Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifications do your teachers have?

All of our teachers have qualifications beyond the legal requirements dictated by the Child Care Licensing Act. Our teachers have, in addition to their Early Childhood Educator license, or Early Childhood Educator Assistant License, their Montessori certificate or a Bachelor's degree. All teachers also have valid first aid and have successfully passed a criminal record search. Teachers have also received all recommended vaccinations (TB, Hepatitis, MMR and Influenza).

How long is your waitlist?

Our waitlist fluctuates in size and varies by classroom. Understandably, given the dearth of available high quality care for our toddlers, the Toddler waitlists tends to be longer than that of the Pre-Kindergarten classes. For this reason, some parents have chosen to register for admission up to two years in advance (during pregnancy). We register based on birth year, following what the elementary school system does. So your child will be registered in a class of students born in the same year, who will all graduate into Kindergarten in the same year. We offer spaces to existing families and siblings before offering spaces to families on our waitlist. However, since we charge a waitlist fee, most families on our waitlist are serious about wanting a space, and will usually accept a space when offered. Spaces are offered based on interviews: when a space comes available, we interview families and then offer out the space to the family that best fits within the group and school at that time. Specifically, in the one-year-old class we look at walking, nap needs, and eating (all children must be on solid foods at start date); we also look at family philosophy and if our school will realistically meet the needs of the family. In the two through four year old classes, we increasingly look at social and emotional development. As our classes focus on social and emotional learning, and particularly through co-construction (group and interdependent learning) children entering school in the three or four year old class may not be able to function at the level our existing students function at, and if the social-emotional levels are too far apart, this can lead to stress and an unhappy school experience.

I want to observe a classroom - how can I do this?

It is important to the families, children and teachers that class time is not interrupted. Before offering spaces to two, three or four year olds we will almost always request an observation as part of the interview - so we can observe your child in the classroom and so you can observe the classroom. This is a two-way process! Observations are otherwise accommodated as long as the classroom will not be disrupted. We offer open houses most months and parents are welcome to visit our school with their children during any of the open houses.

My child only eats certain foods - what if they don't eat at lunch time?

We accommodate food limitations due to allergies and religious / personal beliefs. So if your child is a vegetarian, or is lactose intolerant, for example, we are able to offer other foods. We find that many children will not eat vegetables or other foods at home, but will eat at least some of these foods at school - peer pressure is a strong influence, and children are more likely to try different foods when all of their friends are trying them. We ask children to all try at least one bite of each food.

What foods do you serve at lunch time and snack time?

We offer a wide variety of foods. Our lunches are three courses: the first course is a salad or vegetable course. The second course is a child friendly entree, such as pasta or stir-fried rice and vegetables. The third course is "dessert", usually fruit of some sort.

What other fees are there, other than the waitlist fee and tuition?

Each year families are required to re-register, which requires a $75.00 fee. A security deposit, half a month tuition, is also required upon registering. We require a $10.00 deposit for each school key, which is returned when keys are returned. There may be fees on occasion for things such as school photo day - but are always for things which are optional and not required.

What if my child does not nap?

Not all of our children nap. Nap time is from 12:45 - 2:30. All full day and extended day children have siesta for ½ hour after lunch, to rest their bodies and listen to stories; children who do nap are allowed to return to the classroom as they wake up throughout the afternoon. All children are woken up at 2:30 unless otherwise requested by the parents.

How do you communicate with parents?

Our parent community is active and vocal! Each class has their own tools they use for ongoing communication, but in general, teachers send out daily diaries to parents in the younger classes, providing a snap shot of a moment in the day. Individual diaries - an ongoing collection on individual child moments - are printed and organized in each child's diary book at school. Our parent video website allows parents to log in and view classroom videos. Our blog offers teacher reflections on the classroom (www.reggiovancouver.com). Our facebook group is a platform for parents to communicate with each other. We email and print a monthly newsletter for the whole-school. Finally, our PAC meets monthly and discusses and sets the path for whole-school issues. However, each class also has other tools - some teachers email a weekly update, some email photos, some prefer face:face chats at drop off an pick up. The identity of each class evolves to meet the needs of those particular families.