First, for context, we organize our classes by Kindergarten start date, so that each class of children stays together through preschool (with the same teachers) then "graduate" on to Kindergarten at the same time. For complicated licensing reasons, our infant and toddler classrooms (North Park and Downtown only) cannot follow the exact same cut-offs, so there is some potential overlap in age between the two classes, but generally, once a class is formed, the class is comprised of the same children.

Because our classes are organized by Kindergarten start date, our waitlist is too, with separate lists for each age-group. Your child has been added to the waitlist for his or her specific age-group. This waitlist will "move" with the class as the class ages, so there is nothing you need to do to ensure that your child remains on the correct waitlist for his or her class.

Each August, the oldest class at each preschool "graduates" and moves on to Kindergarten. Each classroom below then bumps up in age and we bring in all-new children for the new youngest classroom. For Hillcrest, the youngest class are the two-year-olds (children who are two before September 1st). For North Park and Downtown, the youngest classroom is the infant classroom (must be 6-months-old and 3-months old, respectively). We do enrollment for the new youngest class about six months before the class is scheduled to begin, so around March of each year.

Once a class is filled, families on the waitlist for that class are waiting for an enrolled family to leave or reduce their schedule. That factor is entirely out of our control, so once a class is filled it is genuinely impossible for us to predict whether and when a spot in that class will become available. When a space does become available, we will fill it from the waitlist. This can be at any time of year. Position on the waitlist is a significant factor we consider, but it is not the sole factor.

Families often ask how long it will take for a spot to become available for their child or how long the "average" wait is. Unfortunately, it's genuinely impossible for us to predict, as there is no average. As explained above, families on the waitlist are waiting for enrolled families to leave or reduce their schedule. Because this is San Diego, we have families who move away every year, whether because they are military, were here for graduate school, to be closer to family, or to move somewhere more affordable. However, there is no set pattern, and we can't predict which specific families may leave or when.

It is hypothetically possible that a particular class never has a spot open up for any family on the waitlist, if no families enrolled in that class ever leave or reduce schedules. As a practical matter, that has never been the case. However, it is for that reason that we emphasize that joining the waitlist does not guarantee enrollment, for it is possible that we may not be able to offer your child a spot at any time. In the past, however, nearly every family who has been on the waitlist has been offered a spot at some point before their child reached Kindergarten age.

Just about every family who has ever enrolled at Aspen Leaf Preschool was first on our waitlist (the few exceptions primarily being teachers' children). We emphasize the limited number of spaces and the infrequency of spaces becoming available to ensure that families do not feel misled if a spot does not become available for their child for a long time.

We do not cap the waitlist for a couple reasons. First, quirks of timing sometimes work to the benefit of a family at the end of the waitlist. For example, we have found that families typically do not want to enroll in a new preschool between Thanksgiving and the winter holiday. When spots have opened up in December, even in the classes most in demand, it's often been the case that the only family open to starting at that time is one who had just joined the waitlist.

Second, it is important to understand that our waitlist is not like a restaurant waitlist--you are not waiting to rise to position #1. Because child care is so limited in San Diego, most families join multiple waitlists. If a family is unable to enroll at Aspen Leaf by their desired start date, they will usually enroll elsewhere and typically opt not to switch schools if their child is settled into their program. Thus, many of the families listed on the waitlist may not actually be "waiting" for a spot at Aspen Leaf. As a class gets older, and particularly once the class turns three- or four-years-old, we find most families on the waitlist are settled somewhere else, and it is not unusual for us to reach the end of the waitlist when a spot opens up in the older classrooms.

There is no fee to add siblings to the waitlist if your family is already on our waitlist. Just contact us let us know the child's name and date of birth. The sibling's position on the waitlist will be based on the date of your original waitlist application, thereby increasing the chances of being able to enroll in the future.