How do I enroll?
- Enrolling for 2024-25? Please complete this form. After receiving it, our Registrar will confirm your enrollment and give you instructions on submitting a non-refundable $75 registration fee.
- Questions about enrollment or availability? Contact our Registrar.
2024-25 registration dates:
- Now Enrolling all families for 2024-25
How old must my child be for Mercer Island Learning Lab?
Mercer Island Learning Lab is a 3s/4s co-op. Those enrolling in 2024-25 must be three on or before August 31, 2024. Please review current enrollment options and/or reach out to our registrar for more details.
What is the schedule?
Schedule for 2024-25:
Combined 3s/4s class – M W F (9:30 am – 12:15 pm)
What is the tuition?
Tuition for 2024-25:
$800 per quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring)
Those estimates do not include the one-time $75 non-refundable registration fee, nor the quarterly tuition for the Parent Education program at Bellevue College (less than $56/quarter in 2023-24). Per hour of enrichment, this tuition is very competitive with alternative programs.
Do you offer scholarships or financial aid?
Yes! If you would like to be considered for a scholarship, please contact Barb Hill at bhill@bellevuecollege.edu.
I want to enroll my child at MILL but I have a full-time job and I’m nervous about the time commitment of a co-op preschool.
Many of our families have two working parents, plus kids in other schools or programs, and we understand that it can be challenging to coordinate time in the classroom. Some families opt to have a grandparent or caregiver volunteer in their place for some or all of their allotted days. The reality is that there’s plenty of flexibility in scheduling—and families are very supportive of each other’s situations.
How many days per month do parents volunteer in the classroom?
This number is dependent upon enrollment, but two to three times per month is typical.
What am I expected to do while volunteering in the classroom? Do I need to prepare anything?
Two parents are scheduled to volunteer each class day—one assigned to inside/crafts and the other assigned to outside/snack. The daily routine and specific responsibilities will be communicated, but essentially you are there to support the kids and Teacher Monica, as needed. You do not need to do anything but show up! It’s also not uncommon that additional parents stay for all or part of class, so some days there may be a bunch of parents helping out.
Tell me more about the curriculum. Will my child be learning [the alphabet, Spanish, a specific curriculum, etc.]?
Our children’s work is to play. We want to instill a love of learning by letting them explore what is interesting to them. Learning Lab has a strong connection to nature and the seasons; many of our activities are science adjacent, insects, rotting things, digging in the dirt, messy art. But we aren’t clubbing the children over the head with STEM, or worksheets, or phonics. We expect they’ll pick up a lot of that preparation with their parents at home, but their job at school is to enjoy coming to school, relish creating imaginative worlds with their peers, and exploring their environment with their fingers and minds.
Read more about play-based learning