Enrollment FAQs

Any time after a child is born, up to when they would start public Kindergarten (they can attend the summer before Kindergarten).

Currently we are unable to accept applications online, they can be mailed or dropped off to the address listed on the bottom of the application, 850 Escondido Road, Stanford CA 94305, with the application fee paid by cash or check.

After the applications are processed you will receive an email inviting you to call the office to be placed on a pre-set tour. Tours are for adults only, last about 1-1/2 hours and include a Q&A at the end with the Director and other administrators and teachers. We advise parents of very young children to wait until around their child’s 1st birthday to come for a tour. We do not tour in late summer, or early fall.

If a child is given a placement and the family wants to accept, they can request a scholarship form based on financial need from our business office.

8:15-8:45/12:45-1:15 Gradual Arrival

Children are greeted by a teacher, get their nametag, place a fruit, vegetable, or cheese in the basket, put belongings in their cubby, and wash their hands.  

8:15-10:15/12:45-2:45 Inside/Outside Activities

Easel painting, art, clay or play dough, dramatic play, block building, manipulatives, water play, sand, woodworking, large motor activities.

10:15-10:45/2:45-3:15 Snack Time

After hand washing, children share snack in small groups and conversation. Snack offerings include fruit and vegetables, cheese, rice cakes, graham crackers, milk, and water.  

10:45-11:15/3:15-3:45 Music and Inside/Outside Play 

Choice of activities continues both inside and outside.  All children are invited and encouraged to join music and movement on the patio.

11:15-11:30/3:45-4:00 Story Time

Songs, finger plays and a story.  Parents and caregivers picking up their child are encouraged to join us.

11:30-11:45/4:00-4:15 Gradual Departure

Caregivers reunite with their children and prepare for departure. Teachers share a few words about each child’s day with parents or caregivers.

The Nursery Program has 36 children in three rooms with at least 6 paid staff members. There is ½ acre of grounds for each class, and there are also researchers and Stanford students working in the classes. The smaller Two’s program has 16 children per class and 4 to 5 paid staff members, and with one room.

All of our programs are part time. With children attending two or three days a week, either in the morning or afternoon.

Research projects are carefully planned by faculty members and their research teams. Projects are reviewed by the Human Subjects Committee at Stanford as well as the Research Coordinator at Bing. Synopses of current research at Bing are posted on a bulletin board in the school atrium. After getting to know the children, researchers, called "game room teachers," invite children to participate in their research activity. Children can agree or decline. Children typically enjoy participating since the tasks are games or activities, not tests.

Children are part of a pool of applicants, not a list. We accept applications year round, and we give certain priority to Stanford affiliation (staff, faculty, students, alumni) but also accept about 25 - 30% from the general community.

We welcome applications year round, but unfortunately it is impossible to anticipate our enrollment needs in advance. We do our best to accommodate as many enrollment requests as possible.

If a child does not receive placement for a specific enrollment period, we do not notify a family because of the possibility there will be a placement for that child in the future.

We have two large enrollment periods each year: academic year (fall) enrollment begins in June; summer enrollment typically begins in March. If spaces become available during the year, they will be filled with children from our wait pool.

Class groupings of children are balanced across the mixed-age span and with equal numbers of girls and boys. Children are therefore offered particular placements in an AM or PM classroom, based on the needs of the classroom.

Children typically remain the the same mixed-age nursery school classroom. This allows them time to grow comfortable and confident in the setting.

If an applicant family cannot accept the enrollment offered, the child's name can be retained in the applicant wait pool for later consideration.