Enrollment: Children with Developmental Delays

Children, ages three to five with developmental delays who reside in the Vestavia Hills City School District and meet the state requirements for eligibility and have need for special education as determined by the IEP team are eligible to attend the VHCS Preschool Program on their third birthday.  Preschool students who remain in the program may or may not be assigned the same preschool teacher from year to year.

Enrollment for Children without disabilities:

Children who are typically developing between the ages of three and five must reside in the Vestavia Hills City School District. They must turn 3 on or before September 1 to be eligible to start at the beginning of the school year and must be potty trained. Children who turn 3 after September 1 may be considered for enrollment after their 3rd birthday if there is an opening. To be considered a typically developing peer, the child must pass a developmental screener and demonstrate the following: age-appropriate speech and language skills, age-appropriate self-help skills, model positive behaviors, and be toilet trained.

Application Process

All children applying to become a typical peer model must be at least three years old and fulfill district registration requirements. In addition, the following must be completed:

• Applications are available ONLINE.
• If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Mueller at muellerj@vhcs.us.
• The child’s acceptance into the program will depend on the information taken from a developmental screener, observation, and family interview. Acceptance determinations are made by a committee at each school (comprised of preschool teachers, speech language pathologists, school administrators, and/or other professionals as needed).

• Children accepted into the program will be required to complete the Vestavia Hills City Schools enrollment and registration process.

Tuition and Fees for Typical Peer Models

• A non-refundable registration fee (a processing fee) of $100.00 is due when the application is submitted. The application will not be processed until the registration fee is paid. We accept checks made payable to Vestavia Hills City Schools Preschool (please note Attn: Jennifer Mueller). Checks may be delivered or mailed to the Board of Education: 1204 Montgomery Highway (Vestavia Hills, AL 35216). Once your application and registration fees are submitted, we will confirm by email that both have been received. 
• There will be an initial/first semester supply fee of $100 and a second semester (January) supply fee of $50. This pays for instructional/classroom supplies. This needs to be paid for by the first day of school and the first day of the second semester.
• At the beginning of each semester there will be a snack fee of $50. This pays for student’s daily snacks and paper products. Snacks are coordinated with the unit being taught in the classroom. This needs to be paid for by the first day of school and the first day of the second semester.
• The monthly tuition depends on whether your child attends 4 or 5 days: 5 days: $300.00 4 days: $250.00
• Tuition is due on the 1st of each month and is delinquent on the 5th. If tuition is not received by the 5th of each month, a late fee of $5 per business day will be applied to your balance. There will be a $35 charge for all checks returned. A 30-day written notice of withdrawal from VHCS preschool is required, or tuition and/or fees will still apply. If your child does not attend for 30 consecutive calendar days and tuition has not been paid, then they will be withdrawn and forfeit their placement in the VHCS Preschool Program for the remainder of the school year. If tuition is not paid for two months, the student will be withdrawn from the program.
• If a parent decides after payment of the registration fee ($100.00) that the child will NOT attend, he/she must notify the preschool teacher in writing that they are withdrawing the child from the program. As stated earlier in this document, the $100.00 registration fee is non-refundable.

Meals

• Lunch may be purchased at the school or may be brought from home. Meals are not included in the monthly tuition. The charge is $2.50 for a lunch and drink. We encourage students to eat the school lunch instead of bringing them from home as this allows students to try new foods as well as use language to request food items.
• Each school has a snack time. Snack fee is $50 a semester. The first payment is due at preschool orientation (to be announced) and the second payment is due by January 6, 2024. This fee covers all snacks, drinks, paper products, and supplies for cooking activities in the classroom.

Other/Schedule

• The Preschool School Day is from 8:00-12:30.  There is no extended day option for preschool students.
• Vestavia Hills City Schools does not grant scholarships for our preschool program.