Mini Explorers – 3 Year Old Class Options

• Mini Explorers 1: Tuesday/Thursday 8:45 am – 11:45am (8 spots in the class with one teacher. Children need to be 3 before preschool starts and must be fully potty trained)
• Mini Explorers 2:Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 am – 12:00 am (15 spots in the class with two teachers. Children need to be 3 before preschool starts and must be fully potty trained)

Explorers – 4 Year Old Class Options

• Explorers 1: Monday/Wednesday 8:45 am to 11:45 am (16 spots in the class with two teachers. Children need to be 4 before preschool starts)
• Explorers 2: Monday/Wednesday 12:30 pm to 3:30pm (16 spots in the class with two teachers. Children need to be 4 before preschool starts)

Combined Age Class

• Junior Explorers: Tuesday/Thursday 12:30 pm -3:30pm (16 spots in the class with two teachers. Children need to be 3 ½ before preschool starts.

Friday Class (3 day/week option)

• Friday 9:00 am – 12:00pm (16 spots in the class with two teachers. This class option is only available for 4-year-olds)

Junior Kindergarten Class

• Senior Explorers: Tuesday/Thursday 12:45 pm – 3:45 pm (11 spots in the class with one teacher. Children must be 5 by December to register)

Because our Junior K is a one-teacher class (and because there are no government supports such as I’m For Kids), students in Jr. K are a very independent group. They come into the school with confidence and big smiles, they know the routine, they follow a group plan, they are team-players, and have a genuine love of learning. With this comes a lot of flexibility in our learning; more group projects, more student-agency and choice, but also more responsibility on the students themselves to begin to take charge of their learning. If independence, collaboration and enthusiasm describe your little one, they are sure to have lots of success and fun with learning in our Jr.K class.

2023/2024 Registration & Fees

There will be an open house for the 2023/2024 Preschool Year on Friday January 27th and Friday February 3rd . To sign up for one of the open house dates, please email mail@activeexplorers.ca

Registration

Online registration for the 2023/2024 year is available on Monday, February 6th at 9:00 am. There is no fee to apply or to be on the waitlist. Applications are filtered by priority (current families, siblings & alumni) and then by date/time. We will send out a confirmation email once your registration form is received.  If a spot is available, you will be contacted by email to complete the application process (a phone meeting will be required for new registers). If a conditional enrollee does not complete the application process within one week of being contacted, the spot will be forfeited.

Please read the Before You register section to ensure that Active Explorers is the right fit for your little one. If you decide the Active Explorers is right fit, please proceed with the application process.

•  $90 non-refundable registration fee sent via e-transfer to mail@activeexplorers.ca
•  Signed participation waiver
• Signed parent handbook (Please read through the parent handbook carefully to ensure that you understand and agree with our policies)
• Signed PAD agreement

After You Register

Active Explorers is a fully licenses preschool and as a result, all families are eligible for government subsidy. The rates listed below INCLUDE the universal $75.00 monthly grant. This is a flat rate per child, and you do not need to apply for it. There is also an additional subsidy ($125.00) available to eligible families with a household income of less than $180 000. You must apply for this additional child subsidy (https://www.alberta.ca/child-care-subsidy.aspx).

Class Fees:

• 2 days/week (6 hours) $193.00
• 3 days/week (9 hours) $275.00
• Annual gymnastics fee $50.00

All payments will be made through a pre-authorized debit agreement (PAD). June 2024 tuition payment along with the $50.00 gymnastics fee will be debited on August 1, 2023. Remaining tuition payments will be debited on the 1 st of the month (September 1 to May 1). All NSF payments will be subject to a $25.00 fee. This will be debited from your bank account including outstanding fees.

Withdrawal Process:

A written withdrawal letter must be received on or before the 1 st of the month (minimum 30 days notice) for a refund of your June 2024 tuition payment.

Please note –In efforts to keep fees low for families, Children Services has communicated that they will be providing a 3% cost of living increase directly to programs.  In the event that this does not occur, the fees listed above will increase by 3% for the 2023/2024 year.

Getting prepped for Preschool

At Active Explorers, we believe strongly in the benefits of play and allowing children the opportunity to explore and develop their skills through open-ended and engaging activities. We also believe that the learning environment should be flexible and responsive to children’s need and invite curiosity and discovery. We know that the transition into preschool can be scary (either for you their parents, or for our learners themselves) but we can promise you that at AE, they will be stimulated in purposeful play, engaged in hands-on learning, encouraged to be kind and make friends and loved and cared for by their teachers.

Typical Preschool Day:

• Drop-off outside (coat room and gather at the carpet)
• Carpet (tub toys, singing, stories, sharing and other hands-on activities)
• Process art
• Student-Led play (downstairs and upstairs classroom)
• Snack with friends
• Gym (Gymnastics and other gross motor games and activities)
• Pick-up (outside the coatroom doors)

Toileting

Active Explorers is not equipped to assist children with potty training, and therefore we require children to be toilet independent before attending preschool. Because we use multiple spaces for our learning (two classrooms and three gyms) each bathroom looks a little different. All our bathrooms are equipped with a regular-size (not industrial) toilet, automatic sink faucets (set to a safe temperature), and stools to ensure the toilet and sinks are accessible. We do not have training toilet seats, changing table and/or other supplies for toileting.

Is my child toilet independent? How do I know if my child is fully potty trained?
(Information from ‘Is My Child Ready for Preschool?)

• Is my child staying in the same cloth underwear and clothing all day long 3 out of 4 days per week?
• Is my child recognizing the need to go on his/her own? (Adults not prompting them to go).
• Are they uncomfortable when they are wet/dirty?
• Are they able to pull their pants up and down on their own and wipe themselves?

What if my child is having accidents at preschool?

We understand that on occasion, accidents happen, and we have extremely loving and patient teachers who are willing to help and support your little one if anything particularly tricky occurs. Please ensure that an extra change of clothing is always packed so we can assist your child as needed. If a little one can’t make it to the bathroom in time for a number two, we will do our best to assist them, but in some instances, immediate pick-up may be required.

We understand that toilet regressions can occur in a new environment, and we are here to work with you and your little one to ensure their success. As a small program, we unfortunately, cannot hold spots without payment should your child require additional ‘readiness’ time, and we look forward to having your little one back at preschool when they are feeling ready to tackle the toilet. Sometimes, a few additional days or weeks is all they need to jump right back in!

Parent Communication

Communication:

• Each month you can expect to receive a ‘monthly newsletter’ with important dates and events coming up that month at AE
• Email communication is an effective and reliable tool for communication between you and your child’s teacher regarding notifying us if your child will be late for drop-off, if you are running behind for pick-up, of any absences (including illness), or to let us know if someone special (or unfamiliar to us) is coming to pick your child up from school
• We have found that email communication is not an effective way to communicate if you (or we) have any concerns in our classroom and ask families and teachers to request in-person conversations for these matters. We are here to work collaboratively, support everyone’s learning and make sure that this is the kind of environment where you (and your child) feels welcomed and supported. We know preschool won’t be without its hiccoughs throughout the year, but if we believe that if we all maintain open, honest, and kind communication with one another, we are sure to find endless success!
• ‘Homeroom’: At AE we love to share updates with you about what your child gets up to each day; photos of them hard at play and prompting questions for you that might help encourage dinner table conversation regarding what your child has learned each week! Instead of adding to your email inboxes, we share these updates (quick notes, photos and information regarding your child’s specific class), with you via the app ‘Homeroom’! Each class will have their own private homeroom link. You will receive the private homeroom link closer to your child’s start date.

Volunteers:

We happily welcome parents, caregivers, grandparents, etc. into the classroom, however, all volunteers are required to submit a Vulnerable Sector Police information check before volunteering. Please visit www.calgary.ca/cps/public-services/police-information-checks.html