Your child must be two years old by October 1 in order to attend. Children who have not yet turned two by the start of the school year (late August/early September) will begin late, after turning two.

ANS is licensed to hold a maximum of 45 children per day between the ages of 2 and 6. The ratio is, at minimum, 1:5 at all times. Our membership usually consists of 40-50 families.

Our daily schedule offers opportunities for mixed-age free play and snack and activities within same-age groups. Our day begins at 9 AM and ends at 11:30 AM (Discovery Room) or 12 PM (Art & Block Rooms).

Our current annual tuition fees for 2024-2025 are as follows. Tuition increases annually. 2 days/week - $3020 3 days/week - $4530 4 days/week - $6040 5 days/week - $7140 Tuition is divided into 10 equal payments: payment #1 (commitment fee) is due upon enrollment, and payments #2-10 are assessed in the months of August through April. We offer a multiple child discount of 10% per year, where a family's first child is charged full tuition, and any additional children receive the discount. Please note that the discount does not apply to Lunch Bunch, Summer Camp, or Drop-In Days.

Please see: Lunch Bunch.

Please see: Summer Camp.

ANS's separation process is gentle and gradual. Each family is asked to be available for the first 2-6 days of their child’s attendance. During this time, parents are asked to sit on the sidelines and be a stable (but boring) presence as their child plays. Separation might begin with parents sitting on the sidelines through the entire school day. As children gain confidence and comfort at school, parents will gradually leave earlier and earlier. Eventually, parents will bring their children in, help them quickly settle in at an activity, and leave. Depending on the child, separation might take a couple days or several weeks. Our teachers work with each family individually, observing children closely and letting parents know as their child seems ready to progress to the next step.

ANS believes that conflict resolution begins with communication. Often, preschool-aged children do not have the language to express their needs, and our goal is to give them this tool by modeling language to articulate feelings and negotiate conflicts. By the time children arrive in our older classrooms, they are continuing to develop these skills, and have more useful language tools. We do not use “time outs” at ANS. Although a teacher may need to separate a child from the group, they never leave the child to figure out an issue by themselves. Children are always given care and support from teachers and workday parents when they negotiate anger, sadness, or frustration.

ANS believes in providing a well-rounded, child and teacher directed curriculum that is grounded in play. We are a developmental preschool with an emphasis on the social and emotional development in young children. For more information, please see Who We Are.

Our long-standing fundraiser takes place every January, and is the only mandatory fundraiser at ANS. Each family is required to sell a minimum of 35 cases of fruit each year. We understand that this may seem daunting, so we provide lots of assistance to our families! While families are expected to reach out to family, friends, and community members, they also receive contact information for long-standing Orange Sale customers, to get them off to a good start.

ANS's participation requirements consist of: 2-6 parent workdays per month, 1 community snack per month, 2 or 4 weekend workshops per year, 2-3 parent education events per year, and mandatory participation in the Orange Sale fundraiser. There are also two mandatory meetings for families, where both parents in new families must attend: an annual Back To School Night in the fall, and an annual Orange Sale informational meeting.

Lap babies are welcome to accompany parents during the separation process during the early weeks of school. During parent workdays, however, we regret that we can't accommodate younger siblings. While ANS does not provide childcare on workdays, families sometimes organize babysitting swaps. Throughout the year, ANS traditionally holds several school parties to which children's entire families are welcome, and babies are often the stars of the show.

Both parents are welcome to do workdays. We welcome other family members who are immediate family members of a parent and over age 18 to participate as well. All adults that perform workdays must complete paperwork and meet state vaccination/immunity requirements, and are required to attend our workday orientation each fall. For more information, please see About Workdays.

Please fill out our application online, and then send a $75 application fee to ANS. We can accept payment by Zelle to admin@altadenanurseryschool.org (preferred) or by check, made out to "Altadena Nursery School" and mailed to: 789 N. Altadena Dr., Pasadena, CA 91107.

ANS accepts applications year-round, and maintains a wait list of prospective families. The wait list is not numbered, and families are not admitted in the order in which they apply. Wait list families are invited to attend our Prospective Parent Night in March and will be invited to a Visit Day as well. Most children start school in September, but children may be accepted from our wait list as late as October, as space permits.