Admissions
Application Process
For more than 50 years, Nelephant Montessori School has provided a high-quality, authentic Montessori education for generations of students. If you’d like to join our community, please complete a waitlist form to begin the admission process.
Our Toddler program is a 1-2 year program depending on the age of your child when they enter. The intent is to have the Toddlers move up into the Casa program when they are old enough, depending on space availability and readiness of the child.
Our Casa program can be 3 or 4 years in length depending on the age at which the child enters and the child’s natural maturity. Children must be at least 2 years 8 months of age but, generally, not yet 4 when entering the program. Children stay with us until they are ready to go into Grade 1. An integral part of our classroom is having a balance of the three ages of children, and therefore it is vital that families make the commitment to finish the full Casa program.
How to Apply
The Application Process
1. Waitlist
Admissions are processed in the following order:
- Current students wishing to reenrol
- Siblings of current students who have committed to the 3-year Casa program
- New students
There is no charge to be placed on our Waitlist, and no obligation to register for a spot should one be offered.
Interested families are encouraged to complete and return waitlist forms as soon as their enrolment decision has been made to increase the chances of availability.
2. Getting to Know Your Family
(School tour/classroom observation & meet with our Head of School or Toddler Supervisor)
The Admissions process will begin in February/March for the following school year. As spaces open up, we will contact people from the waitlist. The Admissions process includes the following steps:
- A tour of the school with your child.
- An Application Form for you to complete and submit.
- An observation in one of our classrooms for at least 1 parent/guardian.
- A short visit to one of our Casa classrooms for your child to work with the teachers. This is for Casa children only. Toddler children will not have a visit.
- Acceptance Letters will be sent out to those children for whom we have a space.
3. Enrolment & Fees
You will be sent an Enrolment Form to complete, and you will be required to pay the Enrolment Fee to officially reserve a space in our program for your child.
4. Registration
A complete Registration Package will be sent in the Spring.
Nelephant Montessori School admits students of any economic and social class, racial and ethnic heritage, religious belief and family structure. We have a limited number of subsidized* spaces available for qualified families.
*Subsidy is arranged directly between the parents and the Niagara Region. Nelephant has no say in the approval process.
Teachers & Staff
Staff at Nelephant Montessori in St. Catharines are passionate educators. They are committed to providing high-quality, authentic Montessori education to the St. Catharines’ community. We offer many opportunities for learning and career advancement.
