We enroll children year round at Above & Beyond based on our staffing and classroom availability. Once all enrollment requirements are fulfilled you can enjoy peace of mind knowing your child’s spot will be guaranteed on your chosen schedule until you are ready to move on from A&B. The below requirements are due within one week of accepting an available spot. You must schedule a time with the director to return the requirements.
These requirements include:
- An agreed upon tuition payment method
- First week’s tuition and $125 registration fee; both are non-refundable
- Application for Care
- Child information record
- Enrollment packet
- Health appraisal completed by your child’s pediatrician
- Immunization records indicating your child is up to date on all age appropriate immunizations
- Unique needs form
Your child’s start date will be determined by evaluating our classroom and staffing availability. Although we do our best to accommodate each family’s unique needs, holding your child’s spot for more than one week will require full tuition payment to start immediately, unless otherwise determined by the program director.
Because we are a small center, we often have a waitlist for our classrooms. If we do not have availability or if you would not like to begin care immediately, your child can be placed on our waitlist. New waitlisted children are added to the bottom on the list. Current and former Above and Beyond families and staff are given priority on our waitlist.
The following are our requirements to join and remain on our waitlist:
- Tour our facility
- Provide us with a few basic pieces of information
- Reply to email or phone communication confirming your interest to remain on the list every few months
A family will be removed from our waitlist in the following instances:
- Failure to reply to email or phone communication within 1 week confirming your interest to remain on the list every few months
- Failure to reply to email or phone communication within 48 hours in which they were offered a spot
- Failure to tour Above & Beyond within 2 weeks of being added to the wait list
We notify families on our waitlist of available spots via the chosen method of communication at the time of waitlisting. Several times a year we will contact all families on our waitlist to confirm their interest in maintaining their spot. Confirmation is required within one week to remain on the list. When a spot is offered a family has 48 hours to accept the spot, be placed on the bottom of the waitlist or taken off altogether. Upon acceptance of a spot, all enrollment requirements are due within a week and enrollment must begin within 2 weeks. Please see our FAQ section for more information.
Enrollment & Waitlist Policy
Does it cost anything to be on your waitlist?
No! We just need a few basic pieces of information from you including good contact info. You will also need to tour within two weeks.
Can I enroll my child now and start a few months later to save my child’s spot?
Our spots can fill up quickly. Because of this we do not hold spots further than one week ahead of time. If you desire to have your spot with us held for longer than one week we require that tuition be paid in full. When a family is offered a spot off the waitlist they have one week to begin care.
Can I pay to hold my spot and turn in my enrollment documents at a later date?
Because enrollment has many requirements – some of which require an extended period of time to process – we ask that all documents be submitted within a week of accepting a spot with us off the waitlist. The program director will need to confirm that your child is up to date on their immunizations and that all requirements are fulfilled to be prepared for your child’s first day of care with us.
Why do you only offer specific enrollment schedules?
We are a small program which means we have limited spots. A part time work schedule may require full time enrollment. Our consistent schedules allow for us to ensure that we do not double book a spot, give your spot away, or ask you to change your schedule to accommodate our needs while providing high quality early education to as many children as possible in our community.
How long is your waitlist?
Our waitlist varies by classroom. Several conditions affect the wait to get a spot at A&B. We hope the below clarification will help to communicate the reasons for the length of our waitlist.
- Children can be added to the top, immediately increasing the wait for those below, for several reasons:
- Their legal guardian is/was a staff member of A&B
- Their sibling did/does attend A&B
- They attend part time and would like to add days
- Their legal guardian is/was a staff member of A&B
- We place a high value on low teacher to child ratios. Our ratios require more teachers for fewer children which means:
- It can be more challenging to staff and open classrooms to their full capacity. Our classrooms are not usually completely full because of the current staffing climate.
- It can be more challenging to staff and open classrooms to their full capacity. Our classrooms are not usually completely full because of the current staffing climate.
- Unfortunately, there are few circumstances in which a spot becomes available in our program. It would require one of these things:
- A child disenrolls from our program. Since we hold spots for the entirety of a child's time at A&B there is no way to predict when their time with us will come to an end.
- We were able to hire an additional teacher to make more spots available in the classroom
- A child reduces the number of days they attend
- A child transitions from one room to the next
- A child disenrolls from our program. Since we hold spots for the entirety of a child's time at A&B there is no way to predict when their time with us will come to an end.
Will a part time spot become available before a full time spot?
Not necessarily. Spots become available as w children leave our program, transition to a new classroom or change their schedule.
Why did another family get a spot before me?
We consider a few factors when offering a spot to a family. When a spot becomes available we give priority to current and former A&B families. Then, we determine who is next on our list whose desired schedule meets our needs. Spots are offered to children more often because their availability was right for the space we are filling. We contact families based on when they were added to the list via chosen contact method during waitlisting. A family has 48 hours to respond to the availability or they will be removed from the waitlist or can be added to the bottom. From acceptance, a family has one week to submit all required items for enrollment. Failure to do so will result in the family being removed from or added to the bottom of our waitlist. At the time of acceptance a family has 2 weeks to begin care, pay full tuition or forfeit their spot and can be re-added to the bottom of the waitlist.
What can I do to increase the likelihood that a spot will become available to me?
First, contact us early!
Provide contact information to a method that you closely monitor. Ensure your voicemail has empty space and you whitelist assistantdirector@aboveandbeyondcenter.com and director@aboveandbeyondcenter.com so our emails do not go to your spam folder. We will be able to reach you more efficiently this way to notify you of availability.
Be flexible. A family that is open to any of our three enrollment options will have a much better chance at a spot and can be placed on the top of the waitlist to switch to a schedule that works better for them if they are an enrolled A&B family.
Know which items are required for enrollment and return them in a timely manner when a spot is offered to your family.
If you have multiple children, enrolling one of them will give you priority on our waitlist.
It’s been a while since I toured last. Can I tour again?
Of course! You can schedule one through our website, email or give us a call!
How will I be updated on my family’s position on the waitlist?
We call families every 3-6 months to confirm their interest in remaining on our waitlist.
My needs have changed since I was placed on the waitlist. Should I update you?
Yes! Keeping us updated is important to getting you spot as quickly as possible.
I am really interested in A&B but we decided your center is not a good fit for our family at this time or you do not have space for my child. Can you recommend another center like yours?
Unfortunately, not many child care centers offer an environment as unique as ours. Reggio-Inspired centers are not regulated and vary widely in the methods and fidelity of their program. The environment of the center also heavily depends on and is shaped by the staff. We recommend visiting the State of Michigan Licensing website or asking to see their Licensing Binder during a tour to research their history with following licensing rules and regulations. During visits observe the interactions between the children and staff. Ask many questions! Every center is unique but should be able to address your concerns and questions directly. Include questions about their discipline policies, toilet learning, transitions between classrooms, and the importance of family involvement and social & emotional development. Look into centers that offer a child-led, emergent or play-based curriculum. This ensures that the center allows for the child to explore and make connections to the world around them in the most developmentally appropriate way possible.
What now?
Be patient! We will reach out to you as soon as a spot becomes available. See the tips above on how to increase the likelihood that a spot will become available. Feel free to call us for an update on your spot on the waitlist at any time.
Enrollment & Waitlist FAQs
Above & Beyond Child Care and Education Center