Admissions - Charlottesville Waldorf School

Find Your Place at CWS

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Choosing a school is a big decision. We invite you to get to know Charlottesville Waldorf School, experience our classrooms and campus, and ask plenty of questions along the way.

Whether you are just beginning to explore or ready to apply, we are here to help you take the next step.

Visit CWS

Inquire

Apply

The Admissions Process

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Explore

Visit CWS, attend an Admissions event, submit an inquiry, or reach out with questions!

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Apply

Create your admissions account and submit an application for your child.

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Visit

Your child spends time with their prospective class and teacher. The visit varies by age and program.

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Admission

Following the visit, we will be in touch about the admissions decision and next steps.

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Enroll

Complete your enrollment contract and welcome to CWS!

Parent and Child Program

Our Parent and Child Programs are for children ages 18 months through 6 years, and are weekly morning classes attended with an adult caregiver.

Registration is by session, with 11-week Fall and Spring sessions offered each year. Please click below to register for upcoming sessions.

Parent and Child Registration

Early Childhood Program (drop-off classes for children before 1st Grade):

Playgarden – 2-3 year olds (child must have turned 2 by August 31 of the year they are enrolling)
Kindergarten – 3-6 year olds (child must turn 4 by December 31 of the year they are enrolling)

Requirements for 1st Grade Entrance:

Child must turn 6 before June 1.
Child completes a play-based First Grade Readiness Assessment conducted by our Education Specialist.
Rising first grade applicants will visit for a single 1/2 day in the Kindergarten. Mid-year applicants will complete a 2-3 day Student Visit in the First Grade classroom as detailed below.

CWS Admissions Process:

First Steps

• The first step in our CWS admissions process is completing an Inquiry Form >
• Once we have received your Inquiry Form, you will receive a confirmation email from our Admissions Office.
• Please allow us 1-2 business days to process your Inquiry, at which point you will receive an email with instructions for setting up your account in our portal.
• When you have signed in, you will see an Admissions Checklist for your child which will take you through the rest of the admissions process.

Note: if you submitted an Inquiry Form or Application for a previous school year, you may not need to re-submit. Please sign into your portal account to continue your application or contact our Admissions Office to reactivate your account.

Complete your candidate’s Admission File

In addition to the application form which you can complete in the portal, our Admissions Office requires the following:

✓ a signed Permission to Contact and Records Release form, which will allow us to request information from previous schools. This form is required for all children entering our Grade School, it will be sent to you or you can download it from the link above.

✓ your student’s transcript from their current or previous school – our Admissions Office will request the transcript and files will be sent directly, but it is often helpful if parents encourage this process by contacting their child’s former school.

✓ a Teacher Recommendation letter must be sent from a current or recent teacher of your child. This should outline where the child is developmentally, socially and academically. This information is quite helpful to our teachers and is an integral part of the admissions process. The letter should be emailed directly to the CWS Admissions Office (enrollment@cwaldorf.org) from the teacher. If your child has been homeschooled, this letter should come from a coach, lesson instructor, or other adult outside the family, who has been involved with your child and can comment on your child developmentally, socially &/or academically.

✓ a photo of your child must be uploaded to their admissions profile in the portal. This can be a casual photo from your phone and will be used for identification purposes and kept in the child’s file.

Early Childhood Candidates – Student Visit

Student Visits will be scheduled after the Admissions File is complete.

Kindergarten Candidates who have previously been enrolled in a drop-off school/daycare will have a drop-off Student Visit, taking place 8:30-12pm on a day arranged with our Admissions Office. Students will join one of our Kindergarten classes and take part in all activities.

Playgarden Candidates and Kindergarten Candidates who have not been previously enrolled in a drop-off program will complete a 30-45 minute Student Visit with parent(s)/guardian, student, and teacher.

The invitation for this visit will be sent through our portal – if you are waiting for a student visit, please sign into your admissions account and check for messages from our Enrollment Coordinator.

Early Childhood Admissions Decisions and Waiting List

Families will be notified of the school’s decision regarding admission within 5 business days after the Student Visit ends.

Due to our small class sizes and high application rate, final acceptance to our Early Childhood Programs is dependent on space availability in each class.

If your child is accepted to CWS, you will receive notification of preliminary acceptance after the Student Visit.

When priority registration (generally returning students or siblings of current students) is complete, enrollment contracts will be offered to those with preliminary acceptance.

If all classes have filled, your child will move to current academic year Waiting Pool and will be offered a contract if space becomes available.

Grade School Candidates – Student Visit

Student Visits will be scheduled after the Admissions File is complete.

Candidates to our grade school will complete a 3-5 day Student Visit at CWS, where they will take part in all class activities to the best of their ability.

Parents will meet with the Class Teacher and our Enrollment Coordinator, typically on the final day of the Student Visit, to discuss the child’s experience and to answer any questions that have arisen.

The invitation for this visit will be sent through our portal – if you are waiting for a student visit, please sign into your admissions account and check for messages from our Enrollment Coordinator.

Grade School Admissions Decision and Next Steps

Families will be notified of the school’s decision regarding admission within 5 business days after the Student Visit ends.

If the candidate is accepted, the CWS School Director will extend an Enrollment Contract to your family. You will need to complete the enrollment contract (through the enrollment portal) and create an account in our tuition management platform.

Registration

Once your contract is completed and your child has been enrolled, the New Student Registration Checklist must be completed before your child begins school. This check list will be assigned to your family through the portal shortly before the beginning of the school year (or upon completing enrollment for families starting mid-year).

These required forms will include verifying your child’s identity in the school office (original birth certificate or passport must be brought to the office in person), providing a copy of the Virginia School Entrance Health Form from your child’s doctor, adding non-parent/guardian emergency contacts to your child’s profile, and providing and verifying additional information to complete your child’s school file.

The 42nd Annual Holiday Bazaar ✨

Parent & Child Classes: Registration Open Now!

Find Your Place at CWS

Choosing a school is a big decision. We invite you to get to know Charlottesville Waldorf School, experience our classrooms and campus, and ask plenty of questions along the way.

Whether you are just beginning to explore or ready to apply, we are here to help you take the next step.

The Admissions Process

Explore

Apply

Visit

Admission

Enroll

Parent and Child Program

Early Childhood Program (drop-off classes for children before 1st Grade):

Requirements for 1st Grade Entrance:

CWS Admissions Process: