Little Cardinals Preschool Program

About Little Cardinals Preschool

Our preschool program provides a safe, fun, professional, and caring learning environment for ages 3-5. Our program is designed for children to learn and grow in a Catholic values centered community. Our developmentally appropriate curriculum fosters all areas of growth: religious, cognitive, language, physical, emotional and creativity.  By providing a safe and nurturing environment, children will experience a wide variety of developmentally appropriate learning experiences through hands-on learning.

Eligibility:

  • Children must be fully potty-trained before enrolling.
  • Children must be 3 years old to enroll.
  • As a child care center licensed through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), all paperwork must be on file before a child's first day.
 
For more information regarding our program, or if your family would like a tour of the facilities, please contact earlychildhood_dir@manhattancatholicschools.org or call the school office at 785-565-5050.

Preschool Program Options

Enrollment for August 2024 will begin Friday, February 16, 2024 for current MCS families. Registration for the Manhattan community will begin Friday, March 1st.  Children must be three years old and fully potty trained BEFORE starting our program.

Our center is licensed through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), each classroom teacher meets the requirements set forth by the state.  We follow staff to child ratios set forth by the state, which is 1:12. The lead teachers in the classroom are responsible for creating engaging activities for children in order to foster a love for learning as they also prepare children for Kindergarten.

Children are provided with breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack.  A hot lunch is provided on-site, when the elementary school is in session.  When the elementary school is not in session during the summer months, we utilize the Summer Meal Program, offered through USD 383.  Students are bused daily to an assigned meal location.

We provide a few enrollment options for families.  Starting August 2024, program options will look slightly different compared to previous years. 

Option 1:

We will have two full-day classrooms. Hours of operation for the full-day classrooms will be 7:15am-5:45pm. Tuition for the full-day preschool classrooms is $900 per month.  The full-day preschool classrooms do not follow the MCS Academic Calendar.  A list of closure dates for the year will be shared with families in July. The two classrooms will be designated to different age groups depending on when they will start kindergarten.  Our program aims to keep classroom sizes small to follow the same model as the elementary school.

  • 3-4 year old classroom will be designated for children who will enroll in kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year.
  • 4-5 year old classroom will be designated for children who will enroll in kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year. 

Option 2:

The second option is designed for families who do not need full-day care and wish to pick-up when the elementary school dismisses.  This option will follow the MCS Academic School Calendar.  The school day will start and end time as the elementary school.  

  • For example, this year the school day is from 7:35am-2:45pm.  If the school day remains the same for next year, this is the schedule the classroom will follow.  The day will start at 7:35am and students will be dismissed at 2:45pm. Students enrolled in this classroom will not be eligible to attend on days MCS is closed.  More information regarding the start/end time of school will be available once the academic calendar for the 2024-2025 school year is finalized. 
  • Tuition Options for this session:
    • Monday-Friday: $600 per month
    • Part-time Option will be ALL-DAY:
      • Monday/Wednesday/Friday:  $420 per month
      • Tuesday/Thursday: $280

 

For more information regarding part-time session availability, please contact the director at abonilla@manhattancatholicschools.org.

Registration Instructions:

To pre-enroll your child for the 2024-2025 school year, complete the following steps.  

  • Complete the Pre-Enrollment Registration Form on Brightwheel.  Current families will receive the link via email.  Pre-enrollment for the Manhattan Community will begin in March.  The link to complete the Registration Form will be available HERE on Friday, March 1st.  
    • Families new to Brightwheel will be prompted to create an account. 
    • Be sure to complete ALL of the information.  The Parent Contact section is often times left incomplete.  This makes it extremely difficult to contact families regarding enrollment as we do not have a way to contact you regarding availability options.
  • Pay the non-refundable $100 Registration Fee upon classroom placement.
    • Fee will be applied to your Brightwheel account within 3-4 business days upon classroom placement.
  • Program Director will contact families regarding classroom placement after enrollment begins for the Manhattan community.  At this time, prospective families will be enrolled and notified of classroom placement.

 

Additional Expenses Collected at Enrollment with Enrollment Paperwork

Supply Fee: $200.00 (per student)

The Supply Fee is applied to your child's Brightwheel account.  It is divided into two payments.  First payment is invoiced in August, and the second payment is invoiced in January.

PTO Fee: $10.00 (per family)