Waitlist at Nia House?
Does anyone have recent experience from the past three years on getting / not getting off the waitlist at Nia House? I did see the previous thread and responses from Feb 2020. We just submitted and have about a year before our child hits 18 months, so I'm curious if we have a decent chance or very little chance.
(Also, if anyone happens to know of any other similar places-- mostly outdoors, and ideally relatively affordable / Montessori / with an equity focus-- please let me know!)
Jun 1, 2023
Parent Replies
We enrolled our now 2.5 year old the day after she was born and she just got in, albeit with a lot of leg work and a bit of luck. The waitlist doesn't do much good. The staff relayed to call as much as possible to stay top of mind as their enrollment happens all year on a per needed basis (less than a handful of spots seem to open at a time). Their waitlist has over 1,000 children. We had friends who are current Nia house parents as well as alum parents and tried to leverage their connects as much as possible. They select based off "need" (which can be a bit broad), but that includes financial as they are funded partially by the city and if siblings have or currently attend. We assumed we weren't getting in (but continued to try) and had a happy surprise when we did.
A general note that we've found with all these preschool waitlists in Berkeley and the Bay Area – the demand is so high across the board that the idea of signing up and expecting a call out of the blue is not the reality. You have to work the system, be top of mind, and put in as much legwork as you can. Think of it like securing a job. It takes time, persistence, and networking.
My child attended Nia House, it is a wonderful school! We put our kid's name on the list at 4 months old, and we were contacted when he was about 20 months to say there was a spot available in the toddler program and he started at 22 months. This was a few years ago, but I know of other folks who were able to get in a little quicker than us. I think it is worth reaching out to the school to let them know how interested you are.
It is further away, but the other JEDI-focused Montessori school I know of is Grand Lake Montessori.