Walden Center & School: Admissions

ADMISSIONS

Enrollment
We welcome inquiries about admissions at any time. Tours and an Open House are held October through December for admission the following Fall. Interested parents may pick up an application after attending a Tour or the Open House. Completed applications should be returned by Friday January 4th with the application fee.

During the Tour parents may observe classes in session throughout the school.

Tuesday Tour Dates:
0ctober 9, 23,30
November 6, 13, 27
December 4, 11, 18

At the Open House parents see a slide show about our program and meet the staff.

Saturday Open House Date:
November 17

We require an observational visit by the prospective student as part of the application process. This visit may be scheduled once we receive an application for the student. Visits are Tuesday mornings, from 9:30-10:30 (K-1st) and 9:00-12:00 (2nd-6th), during the months of January and February. We do not administer any readiness tests. All applicants participate in classroom activities.

After the child visit, the Admissions Coordinator contacts families to see if they have further questions about Walden. Families will be notified by mail the 2nd Friday in March about whether their child was accepted for enrollment. Parents who choose to enroll their child must return a signed contract with a non-refundable tuition deposit within 7 days of notification.

Admissions Process Admission Application

Application Checklist (Print This)

If you are interested in applying to Walden Center and School, we ask that you go through the following steps:

Read our brochure and educational articles.

Attend a Tour (October through December) and/or the Open House on November 17th.

Return a completed application, with fee, to the school by January 4th, 2008.

Be sure your child's current school has received the Teacher Recommendation forms to be sent directly back to Walden.

Schedule a Child Visit for you and your child to visit the school.

Speak with our Admissions Coordinator after your Child Visit for further information.

2007-08 Tuition and Fees
Tuition for one child will be $10,300.00 plus 50 hours of Work Commitment ($1030.00/mo).

Tuition for two children will be $19,570.00 (10% discount applied to the second child's tuition) plus 75 hours of Work Commitment ($1,957.00/mo).

Full cash tuition for one child will be $12,875.00 (base tuition of $10,300.00 plus $2,575.00 in lieu of the 50 hour Work Commitment) ($1,287.50/mo).

Full cash tuition for two children will be $23,432.50 (i.e., two children tuition of $19,570.00 plus $3,862.50 in lieu of the 75 hour Work Commitment) ($2,343.25/mo).

Payments
Tuition is billed monthly from August to February. Payments are due by the tenth of each month. Lump sum payments are welcome and are helpful to the school.

Work Commitment
We rely on Walden families to maintain the school and help keep it running smoothly – and that keeps tuition lower than other independent schools in the Bay Area.

Yearly tuition includes a work commitment of at least 50 hours, which parents fulfill by participating in various crews: cleaning, construction, gardening, office staff, and other jobs. Work commitment jobs are valued at $51.50 per hour. Families have the option to pay additional fees in lieu of the work commitment.

Financial Aid

Financial Aid Instructions Financial Aid Form

Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many applications are accepted?
We accept applications until our child visit slots are filled up. We usually have up to 50 slots available from mid-January through the end of February.

2. How many Lower Group (K-1) teachers are there?
There is one Lower Group teacher and one part-time classroom assistant. There is consistently a 1:8 teacher to student ratio in the Lower Group.

3. What type of diversity outreach is done?
We have always relied most heavily on our happy families to spread the word about Walden. We also attend 3 admissions fairs each Fall in order to reach families who might not otherwise hear about us. We currently have a parent-teacher Outreach Committee organized to brainstorm ways to increase the diversity of our population.

4. What is the experience of kids who join the school in the Middle or Upper group?
It really depends on the child. But in many instances, the children have “celebrity status” for a time because they are new and different. The children are usually quite kind to new students. Sometimes a class is particularly close-knit and it may take a few months before a new student is completely socially integrated, but teachers monitor the situation carefully in the meantime.

5. What age is good to enter?
Is a late summer birthday too late? Again, it really depends on the child. Our Lower group age cut-off is 5 by November 1st. But if parents and preschool teachers really feel that a child with a later birthday is ready to attend kindergarten, then we will happily accept the application and meet the child. Sometimes a younger child is accepted with the understanding that they will be in the Lower Group for 2 years.

6. How many families get financial assistance?
Our financial aid is awarded based on demonstrated need and our total enrollment at the time financial award decisions are made. We are able to give 10% of our total tuition intake back to families who need financial aid. Need is demonstrated by filling out an application form and submitting the past 2 years’ tax forms. Applications for the following school year are available at the end of January and are due back at the end of February.