Chippewa Nature Center
2023-24 Nature Preschool Registration Packet
2023-24 Nature Preschool Placement Request Form
(Note: Child must be 3 or 4 years old by Sept 1, 2023 to be eligible to attend)
Important Dates | Class Schedules | Tuition & Assistance
Important Dates for the 2023-24 School Year:
Mon, Dec 5, 2022 - Registration information available online
Mon, Jan 2, 2023 - Current and alumni family placement begins
Wed, Feb 1, 2023 - New family placement begins
Interested families should submit their class preferences online through the Nature Preschool Placement Request Form. Registrations received prior to the placement date will be pooled and children will be placed in sessions by lottery. Registrations received after the placement date will be placed in the order they are received based on availability of sessions.
Class Schedules
| Days | Times | Ages |
|---|---|---|
| Tues, Thurs | Morning | 3 year olds only |
| Mon, Wed, Fri | Morning | 3 & 4 year olds |
| Mon, Tues, Wed | Afternoon | 3 & 4 year olds |
| Mon-Thurs | Morning | 4 year olds only |
| Mon-Thurs | Afternoon | 4 year olds only |
Tuition & Assistance
Tuition for 2022-23
4 day, half-day - $3,540 per year ($393 per month)
3 day, half-day - $2,655 per year ($296 per month)
2 day, half-day - $1,770 per year ($197 per month)
Tuition Assistance Information
For enrollment and tuition questions, please contact Jill Derry, Nature Preschool Office Manager
and enrollment specialist, at 989-631-0830 or jderry@chippewanaturecenter.org.
The Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) is Michigan's state-funded preschool program for four-year-old children who qualify either financially or due to other factors. The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Great Start. Funding is allocated to each intermediate school district to administer the program locally. Nature Preschool is a sub-recipient of these funds and holds a number of GSRP slots each school year via the Regional Preschool Partnership. The Nature Preschool Placement Request Form is also a requirement for enrollment. This form has a $25 fee. If you are not able to pay, please contact us for a discount code.
Research on preschool programs and specific research on GSRP indicates that children provided with a high-quality preschool experience show significant positive developmental differences when compared to children from the same backgrounds who did not attend a high-quality preschool program.
If you are interested in attending Nature Preschool by means of the GSRP program, please visit michiganpreschool.org to fill out an interest form. Choose “Midland County ESA,” then complete the form based on your child’s information. Choose “Midland-Chippewa Nature Center in the preference list. These forms are compiled at the ESA level, then passed on to your first preference.
PLEASE NOTE: There are a set number of GSRP slots at Nature Preschool. Although we try our very best to find placement for children, completing the interest form does not guarantee enrollment at Chippewa Nature Center. If we do not have a slot for your child, you will be passed on to your next preference. Families who qualify for government-funded tuition assistance may be contacted by Head Start. We are required to inform you that there are other tuition-assisted preschool options in the area. There is a chance that a family who qualifies for tuition assistance may be eligible for the Head Start program. If this is the case, you may receive a call from a Head Start representative explaining your options for that tuition-free program. You can see a complete list of GSRP programs at www.preschoolpartnership.org and Head Start options at www.michheadstart.org.