FAQs

We believe that most children benefit from attending school with their age mates, and as such, encourage most families to send their child on to first grade. In some cases, children may repeat kindergarten at their new school for a variety of developmental reasons or because they completed kindergarten at the ELC as a junior kindergartener (anyone that hasn't turned 5 by August 15th) and would benefit from a year as a true kindergartener. For more information about our Junior Kindergarten options, see here.

The majority of our Kindergarteners end up attending their zoned public school for first grade. Some families choose magnet schools or private education following their time at the ELC. Our team is always happy to help families navigate those tough decisions. 

Transitions of any kind can be challenging for children and families alike. Our families report that the transition to "big school" is often harder for the adults than it is for the children. The structure for communication and access to the classroom and teacher tends to be very different, which can be a challenge for the grownups. Children tend to adapt well to their new classrooms and school settings.  

Kindergarten tuition is $9,900 for the school year, broken down into payments of $990 per month beginning in August and ending in May. Tuition includes early care beginning at 7:30 a.m. and aftercare from 3:00-5:30 p.m. 

Annual Materials Fee: $250, due in September. 

Deposit: The kindergarten deposit is $990 and will be applied to May tuition. 

Many children attend our summer program, Campus Kids! Our camp program typically runs for about 8 weeks in the summer and is led by ELC staff. Camps are usually open to rising first and second graders, though we have approached deciding which age groups to offer flexibly the past few summers. We prioritize enrollment for our limited spots for children enrolled in the kindergarten program and then open remaining spots to recent ELC alums, and then community families if spots remain. 

Knoxville is lucky to have many high-quality summer programs and families often choose a combination of camps over the course of the summer. 

In our experience, traditional kindergarten programs tend to hold the academic aspects of school in higher regard than other important aspects of early learning such as children's social and emotional development, their need for open-ended play and materials, and ample time for creative exploration. Our play- and project-based curriculum allows children enrolled in our program to not only gain the academic skills their peers in traditional programs learn, but they learn them in context and connected to topics they are passionate about. The ELC kindergarten curriculum uses the TN state standards as a guide for the skills children need exposure to and experience with, while working toward proficiency. 

In traditional kindergarten classrooms, there is typically one teacher for 20+ children. Our maximum class size is 18 with a typical group size between 12-15 with a full-time Demonstration Educator, Program Support Specialist in the afternoon, and various practicum students in the classroom. This level of teacher-child ratio allows us to provide individualization for all children enrolled in the program and allows our curriculum approach to be less structured and open to following the interests and needs of the group. 

Children deserve ample time to connect with the natural world and the community around them. Our large natural playscape and commitment to outdoor play, learning, and exploration allow us to spend long periods of time outside. We aren't limited to a 30-minute recess time and try to take learning activities outside as often as possible. We enjoy helping children build connections to our garden spaces as well. Because of our central location to downtown Knoxville and the east end of UT's campus, we are able to make use of the resources in our neighborhood to extend hands-on learning opportunities and exploration of our "place". 

In Knox County, kindergarten entry is staggered across a couple of weeks, with children not starting full-time in the classroom until late August in many cases. In our program, children typically have 2 half days before beginning full-time. We believe in building strong connections from the start and are able to support children and families through the transition to school within this schedule. 

These are just a few examples of ways we think our program differs from traditional kindergarten programming. Let us know if you'd like more examples! 

Great question! See our current Open House schedule here. If none of the Open House dates work for you, we're happy to host you for a tour. To schedule a classroom tour, please contact Dani at drose@utk.edu. 

Currently enrolled ELC families and those who have previously applied for the ELC's waiting pool can apply here!

Brand new to the ELC? Apply here!

Enrollment decisions are made beginning in January, so it is recommended that applications be submitted as soon as you know you are interested in the ELC Kindergarten Program.