​

Once Upon A Time Early Learning Center currently has a waiting list for new students. Families may apply for an enrollment spot by completing the Child Care Waiting List Form and submitting it by hand, fax, or mail.

​

Frequently Asked Questions about our Waiting List

​

Who can apply to the wait list, and when?

Once Upon A Time Early Learning Center is open to children from two weeks to 12 years old. Enrollment,
the provision of services, and referrals of students shall be made without regard to race, color, religious
creed, disability, ancestry, national origin, sex or limited English proficiency (LEP). Registrations for unborn children are accepted, as long as a due date is specified. We cannot record your date of application until you have a due date. If you are adopting a child, you may request a care date based on the anticipated date care will be needed. It is recommended that adoptive families enter the wait list after they receive their letter of confirmation from the agency or embassy.

How do I apply and confirm that my application was received?
 

Prospective families have a choice of submitting their application by hand, US Mail, or fax. Your entry
into the Wait Pool will be the day we receive your completed Child Care Wait List form. It is recommended that you confirm that your form has been received by contacting the center at 724.222.6180.

 

How is the wait list managed?

The wait list is guided primarily by date of application, availability according to age group, and the date care is needed.

If a slot becomes available, how and when will I be contacted?
 

When a space becomes available, the center will notify you using the information provided on the Child Care Wait List form. It is up to each family to notify the center of any pertinent information changes, such as address change, phone/e-mail changes, early birth, etc. 

You will have 48 hours to contact the center, to either accept or refuse the space. Contact should be
made in writing or through e-mail. Because space may become available at any time, there is no
guarantee that it will be on the exact date you want care to begin. It could be sometime prior to or
after your chosen date. If we notify you to offer the space(s), you will have the right to refuse, and you
will retain your space on the wait list.

​

Why isn't a space available for my child on my desired enrollment date?

 

​

We provide high quality child care and education programs for our students. Part of providing high quality care is maintaining appropriate teacher:student ratios and maximum class sizes. We have found that limiting our class sizes helps us to provide the best possible care. Once we reach our desired capacity, we do not accept more students.  Enrollment openings are primarily driven by the growth and development of currently enrolled students who become age-eligible and ready to transition to new classrooms.

​

​

Why can't you tell me exactly where I am on the waiting list?

 

​

Many families want to know exactly what number they are on our waiting list. We do not provide a number because it has very limited meaning.

​

Family circumstances sometimes change making it such that they are no longer waiting to get into our programs. However, families seldom notify us of these changes. As a result, we never know exactly who is active on our list. An available space in the program may be filled by the first name on the list, or we may call several families before finding one still interested in the space. 

​

Changes in family circumstances may include:

• A family made other child care arrangements with which they are satisfied.

• A family moved from the area.

• The employment status of a family changed making it such that they no longer need child care.

 

The number of families with first priority can change. Families already enrolled in our program may get a child into the programs ahead of someone who applies earlier. For example, a new baby of an already enrolled family may receive priority over a family who may have applied earlier. This shifting priority happens mainly for the youngest age groups since pregnancies and adoptions can be unpredictable and families may wait to notify us of the addition to their families. Many of these “priority” families still have to wait to get their children into the programs.

​

All of our students keep getting older. Because children age, the age composition of children in the program is constantly changing. In addition, we have different numbers of spaces for children of different ages (more spaces as children get older). This means that the enrollment spaces that come available are first offered to our existing students who may be age-eligible and ready to transition to a new classroom.