Fees
Eligibility
Children are eligible to attend Friends if:
- They are 3 or 4 by December 2 of the year enrolled
- They are potty trained by the start of school (no pull-ups please!)
- A parent can fulfill the minimum parent participation requirement. For morning program parents this includes assisting in the classroom. Afternoon programs have no such requirement, though parents are always welcome to join the fun!
Tuition
As a non-profit, Friends tuition is set by our volunteer parent Board each February. Annual tuition is paid in 10 equal installments of the amount indicated. Total the fees if your child attends more than one program. Payments are due on the first of each month, September 1 to June 1. A deposit equal to one months tuition is paid at regstration and is typically applied to your June installment.
| Monthly Installment | ||
| M,W,F Mornings | 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | $429 |
| T, Th Mornings | 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | $286 |
| Optional Day M or W | 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. | $143 |
| M W F Afternoons | 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. | $429 |
| T Th Afternoons | 12 p.m. - 3 p.m. | $286 |
Scholarships and Tuition Subsidies
Full and partial scholarships are offered on a case-by-case basis. For consideration, please submit a confidential Scholarship Request Form with your application. We are a Palo Alto Community Child Care voucher center. Participating Parents and some Board members (depending on position) receive tuition credits.
2006 - 2007 Tuition Credits
| Participating Parents (a.m. progams only) | $143 / month for full PP ; - $71.50 for 1/2 PP |
| Substituting Parents (a.m. programs only) | $35.75 / day (only when called in to work) |
| Board Position | $0 to - $429 / month (varies by position) |
Parent Participation Expectations
Friends is a cooperative and all families commit to a minimum level of annual parent participation. For more details on these and other opportunities see Parent Participation.
All Families
- Workdays: Participate in three of seven Saturday morning workdays or the equivalent. Non-Saturday alternatives are available.
- Fundraising: Participate in 10 hours preparing for or working at one or more of our fun, family fundraising events. You must dedicate 6 hours of this to Fiesta
Morning Programs Only
A parent from each family must be available to assist in the class as a Substituting or Participating Parent. Couples may share the responsibility. Siblings may not come to school with you.
- Participating Parents: Volunteer to work in the classroom 8:45 - 12:30 once a week (full PP) or every other week (1/2 PP) for the school year; and attend 3 board meetings. They commit when they register. PP receive a monthly tuition credit, see amount above -- as well as workday and fundraising credits.
OR
- Substituting Parents: On-call until 8:30 a.m., 8-9 days a year to substitute for an absent PP. Sign ups are done at the Fall Parent Orientation Meeting. If called in, subs are paid directly by the absent PP, see amount above. All morning parents who are not full PP are required to be substituting parents.