• Yes, a $3,000 non-interest-bearing deposit is required to secure your child’s enrollment.

• The payment can be made via Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfer. You will need to provide us with your bank account number and routing number which we will use to automatically debit the amount.

• Once you submit your enrollment package and pay the security deposit, your child’s space is reserved and your child is considered enrolled at Little Bee. At that point, the 60-day written notice of termination requirement becomes effective, regardless of whether your child has begun attending.

• If you decide not to continue after enrollment, you must provide at least 60 days’ written notice, even if your child has not yet started. You will be responsible for tuition for the full 60-day notice period. Failure to provide the required 60-day notice, or failure to pay tuition during that period, will result in forfeiture of your $3,000 security deposit. Forfeiture of the deposit does not satisfy your obligation for the 60-day notice period, and you remain responsible for any unpaid balance of tuition for that period.

• Your deposit will be refunded within 10 days of your child’s last day at Little Bee, provided that the required 60-day written notice has been given, all tuition for the notice period has been paid, and there is no outstanding balance.

• Full monthly payment is due on the 1st day of each month.

• After the 1st day of each month, a late fee of $100 will be charged on late payments. 

• We recognize that sometimes things happen and you may not be able to pay tuition when it is due. To a reasonable extent, we will try to accommodate any extenuating circumstances, however, the late fee will still be applicable if payment is made after the 1st of the month.

• Recurrent overdue payments may result in us no longer being able to provide preschool services for your child.

• If tuition is not received by the 15th day of the month, your child will be considered withdrawn from the school as of the 16th day of the month, and a 60-day tuition obligation will apply beginning on that date.

• We will use ACH debit to process your monthly tuition payment, which will be withdrawn from your account at the end of each month. Please note that this withdrawal may take place 1 to 3 days before the end of the month.

• No, the security deposit cannot be used for tuition payments.

• The monthly fee will not be adjusted for holidays, breaks, or school days missed by students, regardless of whether the student is full-time or part-time.

• For example, if tuition is at $3,000/month in July, you will be required to pay the full $3,000 even though we have a school break for the 4th of July.

• Activity fees will be collected by our parent volunteers, referred to as the “Parent-Teacher Association” (“PTA”).

• You will be notified of these fees via email once your enrollment is completed.

• Schedule changes are subject to availability and often difficult to accommodate.

• If you need to change your child’s schedule (i.e., from full-time to part-time), please let us know in advance and we will do our best to effectuate your request.

• A 60-day written notice must be submitted if you intend to leave Little Bee.

• This means that starting on the day we receive notice of your departure, you will be required to pay for 60 more days of tuition at the same rate as your current tuition.

• If necessary, your deposit will be used to cover some or all of the tuition due.

• Without a 60-day written notice, your deposit will be forfeited and you will be required to pay any additional tuition owed for those 60 days.

• To avoid confusion and maintain consistency, the 60-day period will be counted as calendar days. For example,

  • If your child is planning to leave on February 1st, you must provide written notice on December 3rd, even if there is winter break in between.

  • If you give notice on March 15th, you will be responsible for the full tuition payments through May 14th.

• Useful Tip: Open your internet browser and type in your search engine “60-days from today” (‘today’ refers to the day you choose to give notice) to determine the date your child would leave us.

• After you give notice, you will be responsible for tuition payments through the next 60 days regardless of full- or part-time schedule, weekends, holidays, etc.

• For partial months, we will prorate tuition based on how many days your child attends school and how many days are in the month.

• For example, if your child leaves on May 5th, you would pay for 5 days out of the 31 days in the month of May; in other words, you would pay 5/31 or 16% of May’s tuition.

• No, your child will eventually need to transition to preschool, which is a key step in their development.

• This move typically occurs around the age of two. Depending on availability, your child will be placed at either our Lombard Street or Presidio location.

• Before the transition, we will consult with you to understand your location preference, though we may not always be able to accommodate it.

• We encourage parents to prepare their children for their first day of school by talking to them, reading books, and getting them excited about going to school before they arrive for the first day.

• We think it is best for the child when you say your goodbyes with confidence and assurance during drop-off, your positive energy will help them adjust to their new environment more smoothly.

• Useful Tip: To help your child acclimate to the school’s schedule, please pick up your child at 12:30 PM for the first week and then right after nap at 3:30 PM  for the second week.

• However, as each child's temperament, personality, and acclimation to a new environment may vary, the suggested early pick-up will be tailored to each child’s needs.

Yes, your child can bring a special toy/blanket to school but may only use it during nap time. Once nap time is over, the item will be stored away.

• Children quickly understand that there are various ways to communicate to each other through different languages. They will realize that there is a “school” language and a “home” language.

• Confusion, if any, is transient because, as you’ll be amazed to see, your children will seamlessly figure out their world in both English and Mandarin.

• It’s incredible to witness the millions of neural connections they are building in their brains, enabling them to thrive in both environments!

• Drop-off: 8:00 – 9:00 AM.

  • After 9:30 AM, the next available drop-off is at 12:00 PM.

  • Please try to schedule any necessary appointments with your child to times before 9:00 AM or later in the afternoon.

  • Remember, no teacher will be available between the hours of 9:30 AM and 12:00 PM.

• Pick-up: 4:00 – 5:30 PM.

  • If you need to make an earlier pick-up, please send a text message or an email in advance.

• Yes, the late fee is $5 per minute after 5:30 PM. It will be added to your monthly invoice.

• Yes. If the usual and authorized parent or guardian is unable to pick up your child, you must email and text us the name and a photo of the person who will be picking up your child.

• That person will also need to show a photo ID at pick-up.

• If there is a conflict, we use positive redirection. We will simply redirect the children’s attention and always try to turn a negative situation into a positive one for the children.

• Also, we encourage them to resolve their conflicts through conflict resolution which can involve having them share their perspectives or apologizing to each other.

• Children generally do not bite, hit, scratch, and kick others with the intention to hurt; instead, often due to a lack of verbal skills or control over/ability to regulate their physical and social behavior, they are more likely trying to communicate their frustrations to their peers physically.

• If a child continually causes harm to others (i.e., more than 3 incidents), we request the child stay home for a day and then come back to school after the parents have thoroughly communicated with their child about their misguided behavior.

• To protect the privacy of families, names of children will not be released in the event of conflict.

• In the case of a life-threatening medical situation, we will call 911 and the parents.

• If necessary, we will perform CPR and provide First-Aid.

• If we are not able to get a hold of the parents or any of the emergency contacts, we will call an ambulance (parents are responsible for all medical, ambulance, hospital, and any other fees associated with the incident).

• Additionally, we conduct earthquake and fire drills every 3 months with the children. All drills involve our emergency notification system (the “Emergency Tree”) where all parents are notified via text or email from one of our beacon parents, letting you know if the school will be closed or where to pick up your child in the event of an emergency.

• In the rare event of a natural disaster, such as earthquake, fire, flooding, or hazardous air quality, the school may close on short notice to safeguard the health of our students and teachers.

• We use our natural surroundings as our classroom for about 3 - 4 hours per day.

• Some of our daily destinations include various trails and the tunnel top playground inside the; 

  • Presidio,

  • Crissy Field/Beach,

  • The Palace of Fine Arts,

  • The Marina Green, Fort Mason, and

  • Local community gardens.

• In addition, our school provides a large yard with numerous play structures.

• Yes, please bring a package of diapers and wipes.

• We will let you know when supplies are running low.

• Due to sanitary concerns, we require your child to be in pull-ups until we see that your child is fully potty-trained at school. Sometimes a child might be fully “potty-trained” at home but not at school.

• In order for your child to wear underwear to school, he/she must be able to verbally convey to the teachers that he/she needs to use the potty and be able to “hold it” until they reach the toilet.

• We want our students’ potty-training experience to be a positive one, therefore, we believe in respecting our students’ natural timeline for potty training. When your child is ready, we will be there to help and guide him/her.

• Parents must bring lunch for their child every Monday, preferably food that does not require refrigeration.

• Please ensure your child’s name is clearly labeled on the lunch bag and all containers.

• Note: We are a nut-free school.

• No, we are not able to individualize meals or snacks for children.

• In such cases, parents must provide their children’s meals and snacks according to their dietary restrictions.

• We require a nap mat for nap time.

• Due to limited school space, please only buy our recommended brand, Hi-Sprouts, which can be found at www.amazon.com.

• Please also bring a big pillow case with your child’s name written on it to store your child’s nap mat.

• We strongly believe in setting a structured sleeping routine for the children so they know what to expect throughout the day.

• Our nap time is roughly from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

• It usually takes a short period of time for your child to adjust to the sleeping schedule but, generally, children quickly adapt to the daily routine with a nap.

• If your child is not sleeping during nap time, he/she will understand that nap time means quiet time (i.e., a time to rest their body). As much as we know that children need to be in a stimulating environment, they also need quiet moments to calm down, reflect, and refuel.

• No, we do not administer medication at school.

• If your child needs to take certain prescribed medicine, parents must come to school and administer medicine to their child.

• We understand that parents need to work and that finding a sitter might be a challenge, but if your child shows any of the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, fever of 100°F or over, unusual body hives or rashes, or any contagious disease, please keep your child at home.

• Please wait 48 hours for all symptoms to disappear before bringing your child back to school.

• If your child has any unusual symptoms such as hives or rashes, you will need to bring a doctor’s note for your child to school clearing him/her to return.

• Note: During drop-off time, if we notice your child has any of the above symptoms, we will not admit him/her. If any of the above symptoms appear during school hours, we will call you immediately to pick up your child for the safety and well-being of all children.

• We are open year-round, but we will be closed for national holidays, spring break, summer break, and winter break.

• For more details, see the school calendar at https://littlebeeschool.com/parent-resources.

• Childcare Camp is subject to teacher availability and class demand.

• Label your child’s name on all belongings.

• Ensure your child’s bag contains an extra set of clothing (top, pants, underwear, and socks).

• Take your child's nap mat home for washing on their last school day (Thursday/Friday) and return it on their first school day (Monday/Tuesday).

• Dress your child in comfortable shoes. For safety, avoid Crocs, sandals, or open-toed shoes; Velcro shoes are recommended.

• Bring any requested curriculum materials (e.g., show-and-tell items) as instructed by the teacher.

• If you are a musician, fabulous chef, artist, rocket scientist, or have any fun skills that you would like to share with the students, please reach out with any ideas you have in mind!

• We would love to coordinate a time with you to come and conduct a short class with the children.

• You will be asked to accept a few invitations such as the following.

• Google Group invitation via email to view whole-group emails, curriculum plans, menus, and newsletters.

  • Please create a Google Workspace (Gmail) account if you do not already have one.

  • Accessing our correspondence on other platforms has given parents difficulty in the past.

• Google Photos Streaming invitation via email to view daily postings of pictures.

  • All school pictures will be deleted after one week; we do not store any backups. 

  • Please download the pictures that you would like to keep.

• Parent contact information is stored in a family directory, accessible only by current students.

• We find that sharing parent contact information helps families connect, build relationships, and organize playdates within our community. That said, we fully respect privacy preferences and will keep your information confidential if you prefer.

• Parent-Teacher Conferences are held twice a year — once in the spring and once in the fall. Each conference session lasts for 2 days.

• Parents are encouraged to sign-up for the conference. The sign-up sheet is emailed to parents 2 weeks prior to the start of the conferences.

• A school T-Shirt is required for field trips and outings. During outings, there are often numerous other kids not part of Little Bee and the school T-shirts help us readily identify children under our supervision.

• The non-refundable $20 for the T-shirt will be added to your first month’s tuition.

• PTA and activity fees are collected by our parent volunteers, referred to as the “Big Bees” (“BB”).

• You will be notified via email once admitted to Little Bee.

• Nuts, fancy jewelry, coins or money, sharp items such as pins that your child wears on his/her clothes.

• Electronic items such as iPads or iPhones.

• Personal toys; unless they are for presentation on “Show and Tell” day or at nap time.

• Celebrations are held at times that teachers deem suitable.

• If you have a special treat that your child would like to share with the school on his/her birthday, please contact the school prior to the celebration with ingredients listed.

• We want to avoid potential food allergies, so please be prepared to bring alternative treats for children that might have allergies.

• Please supply your own utensils, candles, and plates for the celebration.

• Optional birthday goody bags are welcome, but they may not contain small toys or candies that may pose a choking hazard.