FAQs
Q: What ages are eligible to attend the Children's House?
A: The Children's House preschool program is open to students who are at least 3 years old but will not turn 5 on or before August 31 of the current year. Children who are age-eligible for Kindergarten per NC State law must apply for Kindergarten admission through our Charter school lottery. (See Charter admissions for more details.) If your child will not be 3 at the start of the school year but you would like for them to attend part-way through the year, please reach out to the Children's House director to inquire about availability.
Q: Do children need to be fully out of diapers in order to be eligible to attend the Children’s House?
A: Yes. Children need to be able to take care of their toileting needs with minimal to no assistance.
Q: Are you open year-round?
A: No. The Children's House preschool follows the same calendar as the public Charter school. We operate from late August until early June, with breaks in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, as well as occasional days off for teacher workdays or holidays. Our current school calendar can be viewed here.
Q: How many classrooms are at the Children’s House?
A: We have three multi-age classrooms made up of both preschoolers and public Charter kindergarteners. Each class serves approximately 25 children ranging in age from 3 to 6 years old. A fourth classroom serves our full-day preschoolers in the afternoons. Our student-teacher ratio is approximately 13:1.
Q: What time is drop off & pick up?
A: Drop off for all Children's House students is 8:10am - 8:30am at the Children's House gate. Half-day preschoolers are picked up between 11:45am and noon at the gate between the Piedmont and the Mountains buildings, and full-day preschoolers are picked up from Chestnut between 3:00pm and 3:20pm. Kindergarten dismissal is 3:20 - 3:40pm in front of Piedmont with the rest of the Charter School students.
Q: What does the typical day look like for a half-day preschooler? A full-day preschooler? A Kindergartener?
A: All Children's House students participate in a work cycle, circle time, snack (provided by the school), and outdoor recess each day. After half-day preschoolers are dismissed, full-day preschoolers are dismissed to another classroom to eat lunch with their class and then get ready for nap/rest time followed by some additional outdoor/free play. Kindergarteners remain in their classrooms after lunch for an additional work cycle as well as enrichment activities such as PE, Spanish, art, and music.
Q: Do students have outdoor time everyday?
A: Yes! Weather permitting, children spend time on the playground each day. Each class also has its own outdoor learning environment that is an extension of the classroom where students currently eat lunch except during inclement weather.
Q: Do you offer before- or after-school care for preschoolers or Kindergarteners?
A: Yes! Families can add on before- and/or after-school care for an additional fee. Before-school care begins at 7:30am and is run by Camp AMP in the Coastal Plains building, and after school is held in Chestnut and runs until 6:00pm. More details can be found here.
Q: Do students who attend Willow Oak Montessori Children’s House preschool receive priority in the Willow Oak Montessori Charter School lottery?
A: As required by law, no priority is given to Children’s House students in the K-8 Public Charter School lottery.
If you have any additional questions, please contact us at info@willowoakmontessori.org