Thank you so much for your interest in joining the Goldman Family Preschool! We are fully enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year and through summer of 2025. We are accepting waitlist applications April through December of 2024 for the 2025-2026 school year. In order to be placed on the applicant pool/waitlist we require families to complete the APPLICATION FORM and submit it along with the REQUIED $25 APPLICATION FEE to our administrative office. There is no applicant fee for current family siblings. Please be sure to read the information about our waitlist application process and the included FAQ below before you submit your application form and fee.  

APPLICATION FORM   |     WAITLIST PROCESS FEE

A Completed Application Includes: 

1. Admissions Application and Application Fee Submitted*  

To print or fill out the forms online CLICK HERE and either email it to jca@mainejewish.org with the Subject Line: GFP Waitlist  - or mail your completed form and $25 check to:

Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine

c/o Goldman Family Preschool

1342 Congress Street

Portland, ME 04102

To pay the $25 application fee you can CLICK HERE to pay online or mail payment by check or money order along with your completed application form. The application must be fully filled out in all fields to be considered completed.

*Step one gets you onto our applicant pool/waitlist and must be completed, with an applicant form filled out and received along with an application fee in order to be put on the list. 

You will receive an email notification within 7 business days of when we process your family application and fee to confirm that we have put you on the applicant pool/waitlist.

2. Parent Tour with the School Director, Child Readiness Form, Family Questionnaire

Tours will be offered at the time a space becomes available. These tours will take place in the spring. All waitlist families will be updated by April if a room becomes fully enrolled. We will contact you directly by email if a space is available for your child. The required forms for this step will be shared with you at the time a space and tour are offered.

3. Preschool Play Visit and Current Provider Recommendation Form

The play visit is required and will only be scheduled for children of families who have been offered a spot in the Threes and Fours Preschool classroom and have completed the application steps 1 and 2. A parent is required to attend with the child during the play visit. If your child is currently in childcare with a program or individual provider, we will send you a Current Provider Recommendation Form. Please have them fill out the Current Provider Recommendation Form and mail it to us directly with ATTN: GFP Director.

This step must be completed before final enrollment can be processed in order to ensure that our preschool program and curriculum is the best fit for your child and family.

Waitlist

In order to be placed on the applicant pool/waitlist we require families to complete the APPLICATION FORM and submit it along with the required $25 application fee to our administrative office. There is no applicant fee for current family siblings. 

Our waitlist closes during the registration period every year starting from the third week of January and we do not accept any waitlist applications during this time. The following year's waitlist opens on April 3rd. If you applied and are on the current year's waitlist you will automatically be moved to the following year's waitlist in April for the classroom your child's age is eligible for. If you wish to apply for the waitlist, we will begin accepting new applications for our waitlist for the next school year starting in April. Please note that being placed on the applicant pool/waitlist does not enroll your child and is not any guarantee of enrollment.  

As an exceptional NAEYC Accredited Center, the majority of families that enroll stay with GFP for all five years of preschool. As a small preschool serving 5 classrooms infant through Preschool age 5, we have a very limited number of open spaces that may come available in order to enroll new families for any given year. We operate from our applicant pool/waitlist to enroll after our current family, sibling and priority enrollment period ends mid-February. We will operate from our waitlist from Mid-February to March 31st to fill any available spots if space allows. 

FAQ

Is there a cost to get on the waitlist?

Yes, there is a non-refundable $25 application fee to add your child to our waitlist. Application fee payment can be made online, by phone with a credit card, or sent by mail with your application as a check or money order. This fee may be waived for economic hardship. This is a one time fee.

How does the waitlist work?

Families are placed in an "applicant pool" on our waitlist along with any current family, sibling or other priority status enrollment information provided to us at the submission of your application. The waitlist is dated but decisions are multi-factored as we make decisions with priority status enrollment periods in mind. The waitlist is not necessarily established in the order we received applications but also with priority status qualifiers, and best fit factors needed per cohort.  Once our current family and priority status enrollment periods end, we review the waitlist to offer any available slots for the coming school year. We are unable to guarantee a spot in any classroom until we have completed our priority status enrollment period or a space has opened.

When will I be offered a spot?

We will determine by early spring if we have space to enroll families from the applicant pool/waitlist and will reach out only if space allows. It is difficult to determine when an open space will align with your needs and preferences and our availability. We start the process by assessing the needs of our current families, then, we work from our applicant pool/waitlist in order of priority status as well as cohort best fit. All families on our waitlist will be notified by email when we are fully enrolled.

Do you enroll to the public outside of current family and priority status enrollment each year?  

Yes, however the current trend is that we have been staying mostly fully enrolled in all classrooms from our current family, sibling, and priority enrollment periods each year. We will always operate from our applicant pool/waitlist should space allow after priority status enrollment periods, but it is important to note that not all priority status families will get a spot and there is a significant waitlist each year.

When does the new year begin for children?

The school year begins in September the day after Labor Day and runs until Mid June. New children start in September and then we enroll on a rolling basis during the school year if space allows. Families applying for our waitlist are applying for the school year calendar Sept-June. Once a child is enrolled they are eligible for the summer camp program following that school year. Summer registration is optional and enrollment opens to current families in March. We will only open spots in our summer camps to the public if staffing and space allows.

Do you offer tours of the Preschool?

Yes, we schedule tours once we indicate there is a space available for your child. We typically conduct most tours in the early spring.

Do I need to let you know to move my child to the next age classroom waitlist?

There is no need to reapply to stay on our waitlist. We reach out to families annually in August to confirm if they want to stay on the list. We also ask that if you have enrolled at another center or no longer want to be on our list that you notify us so we can remove you from our waitlist. Please make sure you reach out if your email address or other contact information changes after you submit the application and fees. When you receive the email make sure to follow the directions in order to remain on the list at that time. If you want to stay on the list, then your child will remain on the waitlist for another year at no extra charge. Children are removed from the waitlist if they age out of our program, or by request of the family.

What happens if I am offered a spot?

We will offer you a tour once you confirm that you are interested in moving forward in the enrollment process. You will be required to send in any enrollment forms along with the non-refundable registration fee of $500. The school director will follow up with you once you have completed the tour to confirm enrollment and final placement decisions.

What are your tuition rates?

Please see our tuition rates for the current year HERE.

What does a school year calendar look like? Does Preschool close for vacation and training times during the year?  

Please see this year's school calendar to get a sense of when we are closed for Teacher PD Days, Vacation Weeks and Holidays. We operate a preschool program with specially designed curriculum and care. Our preschool is closed for required teacher training hours at different times scheduled throughout the year and to give our full time staff vacation time. We encourage families to fully investigate our website, calendar, hours of operation and curriculum to ensure they match the needs and best fit for your family. If a space is offered families will have a meeting with the director to give time to discuss and answer best fit questions for your family and child.