How Enrollment Works
Our Annual Enrollment Cycle
The ECEC uses yearlong contracts that run from August to July.
Each spring, current families tell us whether they plan to return for the next contract year. Once we know how many families are returning, we can determine how many openings are available and begin offering spaces to families on our waitlist.
Because of this process, most enrollment offers are made in the spring and early summer for children who will begin attending in August.
Mid-Year Openings
Many families ask whether their child can start in the middle of the year.
The answer is very rarely.
Mid-year openings only occur when a currently enrolled family leaves the program before the end of their contract. When that happens, we offer the available space to the next eligible child on the waitlist.
We do not keep a separate waitlist for mid-year enrollment, or last-minute openings.
How We Contact Families
When a space becomes available, we will contact you using the phone number and email address listed on your application.
Please make sure both are included on your application and let us know if your contact information changes while you are on the waitlist.
Families have three business days to accept or decline an enrollment offer. If we do not hear back, we will move on to the next eligible child on the waitlist.
How Waitlist Priority Works
One of the biggest misconceptions about our waitlist is that enrollment is based on a single waitlist number. In reality, enrollment offers are based on three factors:
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- Age Group
- Priority Tier
- Application Date
All three factors work together when we offer available spaces.
Age Groups and Waitlist Placement
While we maintain one master waitlist database, enrollment openings are offered by age group. As children grow, they automatically move into the next age category.
Example: A child joins the waitlist at 2 months old and is placed in the infant age group.
When that child turns 15 months old, they automatically move into the toddler age group.
Because the toddler age group includes older children who may have been waiting longer, the child's position may change significantly when they move into that new age category.
Priority Tiers
Our goal is to prioritize our current families, so that care is coordinated between all of their children. Our first priority tier is for siblings of currently enrolled families, and children of formerly enrolled families.
Our second-tier priority is for University of Wyoming affiliated families because we are a University of Wyoming facility.
Our third-tier priority is for anyone in the Laramie community.
Priority tier is one of several factors we consider when offering spaces, along with your child's age group and the date your application was received.
This means that enrollment offers are not always made strictly by application date alone. A child in a higher priority tier may receive an offer before a child who has been waiting longer.
Priority Tier 1
- Siblings of children currently enrolled at the ECEC
- Siblings of children previously enrolled at the ECEC
Priority Tier 2
- Current University of Wyoming students, staff, or faculty
Priority Tier 3
- Families who are not affiliated with the University of Wyoming
Within each priority tier, children are ordered by the date their application was received.
Example: If there are four toddler openings and two children on the waitlist are in Priority Tier 1, those children would be offered spaces first. The remaining openings would then be offered to children in Priority Tier 2 based on application date.
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