Priority Enrollment Categories

Wildsong’s priority categories for enrollment/annual re-enrollment are as follows:

1. Currently enrolled children
2. Siblings of currently enrolled children
3. Siblings of alumni families (in good standing)
4. Children related to employees/board members of the Mishawaka Res
5. General public

A lottery will be run if in any category the demand for seats is greater than the number of seats available.

Program Expectations

Families should understand the following program expectations before enrolling their child:

• Children may be wet/dirty at the end of a Wildsong program day. Families should be prepared for some additional laundry.
• Families will need to provide seasonally-appropriate all-weather gear for their child, including snow and rain gear. A full list of recommended items will be provided in the Family Handbook.
• Children need to be potty-trained and able to use the restroom independently.
• Children should be up-to-date on routine childhood immunizations, with medical exemptions allowed. A strongly held religious exemption may be accepted on a case-by-case basis. Influenza and Covid-19 vaccines are left to the discretion of each family.
• Once enrolled, families are responsible for the full fees for the year unless a wait-listed child is available to take that spot. Program fees will not be adjusted for sick days, inclement weather days, or family vacations outside of the scheduled breaks at Thanksgiving, winter break, and spring break.

Schedule & Fees

Beginning for the 2025-2026 programming year, Wildsong will operate on an academic year basis. Classes will begin August 26 and run through May 21, with 4 weeks off for scheduled breaks during the year. All programming days will run from 8:30 am until 11:45 am, with pick up and drop off at The Mishawaka Res in Mishawaka, Indiana. Families may choose to pay per semester or per month. Program fees will be reassessed every 2 years and may increase due to inflation or increased program costs.

Scholarships/Sliding-Income Scale Recommendations

Wildsong is currently raising funds for scholarships and there is no guaranteed availability. We also recognize that a flat-rate program fee does not promote equity, as families in our community begin with varying levels of income. In order to promote a community where all children have access to nature-based programming, below is a recommended sliding-income scale. If your household income is above $75,000, would you consider donating an additional amount above the flat-rate program fee to our scholarship fund? If your household income is below $50,000 and you can’t afford the flat-rate program fee, please reach out to see if scholarship funds are available. When available, scholarships will range from 10%-40% of the total program cost.

Household Income	Recommendation
Below $50,000	Reach out if your family cannot afford the flat-rate program fee to check on scholarship availability
$50,000-$75,000	Pay flat-rate program fee
$75,000-$100,000	Consider donating an additional 10%-20% of your program costs to the scholarship fund
Above $100,000	Consider donating an additional 20%-40% of your program costs to the scholarship fund

Wildsong does not offer a sibling discount at this time.