REGISTRATION CLOSED
Registration for the 2025/2026 School Year is now closed.
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Note: Registration for the 2025/2026 preschool year was open from January 16 to 23, 2025. We are currently finalizing the lottery process, arranging class placements, and preparing offer letters. Information about available spots will be shared by mid-March.​​
2024/2025
OPEN AVAILABILITY
Preschool Class Availability Sep 2024 - June 2025 :
ABOUT HIGHLANDS
EARLY LEARNING CENTRE
Highlands Early Learning Centre has been educating children in the community for over 50 years. We provide a unique, quality preschool experience for 2-5-year-olds. We work together with parents to support children through their early years, extending their emotional, social, academic and physical skills and abilities.
Our goal is to inspire curiosity, independence, and a life-long love of learning to help our children become contributing members of our community and the world.
VISION
To create an inclusive preschool community that honours the individuality of each child and exceptional teachers who instill a passion for learning.
PURPOSE
Highlands Early Learning Centre provides preschool children with an inclusive space to play and explore, laying a foundation for a lifetime of confidence, curiosity, and wonder.
EARLY LEARNING FRAMEWORK
The Ministry of Education, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Children and Family Development, have created the Early Learning Framework which Highlands teachers incorporate in their classrooms.
The Early Learning Framework states that “Play is vital to young children’s daily lives and promotes their healthy physical and intellectual development in ways that cannot be achieved by focusing on pre-academic skills.”
The Early Learning Framework supports the teachers to create rich early learning experiences and environments that support your children’s early learning and development. Current research suggests that there are windows of opportunity in children’s early development.
The Early Learning Framework describes four living inquiries:
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Well-Being and belonging
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Engagement with others, materials and the world
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Communication and literacies
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Identities, social responsibility, and diversity
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“Living inquiries are rooted in the belief that children learn by doing (playing) when they are engaged in projects and inquiries that extend their interests.” ELF p 65
For more information on the new Early Learning Framework please CLICK HERE
PRIORITY REGISTRATION
STEP 1: OPEN REGISTRATION
Our registration period for the upcoming school year is open exclusively for one week during the third week of January. The exact dates will be announced on the main page of our website at least four months prior to the registration period.
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To enroll, simply visit our website during the registration week and click on the registration button on the front page. Complete the application form by entering your child’s details and selecting your 1st and 2nd choice schedules.
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Please Note: Registration is NOT first-come, first-served, ensuring a fair and equitable approach for all applicants. Instead, a lottery system will be used to determine placement after the registration period closes.
STEP 2: LOTTERY PROCESS
Our lottery meetings are conducted with the active participation of the Executive Director, Registrar, and at least three Board Members.
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Student placement is determined through a tiered lottery system. This system categorizes applicants into groups such as board/staff families, returning students, alumni families, and new students.
STEP 3: PLACEMENT
After the lottery, students are assigned to classes based on their lottery number. If both your 1st and 2nd choice schedules are full, you will be placed on the waitlist and contacted via phone or email to discuss available alternatives. If all classes remain full at that point, your child will be added to the general waitlist.
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Please note that this process may take up to six weeks. While we do our best to accommodate preferences, we cannot guarantee specific morning or afternoon placements. Returning students are guaranteed a spot, while placement for alumni and new students depends on available openings.
STEP 4: OFFERS & WAITLIST
Once all class spots are filled, we will send Offer and Waitlist letters via email. These notifications are typically sent out in early March.
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If your child is offered a space in one of our programs, you will receive detailed instructions to complete the online Registration Application. A non-refundable application processing fee of $125 per child is required at this stage. You will also be prompted to review and confirm your understanding of the HELC Tuition Policy.
STEP 5: TEACHER SCHEDULE
Teacher schedules for the upcoming school year are confirmed at the end of the current school year.
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Please note that we cannot guarantee that the same teachers will be assigned to the same classes as in the current preschool year.
