“Discovery Woods is so much more a preschool. It is a second home for our son at which he has both the space and the guidance to blossom to his fullest potential.”
- Open House- Interested families tour the school and participate in an information session about our program. Open houses are scheduled during enrollment season in the winter and on an as needed basis and last 1 ½ hours. Our Founder and Director and other staff will be able to answer any questions you have at the open house.
- Telephone Meeting –Parents who have follow up questions after the open house may speak with the Administrative and Admissions Director via phone.
- Application – Complete the application and submit a non-refundable $100 application fee. This application fee covers the review of your application materials, and one assessment meeting/play date with our Directors.
Application and check should be mailed to:
Discovery Woods Learning Community
Attn: ENROLLMENT
P.O. Box 11145
McLean, VA 22102 - Application & Recommendation Review – An application committee reviews your application and recommendation letter to better understand your goals for school and how your family might fit within our community. References are checked.
- Child & Family Open Play Visits– The goal of our play visits is first and foremost to meet your children, but also to answer any outstanding questions you may have, and to talk about how your family’s goals mesh with DWLC’s philosophies. We host Play Visits January-March, during Open Enrollment.
- Initial Acceptance – The Application Committee and the Directors will then review all of your materials collectively, including notes from the family meeting. As space permits, you will be offered a conditional acceptance into DWLC. Several children/families are placed on our waiting list at this point.
- Enrollment Agreement – Complete the Enrollment Agreement and submit with all of the requisite fees. There is a non-refundable $750 enrollment fee which covers your family’s and your child’s participation in several school visits, school readiness assessments done in partnership with Parenting Playgroups and parent workshops and all of the onboarding administration required for new families and children. At the same time, your Tuition Deposit and First Installment Payment are due. (Your total amount due at this time will be $2800-4000, depending on your program choices.)
- Enrollment Paperwork – State licensing requires that we have all paperwork before the first Integration School Visit. We will send this package as soon as we have your signed Agreement and payment, and you should start completing it immediately. (Among items needed: Passport or original certified birth certificate; vaccination information from your doctor, or exemption; several notarized forms.)
- School Visits– Once the enrollment paperwork in complete and as soon as space permits, your child will be invited to join us for 1-3 trial visits. During these visits, your child will participate in our program for a block of programmatic time (45 minutes to 2 hrs, depending on age), either in the morning or afternoon. School visit spaces are limited, so we ask that you be flexible as we schedule these.
- Parent Workshops & Play Visits –We offer a special program in collaboration with Parenting Playgroups in Falls Church. The program consists of play visits for your child where our goal is to ensure that your child will be able to thrive in a social constructivist program, while parents concurrently attend workshops led by Dr. Rene Hackney, a parenting and child development specialist. There are 3 workshops, each offered several times for convenience. All three are required for child and all custodial parents.
-Independence in a Social Constructivist Program: Supporting Skill Development through Coaching, not Coercion
-Positive Discipline: Finding the Balance between Child Led Parenting and Traditional Discipline Techniques
-Media and Commercialism: Effects on Imagination, Social Relationship and Age Appropriate Play - Summer Camp – Families Enrolling for 2012/2013 School Year. Children over the age of 3 must enroll in a minimum of one week of 2012 summer camp . Registration for summer camp is due no later than March 1. (Cost additional).
- First Week of School – the first week of school is a transition week. Children are given a half day schedule (morning or afternoon). During this first week, everyone has a chance to ease into new relationships and get to know each other better.
- Parent Teacher Phone Check In –two-three weeks after school starts, we will schedule short phone conferences with each family to check in about anything we have questions about, give you a quick update about how things are going, and answer any questions you have.