At Montecito Preschool, we do not maintain waiting lists more than a year in advance. Waiting lists are started as classes fill up and we do not keep waiting lists for future years. Your name can be placed on a mailing list for information about when to enroll for the next school year. Please call the office to be placed on this list, or sign up for our mailing list on-line.  This mailing is generally sent in late December, along with a packet of enrollment information and forms.

Yes, there is a charge to be placed on Montecito Preschool's waiting list for next year. If we call you with an available space and you enroll your child, this fee will be applied to your enrollment fees. Otherwise the waiting list charge is non-refundable.

You simply need to fill out an application (front and back), a Waiting List Addendum and pay the waiting list fee. If an opening is found and you enroll your child, this fee will be applied to the application fee.

In order for your child to start school at Montecito Preschool, he/she must be two years old by June 30th (2 years 2 months). This applies to the entire school year; that is, if your child turns two later on in the year, they cannot attend Montecito Preschool until the following year and or summer school.  However, once your child turns 2 they can attend Holiday Care (a drop-in program).

Although most children enroll prior to September, each year we will enroll children throughout the year (September to May). In addition, we occasionally have openings throughout the year that we fill from our waiting lists. For this reason, it is important to either enroll your child where we have openings or have your child's name on a waiting list if he/she is eligible to attend.

No. Montecito Preschool requires 30 days written notice of withdrawal and the deposit that you pay when you enroll your child is non-refundable. Please call the office for more information about this policy.  There are exceptions to this rule; however, most deposits are non-refundable.

We calculate our tuition in a similar way to most preschools. Rather than monthly calculations, Montecito calculates its tuition for each program on an annual basis. First, we calculate the annual amount for a given class based on such factors as the length of the school year (a 10-month school year from September to June), how many days per week the class is offered, how many hours per week for each class, what comparable programs cost in the surrounding area (based on our market research), and our actual staffing and facility costs to offer such programs. We also consider how many holidays and school closure days are contained in each school year. After determining our annual tuition for each program, Montecito divides the annual tuition by 10 months, which equals our monthly tuition for each program. Montecito follows the Los Altos School District calendar for our closure and holiday dates. Each year, we are closed 2 weeks in December, 1 week in February, 1 week in April, 1 week in June and 2 weeks in August. Therefore, our tuition calculations for the school year months include all of these closure dates except for the August closure. We are also closed for various national holidays throughout the school year. Summer School tuition is calculated in a similar way, but is based on weeks rather than months (summer school is generally 8 weeks long).
As described above, Montecito’s tuition is not based on how many days school is in session per month, but rather we calculate tuition on an annual basis. At the time of enrollment for the regular school year, Montecito charges an application and processing fee and the last month’s tuition (for June of each year). This is also commensurate with what other schools charge for their enrollment.

We have a two-stage enrollment process at Montecito Preschool. The first stage is for all returning students, siblings of current or former students, waitlist parents and children of alumni. All families who fall into this category may register their child during our pre-enrollment process, which generally starts in October/November each year.  The second stage is our outside enrollment for all other families, which begins in late January.  Families who are interested in being notified about outside enrollment should call or e-mail the school (from our website) and leave their name, child’s name, child’s DOB, address, and phone number so that we can put them on the mailing list. Once your name is on the list, you will receive notification by mail in late December about when to come to enroll for the upcoming school year. After the December mailing, please come to enroll on the designated enrollment date for your child's class/age (which is included in your letter).

We have few behavior problems at Montecito Preschool. Our children have so many activities from which to choose that they are relatively content and engrossed. Of course, there will always be conflicts. When appropriate we use natural and logical consequences; for example, if a child is throwing sand in the sandbox, he must get out of the sandbox until he can remember the rules. We rarely use time out since we feel that there are better forms of discipline. The exception would be when a child is having a particularly difficult morning or afternoon and need some time to calm down and focus. We help children to see that they make many choices everyday, some of which work better than others. Problem solving and conflict resolution are high on the priority list.

In most instances, your child will be encouraged to use words rather than use actions to solve a problem. If your child is hurt he/she is also encouraged to say “no,” “stop,” or “I don’t like that…” etc. Our staff will try to build empathy in an aggressive child by pointing out the other child’s tears or hurt feelings. Parents are encouraged to partner with us in helping their child understand our policies. Montecito Preschool does not believe in or allow the use of corporal punishment at any time under any circumstances.

Separation can often be difficult for the young child when he/she begins his school experience. A certain amount of sadness and even anger is to be expected. The staff is committed to working with the parents to make the transition as smooth as possible. However, if a child cries constantly for half an hour, the parent will receive a phone call. At this time, the parent will be asked whether or not he/she would like to take the child home. If the child continues to cry consistently for two weeks, the parents and teachers will meet to devise a plan to help the child overcome his/her anxiety. One option might be starting an abbreviated attendance schedule and gradually increasing the time the child spends in school. If the child is still consistently crying after an extended period of time, the school may decide that it is not in the child’s best interests to stay in school. If that is the case, the parents will be asked to withdraw the child. Parents of two-year-olds will be expected to stay with their child for the first two weeks of school. Our policies for facilitating separation for the twos are clearly outlined in a letter which will be given to all parents of twos when they enroll in the school.

No.  Children are not expected to be toilet trained until they enter the four-year-old program.  However, if your child is not quite there please let us know so we can help accommodate his or her needs.  Occasional accidents are the norm for preschool children. The school supplies diapers and wipes for all of our children not yet trained. When you do begin the training process with your child, we ask that you notify the teacher so that we can work with you to make sure that your child receives assistance in using the toilet.

Most of the classes participate in field trips and special events. For classroom field trips, we require the presence of one parent or designated caregiver during the trip. No transportation to the event will be provided by Montecito Preschool. Special events take place in the classroom and the parents do not attend unless invited. Children in each class will receive notification of the date, time and location of these trips and special events. For school-wide field trips, parents do not attend and Montecito provides transportation and supervision for participating children.

The Teachers and Administrators at Montecito want to offer a safe and fun environment to all the children who come to our campus. In recent times, we have seen an increase in the number of children with mild to severe food allergies. In fact, we have quite a few children with food allergies at Montecito. We want to protect them as well as to ensure their participation in the full range of activities in their respective classrooms. In order to maintain the level of quality and safety we know you all expect, we have created a policy concerning special snacks and any projects with food.  Please notify your child's teacher at least one week in advance of any food you are considering bringing into school so that a safe alternative can be provided.  The teachers must preview the food before it enters the classroom.  We are asking full cooperation from everyone.  We understand that food projects are a fun and easy way for families to participate in their child's classroom and we support all of our families' efforts to be included.  This information is provided in your Parent Handbook and will be reviewed during your class orientation. 

At Montecito we believe that a preschool child’s learning is primarily experiential; that is to say, he/she learns by interacting with people, animals, materials and solid objects in his/her environment and by seeking solutions to concrete problems. In Montecito’s Pre-Kindergarten classes, we see the children as the individuals they are, each coming from different learning backgrounds and styles, each building on what they already know.

In our Pre-K classes, we help children by:·   

• Encouraging social & emotional growth through emphasis on open expression & dialogue between children & with teachers.
• Practicing conflict resolution by encouraging self-expression, accepting limits & developing self-help skills & tools.
• Providing opportunities for participation in groups in order to foster communication, cooperation & social maturity.
• Expanding their knowledge of & experiences with number & letter concepts.
• Promoting independence & self-mastery through opportunities to make individual choices & act on those choices.
• Providing opportunities, materials & hands-on activities for experiential learning.
• Expanding literary experiences to involve all the senses through art, science, cooking and role playing

Montecito’s Pre-Kindergarten classes are Young Fives classes which are offered to children who have completed the four-year-old class and turn five by the end of February. These children need an extra year to refine skills that have already been put in place in the four-year-old class so that they will be ready for Kindergarten the following year. In no way is this class meant to be a replacement for the fours class; instead, it is an extension of the fours class. Many important skills are developed in the fours class, such as fine motor skills (like cutting with scissors), visual and auditory perception (matching & sorting activities), following directions in small group, lots of activities with solid objects, more in-depth exposure to letters and numbers, a wide variety of language and literacy activities and continuing work on socialization skills. Participation in a four-year-old class will provide your child with all the necessary building blocks for entrance into Kindergarten. Ordinarily, children who follow the normal progression and attend the twos, threes and then fours class, will be ready for Kindergarten. However, there are exceptions to this, such as children who may have a late summer or fall birthday and therefore are younger than many of their peers entering Kindergarten. These children often benefit from the year spent in a Pre-K class where emerging learning skills can be supported and enhanced. Another point to consider is that it is not necessarily to your child's best advantage to be the youngest in the class. When a child is put in the position of being one of the oldest, he/she will often have a stronger sense of self.

At Montecito, our Pre-K classes have a maximum occupancy of 12 children, with two Teachers. This allows for a maximum teacher: student ratio of 1:6, which in turn gives your child much more individualized attention and care. Most public schools have a class size with up to 24 children with one teacher. Montecito's 5-day Pre-K curriculum is developed around each child’s individual needs. The smaller class size and daily classes allow for much more flexibility.

In Montecito’s Pre-K classes, the possibilities are endless. Unlike the fours classes, our Pre-K classes are for older children who need that extra year of enrichment and individual attention before entering Kindergarten, where the large class size and ratio make one-on-one strengthening of important skills impossible. In Pre-K, we work more in-depth on self-help skills, long-term projects and on collaborative projects between children and with their parents. The children are able to collaborate with parents on projects during parent visiting day and other classroom parties throughout the year. The children also participate in things like theme days such as face painting day, movie day, water day, pajama day, and many more activities that a younger or larger class could not.

The profiles for Montecito's Pre-K teachers are available on our Teachers page. Our current Pre-K teachers include Kathy Connell, Evelyn Ohm and Terry Quirimit. Please take a look at our profiles, or call us with any questions. You will be pleased with what you find!