FAQ 

My child speaks a language other than English at home - is that OK?

We have many children who are bilingual in English and their family's language. They do fine. We have a few children each year who do not speak English at all when school begins, and we have always been able to make that work well, and we welcome those families. (Note: Teacher Si, our preschool teacher speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.)

However, it is important to note that we do require that the parent or guardian who participates in the class be able to communicate well in English, spoken and written, since class business and parent education is all conducted in English.

Is the building accessible?

Unfortunately, since we are in a basement, our facility is not accessible to people who are not able to use stairs. Other disabilities we are often able to accommodate, and we do want to be as inclusive as possible. If you have specific questions, contact our registrar.

Are there scholarships available?

The scholarship program is currently being reimagined. Come back later for details. 

Which adults can attend with a child? Does it have to be the child's parent?

In each of our programs, each child has a primary caregiver who participates in the class. This can be a parent, a grandparent, nanny, or other caregiver. But it should be the same consistent adult, who has participated in an orientation session at the beginning of the program.

Can I bring my other children to class / preschool?

No. Children who are not enrolled in a class cannot attend that class.  The only exception is for infants under 6 months of age. They can attend if you can wear them in a secure baby carrier the whole class. (They are not allowed to be in a car seat, stroller, or to be set down elsewhere.)

Children must reach the minimum age for the class by August 31. They do not switch classes mid-year if they have a birthday, but remain in that same class. (For examples, for Foxes, they are 24 - 35 months at the start of the year, and by May, they are 33 - 44 months old.) 

My child won't be ___ years old yet on August 31. Can they attend anyway?

No. We do stick strictly to our policy about minimum age. This is for safety reasons and to ensure the most developmentally appropriate experience for your child. 

• Bunnies - We recommend that they be at least 1 year old by August 31. We require that they be at least 10 months.

• Foxes - We require that they are at least 24 months by August 31.

• Preschool Bears and Tinkerers - We require that they be at least 3 years old by August 31.

• Preschool Dinos - We require that they be at least 3 years old by August 31.

• Engineers - We require that they be at least 5 years old by August 31.

What if my child is older than the recommended age?

There is not a maximum age for our classes. If you think the class is a good fit for your child, and they are enjoying it, we can be flexible on this end. For Preschool Dinos, we often have a few 5 year olds whose families decided to do an extra year of preschool before starting kindergarten. Although Tinkerers is aimed at 3 - 6 year olds, we have had children up to age 9 participate (often with a younger sibling in the class) and enjoy it. (Our teachers are always able and willing to challenge those older kids!) Engineers is primarily aimed at 5 - 8 year olds, but we have had kids up to age 10.

Does my child need to be potty trained to attend?

Children are not required to be potty trained. However, the teachers and parent volunteers cannot assist with toileting or diaper changing. For toileting, we can only stand at the door of the bathroom and remind them of what to do. If a child wets themselves, we can coach them through changing clothes. Some parents choose to send their child in pull-ups. If a child who is dropped off has a poop accident, we would call the parent to come to change them.

How does a co-op preschool work? How much work will I have to do as a parent?

Every child in the preschool also has a grown-up who has participation duties. (mom, dad, nanny, grandpa...)  That person has three responsibilities:

• Attend the monthly parent meeting, which includes our parent education class in child development. It is held once a month during the school year, currently on second Thursday evenings 6:30 - 8:30 pm. It is held at the preschool with a hybrid online option for those who can't attend in person

• Work in the classroom as an "apron parent" two or three times a month during class time - this might mean bringing snack, supporting children's art projects, supervising play in the gym or playing in the pretend play and blocks area. You are assisting our teacher, and she is always available for support and guidance. You will work with the parent leader to ensure you're scheduled on days that work for you.

• Have a parent job - this could be as a board member (chair, secretary, treasurer, registrar) or it could be: doing laundry, making playdough, taking photos to create a yearbook, hanging art on the wall, or planning field trips. You will be able to give input on which job would be the best fit for your skills and interests.

Is this a drop-off preschool? When do I need to be there? When can I be there?

On the days you are apron parent (typically 2 - 3 times a month), you will be required to be there from 9:25 - 12:15 or 9:25 - 1:15 (if a Dino Parent).

On the other days, you are welcome to drop off. Some parents just bring their child downstairs, get them settled and then leave. Some parents stay for opening gathering, then leave around 10:00. Some parents choose to stay the whole time, even on days when they are not working. That is always OK. (Although a few months into the year, if we feel your child would connect better to the teacher and the other children if you were not there, we would encourage you to try dropping off and giving them that space to become more independent.)

What is the class size and what is the adult to child ratio?

We have a maximum of 22 children. Most days, 16 to 20 children attend. For each class day, there is the teacher and enough parents to keep our child : adult ratios at an unbeatable 4:1. The parent educator attends preschool on Fridays.

Can I bring my other children to the preschool?

Children who are not enrolled in the program cannot attend classes. If you have an infant under 6 months of age, you can wear them in a secure baby carrier while working in the classroom. 

Opening gathering time, which is just after drop-off time (from 9:45 - 10:00) is an exception. Non-working parents may choose to bring another child to opening gathering but they must depart as soon as gathering time ends. We have many families where the younger sibling came to opening gathering when they were babies or toddlers and then join preschool when they're old enough. They settle into the routine easily based on how comfortable they feel at Eastgate.

How can I find childcare for my other children for the days I work in the classroom?

You will only work a few days a month, so there are a variety of creative ways to approach this. 

In some families, the parents are able to coordinate things so one parent watches the sibling while the other parent is working at the preschool. Another common solution is to connect with another family in the class with a sibling who you can take turns with to babysit on alternating work days. Coordinate with the Parent Leader to ensure you are never scheduled to work the same days.  This solution has worked for many co-op families over the years and often leads to lasting family friendships.

Other families have found a drop-in daycare or hired a babysitter, or reached out to neighbors, church members, old friends, etc to inquire about childcare.   Sometimes there is someone in your network who would be happy to help out with watching your little one a few mornings a month.

Do parents stay with their child?

For Toddler class, parents stay every day for the full class. For Saturday STE(A)M, they stay on parent ed days once a month and on the days they are working in the classroom (a few times each quarter). On the other days they can drop off or stay and play. Typically the parents in the Tinkerers class stay each week, the Engineers parents might stay or might drop off.

Do parents work in the classroom?

For toddlers, parents help with tidying up at the end of free choice time, and a few times a quarter they have snack duty - they bring snack for the whole class, set it up and clean up.  For our Saturday STE(A)M classes, parents attend parent education once a month, and work in the classroom as a few times each quarter. There are no additional parent commitments outside class time. 

How do Costs Compare to Other Programs?

On an hourly basis, our preschool tuition is lower cost than almost any other preschool. Public preschools can cost up to twice as much and private preschools as much as 3 or 4 times as much per hour. Our tuition is affordable (and our adult to child ratios are better than all the rest!) because we are a co-op preschool, where parents take on parent jobs and also work in the classroom a few times each month. This gives you the opportunity to participate in your child's learning, and gives your child the chance to interact with and learn from a community of caring adults.

For our weekly classes, to compare costs, look at total hours included. Tuition for one quarter covers 11 weeks, 2 hours per week, so 22 hours of class time. That leads to a much lower per hour rate than many other programs in the community. 

How does Tuition Work for Weekly Classes (STEM and Toddlers)? Refund Policy?

When you enroll online, you will set up an electronic payment. The process takes a few days to complete. Your tuition for the quarter is due within one week of registration to secure your space. 

Refunds: To cancel, you must notify the parent instructor and the Eastgate registrar by email. If you cancel by 30 days prior to class, you will receive a full refund minus a $10 processing fee. If you cancel by 10 days prior to class, we will refund 50% of the tuition. No refunds are offered for cancellations less than 10 days prior to class.

How does Tuition Work for Preschool? Refunds?

You pay the non-refundable registration fee to secure your spot. There are 8 additional times a payment is due. 

• One month of tuition is due by May 15 (or as soon as you enroll if after that date.) This will be applied to the tuition for the following May - the final month of preschool - it is collected before the year begins to help us purchase supplies for the year and is non-refundable. 

• In mid September, you pay 1.5 months of tuition (covers September and October). From October to March, each month you pay the next month's tuition. 

Refunds: Should unforeseen circumstances require the child to be withdrawn before the end of the school year, notice of intent to withdraw should be given 30 days in advance, in writing, directed to the Board. Tuition will continue to be due during that 30 day period, and will be prorated to cover the 30 days notice period. All tuition(s) paid are non-refundable. 

Eastgate Co-op has been around since 1965, and was part of Bellevue College when they first opened. For decades, BC offered a parent education program, where the parents were students in a college class, and the preschool was their "lab class.." BC chose to close their program in 2026, so Eastgate is now an independent non-profit organization. Our parent educator and many of our children's teachers are continuing on from the BC program, and the philosophy is generally aligned with this previous program.