We’re excited you are considering Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool for your child. Below is more information about the enrollment process. We’d be happy to meet with you or answer any questions you may have about our programs.

OUR SCHOOL YEAR

Each school year runs from September until June. The enrollment process is for one school year. Current families (including siblings) are given priority for enrolling the following year. There is no preschool programming in the summer. See our summer camps for more information about how your child can stay connected to the nature center during the summer.

ENROLLMENT STEPS

• Decide if Aldo Leopold Nature Preschool is right for your child.

  You can do so by talking with the Nature Preschool director, reading about the preschool on our website, or coming in for a tour (tours are not required). You may also want to read our welcome packet and review our tuition rates for more insight into our program philosophy and cost.

• Choose which class(es) work for your family.

  We have several class offerings: Monday thru Friday mornings, Tuesday thru Friday afternoons, and Monday thru Friday full day. We also have a new program called Nature Beginnings that meets one day a week (we have one session that meets on Mondays and another that meets on Fridays). For more information and times, see our Nature Preschool page or read our welcome packet. It’s best if you have several options that could work for your schedule. Our full-day and morning classes fill up more quickly than the afternoon class.

• Enter the nature preschool enrollment lottery in March.

  The lottery for new family enrollment opens the previous March. For example, for the 2025-2026 school year, the lottery opens March 1, 2025. A link will be posted on the Nature Preschool page, where you will be prompted to enter your child’s information and class preferences. This does not guarantee your child a spot, but rather puts their name into our lottery system. Please note that our lottery is NOT first-come, first-served — no need to refresh your browser at midnight! Families have two weeks to enter the lottery, after which names will be placed into a lottery and pulled to create balanced classes. In an effort to be inclusive of our diverse community of varied backgrounds, ALNC reserves the right to hold space for families who have historically been underserved and underrepresented.

• Wait for placement notification.

  The lottery closes on March 15th. The preschool director will notify you of your child’s class placement shortly thereafter (usually by the end of the week). You’ll receive an email with either an enrollment offering or notification of waitlist placement. You may choose to accept or decline the spot for your child. We do our best to give everyone their first choice for classes, but it doesn’t always work out!

• Complete the enrollment process, or join the waitlist.

  The preschool director will send you a link to complete the enrollment process, including providing more detailed information about your child, paying a $200 deposit, and learning more about your child’s teacher. If you did not receive a spot, you are invited to add your name to the waitlist for no fee. We will notify you if a spot in your preferred program becomes available.