We are a year-round preschool that ‘begins’ in September and goes through the middle of August, with new students joining us every fall. Children are encouraged to attend all year to take advantage of our inclusive, dynamic program. We are one of the most well-established preschools in Seattle to offer full-day Montessori education.

We encourage you to learn about Montessori philosophy before applying to our school, so that you have an understanding of what we are hoping to achieve during our partnership. We ask that families make at least a two-year commitment to The Learning Tree so that you can reap the benefits of the multi-age grouping and years-long curriculum that we guide children through.

Applications will be accepted beginning in October 2022 through the winter of 2023 for the 2023-24 school year. We do not keep a wait list from year to year and applying to our program is not ‘first come, first served.’

Please include an application fee of $50 with your paperwork when you deliver it to us. Your application fee is waived if you are also applying for financial aid or qualify for City or State subsidy programs.

Students must be at least 2 years and 6 months of age in the month that they begin school with us. We will give preference to children who are toilet trained, and we can talk with you more about that when you contact us. We typically do not enroll students older than 4 years of age.

We encourage families to apply for financial aid who need it. Before applying for The Learning Tree’s scholarship program we ask families to first find out if they are eligible for either The City of Seattle Childcare Subsidy Program by calling (206) 386-1050, or your local Department of Social and Health Services office (based on the neighborhood you live in). These programs may cover 50% of tuition for eligible families. We ask that you turn in your financial aid information by our application deadline (January 28, 2022). All requests for aid from The Learning Tree’s scholarship fund must be accompanied by a copy of the previous year’s Internal Revenue Service 1040 form that was filed, and all related schedules.

You are invited to submit an application at any time starting in October.

Please give us a call to sign up for a tour of our amazing school.  Tours are for adults only and will be provided weekly beginning in late October through our application deadline.  You can plan on spending 45 minutes with us and seeing the entire school and outdoor play area.  Coming on a tour is highly recommended–it helps us get to know you and you us, which aids greatly in seeing if we are all a good fit for one another. Call 206-324-4788 to schedule.

We will have an Open House on January 21 from 10am-noon for adults, if you’d like to come see our school.

Application and financial aid application (soft) deadline: January 27, 2023

Commitments from new families will need to include a non-refundable deposit of your first month’s tuition. Families who are eligible for State or City subsidy programs will need to submit the equivalent of 50% of their anticipated co-pay as a deposit.