Frequently Asked Questions
These are some of our most commonly asked questions about Langley Forest School, outdoor school and learning in nature. If you have any questions that are not on this list, please email us anytime.
How old does my child need to be for preschool?
Preschool children must have their 3rd birthday at least 3 months prior to their first day of school, and MUST be potty trained at least 3 months prior to their start date as well.
For the 2024/2025 year, for alumni registrants ONLY, LFS is running a pilot to lower the age of eligibility to 3 years at school start, assuming the child is fully potty trained. There will be a maximum number of one, 3 year old per class. The date and time your alumni child was added to the waitlist will be the order in which this pilot is offered if applicable.
How old does my child need to be for Outdoor Experience Days (OED)?
Children must be 5-7 years of age or Kindergarten eligible to grade 2 at the start of the class (depending upon whether you are applying for the Spring or Fall programme). OED children cannot be older than 7 at enrolment.
How old does my child need to be before I can apply for preschool?
Applications can be submitted at any time. Once your application has been received, your child/infant/baby will be placed on our waitlist for their relevant enrolment year. You must be capable of submitting your child’s birthdate (cannot apply while pregnant).
If I apply, will I be guaranteed a spot in my chosen class?
When you apply, your child will automatically be placed on our waitlist in time and date-stamped order. We have a 5 tier registration process for Preschool and OEDs as below:
Tier A Returning Students wanting the same location, same day/time
Tier B -Returning Students wanting the same location but another day/time
Tier C - Alumni siblings & current LFS Staff children wanting any location, any day/time (offered in time stamped order of application)
Tier D - Returning Students wanting a different location, any day/time
Tier E - New students at all locations (offered in time stamped order of application receipt)
Children are offered an opportunity to register in the order in which they were waitlisted within their tier.
How does your wait list work?
Once a spot becomes available, we will contact you by email, and you will have 7 days to accept, defer or decline that spot. If we do not receive your response within 7 days, your spot will be given to the next child on the waitlist.
Students are offered spots in the following order:
1. Current students who wish to return (preschool)
Year-round programme = end of January
2. Current students who wish to return (OED)
Year-round programme= April
Sessional programmes = end of each term
2. Siblings of current students or alumni and LFS preschool alumni
Year-round programmes = Beginning of February
Sessional programmes = 3 months prior to next term
3. New applicants
Year-round programmes - preschool= mid February to September (if spots available)
Year-round programmes - OED= April to September (if spots available)
Sessional programmes = OED 2-3 mths prior to next term
What if my child has special needs?
It is Langley Forest School’s philosophy to be an inclusive school with integration as our main method of inclusion, however, there are certain limitations given the outdoor education format. Each child will be met with prior to final enrolment to ensure that they can be supported appropriately.
My child has a peanut allergy - can we still apply?
Yes, your child can attend with a peanut allergy. Be aware however that there are tree nuts all over the forest floor and avoiding those would be quite impossible. Of course, we don’t encourage children to put them in their mouths!
When can I visit your school?
We run an annual mock day in Spring, if there is enough interest, so that you and your child can take a peek at what learning looks like. Please follow us on social media or subscribe to our newsletter for more information.
What about going to the bathroom?
Forest pees at appropriate specified spots in the partial sight lines of educators occur wherever we are in the forest. Your child should learn how to pee outside and know appropriate etiquette, prior to attending school in Sept. Ask us at orientation how to teach this if you don't know! At the WP site we have a composting toilet in LaJ's Loo for #2 and at MNP there is a pit toilet. Children are escorted by educators.
In an 'emergency' we carry equipment for an environmentally appropriate cat hole burial and we pack out anything not biodegradable.