Preschool Registration Process
Registration for new Preschool students for the 2024/2025 school year is now open.
Preschool Parent Session Info Sheet
At the time of registration, we ask that parents upload a copy of their child’s birth certificate or passport, as well as complete and upload the one page preschool document. This document will give us more information about their child such as if they have concerns in terms of their speech and language, or if they have been seen by Alberta Health Services or the Glenrose Hospital. In addition, if your child has an assessment date booked already with a private Speech-Language Pathologist, please make note of that as well.
We will have spots available for children who qualify for Program Unit Funding if they have a severe delay in one or more area of development, but we will have limited community spots for children who would be coming to us with age appropriate development. Priority will be given to St. Albert residents.
Once we have received a child’s registration, we will review it to see if there are concerns noted, and if there are, we will arrange a short screener with our Speech-Language Pathologist to determine next steps. If a child does not meet criteria for PUF support, they will be placed on a waitlist until we know how many community spots we will have open for the 2024-2025 school year.
Though we do have community spots available, they are limited, so we recommend that if you do not have concerns with your child’s development that you consider registering your child for another preschool program.
If you have concerns about your child’s development, please contact Tracy Columbine at 780-460-3712, ext. 360.
Class Days
All preschool children attend Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday each week. Children in funded spots attend on Fridays. The preschool follows the St. Albert Public Schools calendar. Please note that there is no school on Mondays, or the first Wednesday of each month.
Locations + Class Times
Our preschool is currently run out of four locations:
Joseph M. Demko School (1 classroom)
Kinosayo Elementary School (1 classroom)
Leo Nickerson Elementary School (2 classrooms)
Wild Rose Elementary School (1 classroom)
At this time we have not yet confirmed our locations for the 2024-2025 school year.
Morning 8:45 - 11:30 am Afternoon 12:15 - 3:00 pm
Parents will not have the opportunity to indicate which location/time of the day they prefer, as there is a lot that will go into creating balanced classes with ages and increased needs of children in classes. We do try to look at things such as if there is an older sibling that attends a school in which we have a preschool classroom. If a child is placed on a class list, parents will not be told who their child’s teacher will be at this time as staffing is ongoing.
Classroom Sizes
Our preschool is an inclusive preschool environment where each classroom has a mix of children that are in a funded spot, as well as age appropriate peers who are in non-funded or community spots. Typically there are 14 children total per class. On average, there are 10 children who are receiving PUF support for a variety of reasons, and 4 community children who are in a non-funded spot.
Age Requirements
Children who are receiving supports and services through PUF must be 2 years 8 months as of September 1 (birthday before December 31, 2021 for the 2024-2025 school year). This also applies to children placed in a community, or non-funded spot. This lines up with the age of entry for kindergarten, so that children can complete up to two years in preschool, depending on age of entry, before they start kindergarten.
Toilet Training
Children do not need to be toilet trained. Parents are responsible to communicate with the classroom staff about where their child is at in the process and to provide diapers or pull-ups for their child, if needed.
Transportation
We do not provide transportation for children in our program. If your child qualifies for a funded spot in our program, and you have challenges with transporting them to and from school, please contact us. Currently, families who have children in funded spots are eligible for a transportation grant that helps to offset the cost of parents driving their child to an early intervention program.
Parent Helpers
We are welcome parent volunteers back into our classrooms, but there is no obligation for parents to volunteer. If parents would like to volunteer they will be required to submit a copy of a current criminal record check that is to be completed each year. The preschool will provide a copy of a form that parents can take to the police station so that they do not have to pay the criminal record check fee.
Fees
The fee for Preschool is $135/month for community children. There are no additional fees or fundraising within our Preschool. Payment can be made through PowerSchool Parent Portal. You will receive an information letter with an Access ID and Password from Preschool during the first week of school. Debit and credit card payments made online will be charged a service fee of 2.4%.
Children receiving supports through PUF do not pay a fee for Preschool.
Children who meet Alberta Education’s criteria for Program Unit Funding (PUF) have access to supports and services through our Early Learning Team (ELT). This team is comprised of Speech Language Pathologists and assistants, Occupational Therapists and assistants, a Physical Therapist, and a Psychologist. Children’s programming is individualized to their needs. In September, more information will be shared with parents to introduce the team and discuss details about programming. If you have a child who has been recommended for further supports and services please indicate this at the time of registration.