Affording a Center Education

We know that choosing a Center education is a significant decision and one that impacts children for life. As families learn about The Center, we want to provide information about our tuition, fees, and strong financial aid program.

58%

Average Award

$2.5m

Tuition Assistance Budget

List of 2 items.

  • Tuition 2023-24

    Toddler Program:$25,935 (half day), $31,175 (full day)
    Early Childhood 1 & 2:
    $25,935 (EC1 half day), $31,175 (EC1 & EC2 full day)
    Elementary Grades K-6:$36,920
  • Fees

    Non-refundable deposit, applied to Tuition:
    Early Childhood:$1,500
    Elementary:$2,000
    Annual Parent Association Dues:
    Per Child:$125
    New Student Fee:$2,000

Financial Aid

The Center for Early Education is a community of socio-economically diverse students and families. Inclusion in the life of the school is an essential element of our educational philosophy and culture.
Socio-economic diversity enriches the educational opportunities for all families. In support of a school community that includes families with a wide range of economic experiences, financial aid is available to assist with the payment of tuition, fees, and extra-curricular programs at all grade levels and is awarded without regard to race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or religion.

The Financial Aid Committee confidentially reviews all financial aid applications and allocates funding to qualified families. While we encourage all applications from new and returning families who believe the cost of tuition is prohibitive to attending, please understand that it is possible that not all who apply will qualify.

The Financial Aid Process

To assist us in objectively determining a family’s ability to pay tuition, we have enlisted the help of a third party, Independent School Management’s FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) program.
We use FAST’s calculation as the baseline for our determinations, taking into consideration our school's policies and the resources available for returning students, as well as applicant families. All information is kept strictly confidential. 

In order for the Financial Aid Committee to distribute funds equitably, applicant families must meet all stated deadlines. Failure to meet deadlines may impact a family's financial aid award.

2024-25 Financial Aid Deadlines

Deadlines to complete the FAST online application and upload or mail the required documents to FAST are:
  • Financial Aid Application Opens in November 2023
  • Current/Returning Center Families Due - December 1, 2023
  • Prospective/Applicant Families Financial Aid Application Due – January 12, 2024
  • 2022 W2 Forms and 1099 Forms Due to FAST - January 31, 2024
  • 2022 Tax Returns Due to FAST (enrolled families) - April 30, 2024
Failure to meet deadlines may impact a family's financial aid award.

Financial Aid for School Tuition (FAST)

To start the application process, visit:
Applications for 2024-25 will become available in November 2023. After submission of the online application form, FAST will confirm receipt of the online portion of your application and will respond with a list of additional tax-related documents that you will be required to upload or mail directly to FAST (not to CEE). Please also submit this signed form to FAST with your other required documentation. FAST will share instructions for how to upload or mail these documents.

Families who wish to apply for financial aid after the stated deadlines should contact Director of Admissions Katrina Lappin (new admissions applicant families) or Director of Finance Debbie Wilhite (currently enrolled CEE families) before submitting a FAST application.

Questions?

For questions (in English or Spanish) on completing the online application, call FAST Customer Service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at 1-877-326-FAST (3278) or email help@ismfast.com.

Applicant families can contact Katrina Lappin, Director of Admissions, at lappink@cee-school.org, or Debbie Wilhite, Director of Finance, at wilhited@cee-school.org with any financial aid questions.
The Center for Early Education, a socio-economically and culturally diverse independent school for children, toddlers through grade six, strives to graduate students who are joyful, resilient, life-long learners. The Center embraces a philosophy of education that combines a nurturing, inclusive learning environment with an increasingly challenging academic program that addresses the developmental needs of each child.