Because large chunks of our day are spent out in the woods with no external barriers, children at Acorn need to:

• Be past the stage of needing an adult trailing them for safety.
• Generally be able to follow verbal directions.
• Generally be inclined to stick with the group.
• Be out of diapers and able to handle toileting primarily independently.

• Children enrolled in Acorn Preschool are ages 3-5.

• Children enrolled in Acorn Afterschool are in Kindergarten–2nd Grade.

• Children enrolled in Acorn Summer are ages 3-8.

Acorn Preschool has 2 options for start times: 8:30 and 9:00.

There are 2 options for Preschool pick-up times: 2:30 and 5:00.

We are currently only offering spots for children to come Monday–Friday.

Acorn Afterschool runs from 2:30–5:00, Monday–Friday.

Partial week schedules are possible if families match up with other partial week families to share a spot.

Acorn Summer 2025 will run June 30th – August 8th (Closed July 4th).

Our Summer program is Monday–Friday, 9:00–3:00 or 9:00–5:00. There is an option of dropping off at 8:30 for an additional fee.

Between 8:30–2:30 there are up to 12 children and 3 teachers.

Between 2:30–5:00 there are up to 16 children and 2 teachers (with Acorn’s Director additionally on hand if needed).

Wearing the right layers and having quality gear is essential to keeping warm and dry. A detailed outline of what children need to wear (depending on the weather) can be found on our How To Dress For Acorn page.

Gearing up your child for an outdoor program can be expensive. One option is to make a financial contribution to the Acorn Gear Cooperative to borrow from our collection of clothing/gear.

No. Children bring their own food and water for the day and carry it in their backpack when we go to the woods.

• 1–2 healthy, hearty, protein-rich snacks (packed in containers your child can manage independently).
• A leak-proof, easy-to-manage water bottle.
• A backpack to carry the above items.
• Appropriate clothing (see the How To Dress For Acorn page for details on how to dress for Acorn).
• A complete change of clothing, labeled with their name (which can be kept at Acorn).
• Any bug spray or sunscreen you’d like re-applied during the day.

• If attending Acorn Preschool or Summer, include a hearty, protein-rich lunch (packed in manageable containers).

Ticks are a fact of life in Ithaca and Acorn land is no exception. While we monitor children for ticks and teach them to do the same, Acorn families commit to daily tick checks at home.

Some families adopt a routine of bath time upon returning from Acorn to wash off any ticks, and parents are encouraged to do a thorough tick check before putting on pajamas.

Families should apply any preferred bug spray (and sunscreen) before the start of the day, with teachers re-applying as needed.

With daily tick checks at home, no tick will remain on your child for longer than 24 hours, greatly reducing any risk of tick-borne illness.

Yes. A complete outline of our school calendar can be found on our Calendar page.

Yes. Acorn is licensed as an In-Home Group Family Daycare by the NY State Office of Children and Family Services. License #00750921.

Acorn Preschool:

• 9:00–2:30: $1215/month
• 9:00–5:00: $1530/month
• 8:30 start time: $105/month

Acorn Afterschool: $460/month

Acorn Summer: (Runs Monday–Friday, June 30th – August 8th, Closed July 4th)

Full 6-Week Enrollment:

• 9:00–3:00: $1900
• 9:00–5:00: $2435
• 8:30 start time: $160

Weekly Rates (Partial Enrollment):

• 9:00–3:00: $385/week
• 9:00–5:00: $485/week
• 8:30 start time: $28/week