We offer a full preschool program from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Also available are half-day options in the morning and afternoon, both of which include a rich, full curriculum. There are 12 – 14 children enrolled each day. The ratio of children to teachers is 6 to 1 during the school year and 7 to 1 in the summer. We actively seek a diverse group of children, based on a number of objective and subjective factors at the discretion of the director. One of these factors is age: 3 to 5 – 6 years during the school year, September through June, 3 – 7 years during July and August.
Program Hours and Tuition Fees (2012–2013)
| 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | $215/month for one morning a week |
| 8:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. | $315/month for one day a week |
| 1:00 – 5:30 p.m. | $215/month for one afternoon a week |
| Full time (8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) | $1,575/month |
| Annual liability insurance fee | $100 |
| Annual supplies fee | $50 |
| Annual family volunteer hours | 20 |
| Volunteer hours can be bought out for $25/hour | |
| Deposit required to enroll | One-half of projected last month's tuition |
Enrollment is for the school year, September through August. If you must withdraw your child from our program, six weeks’ notice is required, except for the months of November, December, May, and June. These four months are difficult months to replace departing students. Parents are responsible for tuition through the end of December if their child is enrolled as of November 1st. Parents are also responsible for tuition through the end of June if their child is enrolled as of May 1st.
Tuition
Tuition is to be paid on the 15th of each month for the following month. There is no pro-rating for school vacations and holidays, nor for absence due to illness, family vacations, or for any other reason. Please remember that your child’s enrollment reserves a space in our program. Prompt payment of tuition is necessary and appreciated.
Make-Up Days
There are no make-ups for absences, although we are happy to welcome your child for extra time if we have the space. The fees for extra time are set each year in January when we establish the tuition for the following year.
Absences
Please call by 9:00 a.m. to inform us of an absence. We talk about each child during the day, and the children want to know where their friends are. This enables us to give your children the certainty that their presence or absence is noticed by us and their friends. Please call by 10:30 a.m. if your child will be late for school.
Summer Program
Summer is an important part of our program. It is a time of transition and assimilation, as well as a lot of fun for everyone. Our graduates about to leave for kindergarten feel strong and full of enthusiasm for life. They gain immense satisfaction from their roles as leaders of the school as they show the ropes to incoming students. Our graduates love to return to Sheffield in the summer for a day, a week, or the entire term!
The summer is a very good time for new children to join us. They always learn a lot from the older children, and can get a head start before our new school year begins in September. There is an air of freedom and space and challenge that is particular to summertime — and we celebrate this with an open-air circus extravaganza for the Sheffield community on the last day of summer school.
Continuous Enrollment
The Sheffield School is a year-round program. If your child will be enrolled from one school year to the next, you are responsible for paying tuition for July and August, whether or not your child will be attending preschool during the summer.
Overtime Charges
Remember that it distresses your child when you are late. Children often become anxious and insecure when their mommy or daddy isn’t there to pick them up when expected. There is an overtime charge if you are late picking up your child after the regular dismissal time. Consistent lateness will be cause to ask you to withdraw your child from our program. Really and truly, we don’t want to charge you any late fees at all. We just want to enjoy our time with your children and you, and have everyone go home happy at the end of the day.
Application
Our application is simple and straightforward and can be viewed here. However, please contact June Sheffield by telephone at 510-849-9352 for a
School-Year Calendar
In general, Sheffield honors most bank holidays and takes breaks in consideration of the Berkeley Unified School District. Typically there are breaks in December, February, March, June, and August. Our calendar can be viewed here.
Sheffield Preschool is Licensed by the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. The building was earthquake proofed in 1990, renovated in 1998, and improved further in 2006.
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