Admissions

Admissions Process

The Admissions Process

While most students enter The Center in the Toddler program, Early Childhood 1 “EC1” (the first year of preschool), or Kindergarten, we welcome applications at all grade levels!

Please submit an Inquiry Form below to begin your Admissions process.

1. Complete an Inquiry Form

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  • The first step of your process is completing an Inquiry Form online.

    Please submit your Inquiry Form here. Once our office processes your inquiry, you will receive an email with follow-up instructions, regarding creating or updating your applicant account, which will allow you to complete and submit your application.

    Click here to view important dates for applying to CEE.
    If you have any difficulty accessing or completing the Inquiry Form, please contact the Admissions Office by phone or email so that we can help!
Please note: The admissions process outlined below reflects 2025-26 applicant information. The 2026-27 admissions process will be available here by mid-May 2025.

2. Complete an Application Online

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  • Please see below for information about 2025-26 Applications.

    The online application process begins after you submit your inquiry form (see above). The application form includes general information as well as longer questions so that we can learn more about your child and family. The 2025-26 application form is now open.
     
    At the end of the application, you will be asked to submit a $100 application fee by credit card before submitting the application. If your family is applying for financial aid, the application fee will be waived.
     
    Applications for 2025-26 are due by November 15, 2024.

    If you are unable to apply online or need any support, please call us so that we can help!

3. Attend a Virtual Admissions Open House

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  • After submitting an online application, parents and guardians will be invited to learn more before visiting campus.

    After submitting an online application, parents and guardians will receive a confirmation email that includes a link to an applicant family webpage with supplemental videos and materials. Once your application has been processed, you will receive an email directing you to your applicant checklist, through which you will be able to register for your Virtual Open House.

    Our Virtual Open House is designed to help applicant families learn more about our program, philosophy, and community in advance of their in-person campus visits. Open Houses take place between September-December.

    After your Virtual Open House, you will be invited to our campus for an in-person visit. We look forward to meeting you soon!

4. Complete Your Campus Visits

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  • After attending a Virtual Open House, families are invited to visit The Center in-person!

    Please see below to learn more about the components and format of your family's admissions visits, which depend on your family's application grade level.

Toddler/EC Visits

  • Parent Tour & Interview (one appointment)

Kindergarten Visits

  • Kindergarten Child Visit & Parent Tour (one appointment)
  • Parent Interview (separate appointment)

Elementary (1-6) Visits

  • Parent Tour & Interview (one appointment)
  • Child Class Visit Day (separate appointment)
Tours are led by current CEE parents and are an important way for applicant parents and guardians to learn about our school and community first-hand.

Parent Interviews are an opportunity for applicant families to meet with us and share more about their child and family. The Parent Interview is a 30-45 minute conversation between the applicant child's parent(s)/guardian(s) and a member of our Admissions Interview Team.

We have a wonderful, diverse interview team made up of administrators and faculty as well as the Admissions team. Interviewers are assigned based on availability and grade level—we are not able to accommodate requests for specific interviewers.

All parents/guardians are expected to attend the interview. Please contact our office to reschedule if a parent/guardian is not able to attend your initial date.
Kindergarten Visits include a group Kindergarten Screening for your child as well as a Parent Tour and Q&A session. Our Kindergarten Screening includes a story time, mini-PE class, and small group activities with CEE faculty and administrators. The purpose of this visit is for us to learn more about each child in our school setting.     
 
Elementary applicants (first through sixth grade applicants) are invited to a full-day school visit. Children visit their current grade level for classes, lunch, and recess times, and also complete a math, reading, and writing academic screening.
 
We recognize that the Screening is a short period out of a child's life. We consider the Screening in the context of the Parent Application, Parent Interview, the Preschool Evaluation Form/Elementary Recommendation Form and, for elementary applicants, the Administrative Recommendation Form, and previous school records.

5. Submit Additional Documents (Kindergarten-6th Grade/C6 applicants only)

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  • Kindergarten-6th Grade applications require additional forms.

    Kindergarten-6th Grade applications must include a Teacher Recommendation Form completed by a current core teacher, submitted directly to, and received by, The Center’s Admissions Office (online or hard copy).

Kindergarten Required Documents

Elementary (1-6) Required Documents

Additionally, students applying to Elementary grades beyond Kindergarten must submit an Administrative Recommendation Form (LAIS) as well as a Release of Records Form to their current school. The Administrative Recommendation should be completed by a current school administrator and sent by the school directly to The Center. The Release of Records Form requests that the current school send copies of the child's progress reports and any completed standardized testing to The Center.
 
The Teacher Recommendation Form, Administrative Recommendation Form, and the Release of Records Form can be downloaded from the Applicant Checklist on October 2, after a family has applied to The Center.

6. Submit Your Financial Aid Application (if applicable)

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  • The Center is committed to an economically diverse community. We encourage all families to learn more about our financial aid program!

    If your family is applying for financial aid, please submit your financial aid application and documents before the new applicant family financial aid deadline of January 17, 2025.

    The financial aid process is outlined here. Please call us with any questions!

7. Notification of Admission Decisions!

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  • The Center for Early Education will notify families of 2025-26 admissions decisions on the following dates:

    • Toddler and Early Childhood Programs - February 6, 2025, after 5:00 PM
    • Kindergarten and Elementary Programs - March 14, 2025, after 5:00 PM (shared by Los Angeles Independent Elementary Schools)

      Financial aid decisions will be communicated at the same time as admissions notifications.


    If you have any questions about The Center’s application process, we would love to help! Please contact our Admissions Office for support.

Learn More

563 N. Alfred Street, West Hollywood CA 90048
323-651-0707
info@cee-school.org  |  admissions@cee-school.org
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, lifelong 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.