Dulin Preschool FAQs

Will you have an Open House?
Yes, January 28, 2009, at 10 a.m. Leave your e-mail for an invitation, which will arrive in early January.

What are your hours?
• 9:30-12 for AM2s, 3s, 3/4s, and 4s
• 12:30-3 p.m. for PM2s
Please note that on days when you are the helping parent, you arrive ½ hour before class to help set up, and leave ½ hour after class ends, after cleaning up. Your child stays with you.

What are your class sizes?
• 2s: 8
• 3s: 12
• 3/4s: 13
• 4s: 15
Please note that all of these are well below the maximum allowed by state licensing. We prefer to keep our classes small in order to provide more individualized attention and keep our community small and intimate.

What is the maximum child-adult ratio of each class at Dulin?
• 2s: 4:1
• 3s: 6:1
• 3/4s: 7:1
• 4s: 8:1
State licensing’s ratios are considerably higher. Through our 40+ years of operation, we have found that these smaller class sizes are the most beneficial for our families and our staff.

What are the age cut-offs?
Children must reach the appropriate age (i.e., 2s must turn 2) by September 30 of the calendar year in which the child is enrolled. There are no exceptions to these age cut-offs, even if your child “misses by one day!” or “can keep up with the older group.”

How much is tuition?
• 2s: $99/month
• 3s: 146/month
• 3/4s & 4s: $188/month
Our rates are very low due to parental involvement (yet our teacher salaries are among the highest in the area). Please note that the board presents and membership votes on tuition increases in May, so there may be a slight increase for next year.

Do parents teach the classes?
No, our certified, professional teachers teach. Parents only assist the teacher. Our teachers undergo required training throughout the year and are paid a professional salary.

Do you require background checks for teachers and co-oping adults?
Yes, two state background checks (Virginia State Police and Child Protective Services/Department of Social Services), plus personal references, TB test, and four hours of required training annually. Dulin Preschool will pay for background checks for up to two adults per family; if you choose to have more than two adults certified to work in the classroom, you will have to cover the background costs for those extra individuals yourself. TB test costs are the responsibility of the helping adults as well.

Does Dulin Preschool include religious instruction?
No, as a parent-run co-op, our curriculum is entirely secular, except for saying a simple nondenominational grace before snacktime. Classes may explore holiday traditions of any faith – for example, during December, children learn about the secular aspects of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.

Is there a full-day or extended-care option?
No.

Can my child be enrolled in more than one class?
No.

How do you accommodate gifted children?
At Dulin, all children are gifted!

In all seriousness, children of all abilities thrive in our play-based curriculum.

If your curriculum is play-based, does that mean there are no academics?
Absolutely not. Age-appropriate academics are included in every class, but the focus is on learning through experience and play, not through a lot of seat work. Children learn at their own pace, and the focus is on play and socialization.

Can a working parent or family participate?
Yes, we have many families who make room in their schedules for participating in a co-op despite busy schedules – whether they work outside the home or not. As a rule, working parents should have a certain amount of flexibility in their schedules so they can meet the co-op and committee responsibilities. However, Dulin Preschool can’t take the place of daycare; we have no extended-day option for those needing full-time care.

Can siblings be brought into the classroom on co-op days?
No, state licensing does not permit siblings of any age to be in the classroom. You are responsible for finding childcare for siblings on the days you work in the classroom.

Are you a member of NAEYC?
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation is a very common question on preschool-search checklists.

Dulin Preschool meets the criteria of NAEYC accreditation (the criteria is almost identical to Virginia state licensing, and we undergo licensing checks twice a year). However, the actual NAEYC accreditation process is very expensive (running into the thousands of dollars) and time-consuming, and as a non-profit preschool with low tuition – not to mention a volunteer board of directors without the time or resources to work full-time on the accreditation process -- we prefer to put our money into school operations instead of a professional designation. We will gladly address specific points of NAEYC standards (available on the NAEYC Web site) and how Dulin Preschool meets or exceeds them.