This image represents Children’s Village before we implemented COVID-19-related health and safety protocols.
When can I come in for a tour?
You may call Beth Baker, Family Services Director, at (215) 931-0192 or email her at Beth Baker to arrange a tour of Children’s Village. You are welcome to bring your child(ren) with you.
When can I apply?
You can apply year round.
Does Children’s Village charge a fee to submit an application?
There is no charge to apply to Children’s Village.
How can I obtain the forms that I will need to enroll my child?
You can download the forms or contact Beth Baker, Family Services Director, and she’ll mail or email them to you.
How can I obtain information on the fees for the programs?
You can download our Fee Schedule via the How to Enroll page of our website or contact Beth Baker, Family Services Director, and she’ll mail or email it to you.
When do openings typically occur?
Most openings occur in the fall, but whenever a child withdraws, we go to the waiting list to offer the opening to the next child on the list.
How do I get my child on the waiting list?
As soon as a parent completes and returns the Enrollment Application, the child is placed on the waiting list for enrollment.
What other forms do I need to complete and when do I need to return them?
All preschool program applicants should also submit the Preschool Eligibility Survey for Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and PHLpreK. All preschoolers participate in Head Start, PreK Counts, or PHLpreK, funding streams that support high quality preschool education at Children’s Village. Please complete this survey to help us determine which funding stream might support your child’s participation.
You may submit the Child Health Report at the time of application, or you may wait until there’s an opening and your child is ready to enroll. You can download these documents via the How To Enroll page on our website.
What are Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and PHLpreK?
Head Start is federal preschool funding, Pre-K Counts is Pennsylvania state preschool funding, and PHLpreK is city preschool funding. At Children’s Village, participants in any of these funding streams must reside in the city of Philadelphia. There are income ceilings for Head Start and Pre-K Counts eligibility, but no income limit for PHLpreK participants. Head Start and Pre-K Counts income ceilings are based on family income relating to the Federal Poverty Income Guideline (FPIG). (Head Start is 130% of FPIG and Pre-K Counts is 300% of FPIG). You may refer to the ELIGIBILITY SURVEY for Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and PHLpreK for more information about eligibility and application.
Eligibility for Head Start, Pre-K Counts, or PHLpreK qualifies preschoolers for free participation in the school day/school year program. The preschool school day/school year calendar is the same as the Philadelphia Public School calendar.
I am eligible for Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and PHLpreK, but I need full-day/year-round care. Is there funding for extended-day child care?
Head Start participants needing full-day/year-round care would likely qualify for child care subsidy through the PA Early Learning Resource Center (ELRC). Some Pre-K Counts participants may qualify for PA ELRC. Those over the income limit for ELRC may pay a private weekly copay for full-day care (until 6:00 PM, far fewer school closings, and no early dismissals) and the full weekly private rate for summer care.
I have submitted the necessary forms, when can I expect to hear from Children’s Village?
We will contact you when an opening occurs. You are welcome to call or e-mail Beth Baker to make sure your application was received and that your child has been placed on the waiting list.
The family services director contacted me to offer an enrollment opening to my child. What happens next?
After we offer an enrollment opening, we invite you to participate in an intake interview.
What can we expect at the intake interview?
Here’s what you can expect at the intake interview:
We gather contact information for anyone permitted to pick up your child as well as for those you would want us to call in event of an emergency.
We will ask about your child’s food, medical, or activity restrictions.
We will discuss your child’s daily routines (eating, sleeping, diapering, or toileting, favorite things to do) and how your child typically handles new situations.
How do I prepare my child for enrollment in Children’s Village?
We are here to help you prepare your child for enrollment. Enrollment in a group setting (or even changing from one program to another) is a huge step in a child’s life. A new routine, new environment, and new faces can be overwhelming. Fear, excitement, anxiety, anger, and joy are all normal responses to change (for children and adults alike).
Teachers, parents, and other family members can work together to help a child settle into a new routine and establish a sense of security at school.
Take a tour of the program. To schedule the tour, please call Beth Baker at (215) 931-0192 or email her at Beth Baker. You are welcome to bring your child(ren) with you. Ask questions to learn all you can about your child’s daily routine at school.
At the intake interview, share information about your child and your family that will be helpful for the teacher to know.
At the intake and when you drop off and pick up your child from school, watch how the teacher interacts with the children. See what your child likes to do at school. Learn some other children’s names. Look at the weekly lesson plans, the daily schedule, and other photographs and artwork around the room that document class activities.
In the beginning, morning good-byes might be tearful. Farewells should be warm and reassuring but brief. Convey confidence with statements like, ‘The teacher will help you.’ and ‘I will come back after lunch.’
Shorter days at first help new children get used to the routine of school. Naptime can be hard for new children. Consider picking up your child around lunchtime for the first few days if you can.
Talk with your child at home about what you have observed in the class. Statements about what you have seen or learned about the class are often better conversation starters than the open-ended question, ‘What did you do in school today?”
When your child sees you talking warmly with the teacher, he or she feels like the important adults at home and at school are working closely together.
Is something bothering you? Talk to us. Feel free to see the teacher, an administrator, or the psychologist. We can help. There might be something we need to do differently.
Thank you!