On-site Child Care Application for University Affiliates
The WorkLife Office (WLO) manages the centralized waitlist process for all campus child care centers, including the submission of applications and collection of application fees. The application fees are sent to the centers to support their operations and are non-refundable.
Effective September 1, 2021, the on-site child care application fee for university affiliates has been reduced from $50 to $15 per child, per center. This university-designated funding provides a significant reduction in application fees for families while also allowing our child care operators to meet their business needs.
Your family is encouraged to apply to the waiting list when you have a confirmed due date or confirmed adoption date. When you apply, the WLO will confirm your family’s eligibility and send an email prompting the payment of application fees. Once payment has been successfully submitted, the WLO will add your family to the waiting list. An email confirmation is sent at this time.
Application
When you click on the application link below, your SUNet ID will be linked to a new application account, then you will be prompted to submit and pay for the new applications you create during the process. If you do not have an active SUNet ID yet, please submit a help ticket to get access to the application.
Application for Faculty, Staff, Students, Postdocs and Visitors who have active SUNet IDs
Key Documents
Wait Times
Wait times on the list may vary depending on different factors including priority, age of the child, schedule requested, application date and available spaces.
Typically, infant and toddler classrooms for children who are 0-24 months are the most impacted. This is due to the smaller classroom size designations and the lower staff-to-child ratio needed to care for children of this age. Once children turn preschool-age (24 months+), the opportunity for space increases as we increase the class size and staff-to-child ratio.
If your circumstances permit, you may also want to consider flexible schedules (3 or 4 days per week) to maximize your opportunity of being offered a space.
Offer considerations
The WLO closely monitors priority status and the waitlist for next eligible families for enrollment. Spaces become available when:
- Children transition into older age groups at the same site or into kindergarten;
- Families depart Stanford or the site; or
- There is expansion such as in the case of CCSC and PCCC.
We have more spaces become available in the months of June – September. It is typical practice for our campus child care centers to transition children into older age groups during these months, making space for enrollment into younger age classrooms. Preschool-age children are also starting kindergarten. If you get an offer during the months of June - September, please make careful consideration if you think you may want to push your start date into the future as you may NOT get another offer for the exact time period you are seeking.
Prioritizing offers
Offers are extended to families when spaces become available at the campus child care centers. When offering an available space to families, we consider:
- Stanford University affiliation
- Whether a child has an already enrolled sibling;
- Schedule that became available (5, 4, or 3 days)
- Application date; and
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Age of the child
How you’ll be notified
The WLO sends offers to the email address provided at the time of application or waitlist update. You may update your email address at any time by contacting the WLO. Once an offer is made, we ask that families respond to the offer within 48-hours. This response time is critical since families will have time to tour and engage with the administration at the site prior to officially accepting the offer. Often times we experience families’ desire to push their start date into the future when offered a space. Families may do this. What this means is that the next eligible family will be offered a space.
Waitlist Questions
If you have questions about waitlist applications and enrollment in any of the on-site childcare centers, please submit a help ticket to WorkLife Office so the appropriate person can respond.