ENROLLMENT PROCESS

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If interested in enrolling in our program, please contact our Administrative Coordinator to request an admission application, inquire about our tiered tuition system and cost, and schedule a tour. If after visiting one of our campuses you decide Bend Forest School is a fit for your family, your completed application will hold a spot on our waitlist for your child. If there is availability in the upcoming school year for the program you are applying, your completed application and a deposit will be collected to secure your child's place on the roster. Once your child is on the roster for the upcoming school year, your family will be asked to submit your tier selection via Google survey, dependent on which tier matches your family's affordability and desired contribution best. 

 

Tuition assistance is available for families who qualify. Please keep in mind that funding for tuition assistance is only available for incoming families who apply before May 1, 2024. We work with SSS to help determine eligibility for tuition assistance based on your family’s finances and guarantee that all financial materials provided remain under strict confidentiality.

 

To learn more about tuition assistance, eligibility requirements and the SSS online application process, please click here.

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TUITION EQUITY & ACCESSIBILITY

 

Our philosophy of meeting and nurturing the whole child where they are at encompasses meeting families where they are at, financially and situationally, best we can. Bend Forest School believes that all families who seek compassion-based, community education models, rooted in social emotional development for their children, should have access to it.

 

BFS follows a tiered tuition model that determines how we handle operating costs and financial accessibility for families in our program. A tiered tuition model allows for us to cover our overhead cost, allocate a small amount of funding for growth, and contribute to our Equity Fund for tuition assistance.

 

In support of growing our Equity Fund, some Bend Forest School families choose to opt into tier three and pay the higher cost when in alignment with their affordability, with awareness and understanding that access to income is inequitable in our society. 

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OPERATING COSTS AT BFS

 

In contrast to many early-childhood programs, Bend Forest School operationally prioritizes maintaining a low student-to-teacher ratio (half the number of students in a traditional classroom to double the number of teachers). This ratio allows us to effectively carry out our mission of providing your children with the intentional education and individualized learning plans that support their intrinsic interests and social emotional development. Additionally, we attract, recruit and hire skilled teachers with knowledge and practice in anti-bias teaching, play-based outdoor education, trauma informed care, collaborative problem solving, emergent curriculum and social emotional support training. Therefore, we greatly prioritize providing them a wage that adequately reflects their credentials and is in alignment with the cost of living for our area.

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