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

• Be past the stage of needing an adult trailing them in order to be safe.
• Generally be able to consistently 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 M-F.

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 2024 will run July 1st- August 9th (Closed July 4&5.) Our Summer program is Mondays-Fridays, 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, Emily Schmiderer 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 Resources page.

Gearing up your child for an outdoor program can be expensive. One “gearing up” option available to Acorn families is to make a financial contribution to the Acorn Gear Cooperative in exchange for borrowing from our collection of clothing/gear.

Currently, we do not wear masks at Acorn unless someone is in days 5-10 of having Covid.

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

• 1-2 healthy, hearty and protein rich snacks (packed in containers your child can open and close primarily with independence.)
• If attending Acorn Preschool or Summer, a hearty and protein rich lunch (packed in containers your child can open and close primarily with independence.)
• A leak-proof, easy to manage, filled water bottle.
• A backpack that your child can carry and which can hold the above mentioned items.
• Appropriate clothing (Please see the Resources page for a detailed outline of How to Dress for Acorn.)
• A complete change of clothing, labeled with their name (this can be kept at Acorn.)
• Any bug spray or sunscreen you may like re-applied during the day.
• 3-4 masks they can put on and take off primarily independently.
• 2 small bags or containers- one for clean masks and one for dirty masks.

Ticks are a fact of life in Ithaca and Acorn land is no exception. While we keep a eye out for ticks on children and teach the children to do the same, Acorn families need to be committed to through daily tick checks at home.

Some families choose to have the routine of bath time upon returning home from Acorn. This can minimize the chance of a tick attaching to your child since they will be removing the clothing worn in the woods that day and the bath/shower water would wash off any crawling ticks (if there were any… most often there are’t!) Parents can then do a through tick check before putting on pjs.

Families are encouraged to apply whatever bug spray (and sunscreen) that you would like your child to use prior to the start of the school day. Teachers will re-apply as needed.

With the routine of daily tick checks at home, no tick will be on your child for longer than 24 hours which greatly reduces any risk of infection of a tick borne illness.

Yes. A complete outline of our school calendar can be found on our Resources 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 tuition is:

• 9:00-2:30: $1180/month
• 9:00-5:00: $1485/month
• 8:30 start time: $100/month

Acorn Afterschool tuition is $445/month

Acorn Summer tuition is:

If you sign up for all 6 weeks:

• 9:00-3:00- $1830
• 9:00-5:00- $2340
• 8:30 start time- $150