Should I Do A Year-Round Preschool?

I’m pretty opinionated about whether or not a year-round preschool is a good idea, so keep reading to find out if you should do one or not!

Year Round School? Why?

Other than the guaranteed year round income, there isn’t a good reason to have a year round school schedule. Parents will appreciate the time off during the summer for family vacations and to enjoy some downtime. Unless your school district follows a year round school schedule it is better to avoid using one for your preschool.

A Nine Or Ten Month School Year

The best way to plan your preschool calendar is to match your school district calendar. If they start their school year in August, start your school year in August. If they start in September, start in September. The best calendar to follow for your preschool is to start in mid-August and end at either the last week of May or the first week of June depending on where Memorial Day falls. Start on a Thursday or Friday (depending on the class schedule) in mid-August, usually around the 14^th/15^th. Hold your Meet & Greet the week before on Monday or Tuesday night.

But That’s Only 9 ½ Months…

If a parent ever asks why they are paying 10 months of tuition and only meeting for 9 ½ months tell them “You are enrolling in our 10-month preschool program.  That means that we’ve taken all the days we’re in session and prorated them out over 10 months to help your budget so there are 10 monthly payments from August through May.” They will hear the phrase “To help your budget” and see it as a good thing.

Two Month Summer Program

Of course, running a 10 month school year still leaves you with two months without an income. That is where your 8 week summer camp program comes in (8 week sounds better than 2 months for a summer camp program.) Although summer camp usually has lower enrollment numbers, and therefore a lower income, it will still bring in something for the two months when you aren’t teaching your regular preschool classes.

Should Students Be Required To Enroll In Your Summer Camp?

No, enroll children in the summer camp separately from your regular preschool class registration. Do not make it a requirement, although you can offer it to your preschool parents and perhaps even suggest it to the parents of children who could use a little extra help.

Also, when a parent enrolls their child in January, February, or March for your Fall classes tell them, “Oh, by the way, we also have a summer program. Would you like for them to start two months earlier so they can have a lot of fun this summer? It’s for ages 3-8 so you could also enroll their older siblings. Meanwhile you can enjoy a little break, and still give them a consistent schedule.”

A year round preschool is not a good idea, but there are ways to create a consistent income for your family even with a 9 or 10 month program.