m., 1 - 1:30 p.m., & 4:30 - 6 p.m. only
Contracted (scheduled in annual contract)	$9.75/hr
Unscheduled (all uncontracted hours)	$10.75/hr.

School year (September through mid-June) tuition and childcare fees are paid in 10 monthly installments. A deposit of one full tuition installment is due at the time your child is accepted for enrollment. It pays for the final month of the school year. The remaining nine installments are due the first day of each month, September through May. Special fees are charged for our summer programs.

At least one month's written notice to the school's business office is required to make a withdrawal from any school program (including childcare).

School year tuition deposits (due 3/1) and summer school tuition deposits (due 4/1) are refunded ONLY if adequate written notice is received.

June 1st is the final date notice may be received by the school with regard to school year withdrawal for a full refund of the 10th installment advance deposit.

After October 1st and until February 1st only one month's written notice will be required to withdraw a child from a school program.

No notice of withdrawal will be accepted after February 1st because no withdrawal from any school program is allowed after March 1st. After that date, parents are held responsible for the full tuition contracted to the end of the school year regardless of the reasons given for a child's withdrawal.

The same notice is required for childcare programs as from any other school program.

No registration, school development or parent education fees are refundable.

8:00-8:30	Early morning childcare. Early arriving children are inside with teacher helping to set up or choosing activities.
8:30-8:55	Arrival. Outside play time. Children are playing as their classmates arrive.
8:55-9:10	Slippers on. Optional greeting circle: calendar, weather, singing, news.
9:10	Work time begins
9:10-11:40	Work period. Children choose activities. Directress and assistants help out as needed. Two planned small groups per teacher as well as spontaneous small groups and individual lessons occur. Children prepare and serve snacks with one another. Stories are read to small groups of children throughout the morning and sometimes elaborated with art, sequencing, discussion and drama activities. Directresses/ors and assistants write brief reminder notes for entry into computer after the morning session. Clean-up time begins.
11:40-12:00	Clean-up time and closing circle. Transition to outside.
11:15-12:00	Morning staff each have 15-minute breaks given by arriving afternoon teacher.
12:00-12:15	Outside play time and handwashing.
12:15-12:30	Lunch time. Afternoon teachers arrive and prepare classrooms for afternoon session.
12:30-12:50	Clean-up from lunch. Outside play time.
12:45	Nappers go to nap room for special story and rest time.
12:50-1:00	Outside play time and dismissal (for half-day morning children).
1:00-1:50	Kindergroup for children 4.5 and older. Outside or inside art/science and/or play for all other non-nappers.
1:00-1:30	Special art/science/garden class for non-nappers & children not in kindergroup. Some afternoon children arrive early for this special class.
1:30-1:55	Afternoon class arrives. Outside play time.
1:55	Kindergroupers who are not remaining for the afternoon depart.
2:00-2:10	Slippers on. Greeting circle, optional small groups, or begin work period.
2:10-4:10	Work period. Children choose activities. Directress/ors and assistants help out as needed. One to two planned small groups per teacher as well as spontaneous small groups and individual lessons occur. Children prepare and serve snacks. Stories are read to small groups throughout work period and sometimes elaborated with art, sequencing, discussion and drama activities. Directress/ors and assistants write brief reminder notes for entry into computer after the afternoon session.
4:10-4:20	Clean-up time. Closing circle. Prepare to go home.
4:20-4:30	Outside play time. Afternoon class goes home.
4:30-4:45	Childcare story time and outside play time. Afternoon staff breaks begin. One teacher ALWAYS is with the small childcare group. Teachers do charting and classroom prep when not taking a break or working immediately with children between 4:30 and 6 p.m.
4:45-5:15	Children wash hands and enjoy childcare snack & outdoor play if possible.
5:15-6:00	Daycare children go home throughout this hour. Children play with blocks, dolls, dollhouse, legos and other traditional "daycare" toys, usually inside.

We invite you to visit our school on the following Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary and children are welcome!

 

• 2012:
• Sunday, Jan. 8th
• Saturday, Feb. 4th
• Sunday, April 22nd
• Sunday, July 8th
• Sunday, Sept. 9th
• Sunday, Nov. 11th
• 2013:
• Sunday, Jan. 6th
• Saturday, Feb. 2nd
• Sunday, July 8th

Please call us at 510-339-9666 to arrange appointments to observe our classrooms at other times.