The Enrollment Process
1. Appointment for a Tour/Visit
So glad you are interested in Cornerspring Montessori School! The first step in our enrollment process is to make an appointment to visit our campus at 256 Congress Street in Belfast. Please call us at (207) 338-5800 to set up a convenient morning time. We request that this first visit be “adults only.” This allows you, as a parent, to assess the school, our classrooms, and the Montessori method for the right fit for your child. This meeting is typically about 30 minutes long, but we can take as long you’d like!
2. Application
After visiting the school and if you are interested in enrolling in one of our programs, the next step is fill out an application. All applications must be submitted with a one-time application fee of $25.00. Applications for all our programs are accepted year-round and are available on the website. You may also contact the school directly to have an application sent to you.
3. Child Visit and Head of School Meeting
After receiving your application, we will contact you to set up a time to meet with our Head of School while your child visits one of our classrooms. For our preschool students (pre-K through Kindergarten) the child visit in the classroom lasts approximately 45 minutes. If needed, parents are welcome to escort their child to the classroom and stay for a few minutes until the child can be engaged in a classroom activity and then the parent(s) will meet with our Head of School. This will give the parent an opportunity to ask more specific questions about our programs and find out more details about the school, our staff, and the Montessori philosophy. It also allows the school’s teaching staff to work with and observe the child in the Montessori classroom environment.
Older students looking at our elementary program will visit for a full day with a parent meeting scheduled with the classroom teacher on a subsequent day. This gives the student an opportunity to participate in the classroom for a longer period of time and experience the Montessori environment. It also allows the elementary teacher an opportunity to informally assess the student’s skills and interests to determine if the placement at Cornerspring will be a good fit.
4. Enrollment Decision/Acceptance
If you are looking for immediate enrollment, we make ongoing decisions based on openings in each classroom. For enrollments for the next school year, we begin accepting students in April, after our current students have gone through their re-enrollment period in March. It is at this time that you will be notified about acceptance or waiting list status in one of our programs.
5. Enrollment Completion
The following forms and fees are needed by the school to complete enrollment:
• Signed enrollment contract;
• Non-refundable enrollment fee ($50.00 for new families) and 10% enrollment deposit;
• School Year Forms;
• Vaccination records.
Summer program
Cornerspring offers a summer program that may vary from year to year. Cornerspring accepts children in three age groups, ages 18 months to 3 years, ages 3 to 6 years of age and ages 6 to 12 years of age. Information about our summer program is made available the first of April of each year. Cornerspring reserves the right to cancel any session if the minimum needed for enrollment is not met.
