Germantown Friends School - Early Childhood Program

We welcome you to the Early Childhood admissions process, and we appreciate your interest in GFS for your child.

We encourage you to get a head start on your application for the 2022-23 school year by submitting an inquiry below!

At this point in our admissions season, we are no longer taking applications for the 2021-22 school year. We are accepting 2021-22 applications for limited openings in our Early Childhood Center City Program and for Grades 3-4 and 6-8.

Meet members of our community and hear about the unique educational experiences at GFS by exploring our Admissions event recordings. For questions, please contact us at admissions@germantownfriends.org or 215-951-2345.

Early Childhood Main Playground with Tiger

Early Childhood Main Campus students coloring with teacher Allegra

Ready to begin your application process?

Start here!

Create a profile in Veracross, our admissions software provider. We look forward to getting to know you and your family and introducing you to GFS!

Important Application Dates

Important Application Dates

While we encourage you to submit materials prior to the stated deadlines, we do accept applications on a rolling basis and may be able to consider late applications. Please call the Admissions Office at 215-951-2345 with additional questions.

December 10, 2021 | Deadline to Initiate an Application
Families must initiate an application by December 10, 2021 to be eligible for first round review.
*Please note that for families with multiple children, the items below must be completed for each applicant.

January 7, 2022 | Admissions Application Completion Deadline
Families who have completed the application process by January 7, 2022 will be eligible for first round review and decision notification.
Please note that in order for an application to be complete, all admissions checklist items in the Admissions Portal must be recorded as complete or received.
Applications completed after January 7, 2022 will be considered on a rolling basis as they become complete and decisions will be published weekly each Friday.

February 1, 2022 | First Round Admission Decision Notification
Families who have completed the application process by January 7, 2022 will be notified in writing of the admission decision by February 1, 2022.

March 1, 2022 | Enrollment Decision and Enrollment Agreement Deadline for Accepted Applicants
By common agreement among most area independent schools, families whose children are accepted by February 1, 2022 have until March 1, 2022 to accept or decline the offer of admission. Families who accept an offer of admission must return the Enrollment Agreement with a non-refundable deposit of $750.00 per child by March 1, 2022. This deposit is applied as a credit to the tuition bill for 2022-23. All payment plans will be billed and administered via the FACTS Management Company.

STEP 1

Get started: Submit an Inquiry

Once an online inquiry is submitted, you will receive an email with a link to set up access to the Veracross Admissions Portal. Simply click the link and set your password.

First time inquiring about GFS? If you would like more information about GFS, please complete an online inquiry form. This will establish your GFS Admissions Portal account, which you can use throughout the application process.

Not sure if you have an account? Visit the Admissions Portal login page and click the forgot your password link. Type in your email address to check and see if you already have an account. This process will prevent the creation of duplicate accounts. Also, you can access the GFS Admissions Portal to track your application status at all times.

Frequently Asked Questions

WHICH GRADE SHOULD I SELECT?

For applicants applying for the 2022-23 school year, please select the grade applying for according to the following birthdates:
• Younger Preschool | Children must be at least 2 years 7 months old by September 1, 2022
• Older Preschool | Select if your child will be 3 years 7 months old by September 1, 2022
• Pre-K | Select if your child will be 4 years old by September 1, 2022

Please note that for children who meet the minimum age requirement, this is just a starting point. A Division Director can discuss Early Childhood class placement options during your parent interview, and we can easily make any appropriate adjustments to your application as needed as you move through the process.

How can I apply with multiple applicants?

What if I didn't receive the email?

How do I apply if I already set up an account last year?

STEP 2

Initiate Your Application

Provide some basic information, tell us a bit about your interest in GFS.

Once you are in the Admissions Portal, you will see a set of required forms at the top of the application checklist. Please fill out the following forms by December 10, 2021 to be eligible for first round review for the 2022-23 School Year:

Demographic Information — to be completed by a parent or guardian
Parent Questionnaire — to be completed by a parent or guardian
$45 Application Fee — If this is a hardship please give us a call.

Once these items are completed, you will be able to schedule your Parent Interview.

STEP 3

Schedule Your Parent Interview

Parent interviews are a chance for us to get to know your family!

We will learn about your child, and answer any questions you have about GFS. They typically last about an hour and are conducted via Zoom. If you aren’t familiar with video chat, don’t worry — we’re here to help!

Once you have completed the Demographic Info, Parent Questionnaire and submitted the $45 application fee, we will reach out via email to schedule your parent interview.

For families with multiple applicants, only one Parent Interview is required. If possible, we ask that all parents be present at the same video chat.

STEP 4

Play Observation Video & Virtual PreK Readiness Assessment

We ask that parents submit a short (approximately two minute) video of their child engaged in some sort of interactive play activity. Ideally, the clip would show the applicant engaging and speaking with someone else, such as a parent or sibling. For PreK applicants, both a Play Observation Video and Readiness Assessment will be required.

For PreK applicants, a brief virtual readiness assessment will be conducted by the Director of Early Childhood Admissions. Scheduling options will be discussed during your Parent Interview.

STEP 5

Confidential Teacher Recommendation for PreK Applicants

We understand the unique demand the current pandemic is placing on teachers during this school year and will work with families to provide flexibility for this requirement. If your applicant child is in a preschool program, we ask that you please choose the teacher from either last year or this year that knows your child the best.

Teacher Recommendation Forms and requests should be sent directly from within the Veracross Admissions Portal to teacher(s) and must be received by GFS by January 7, 2022.

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EARLY CHILDHOOD