Enrollment & Tuition
Instead of visiting the Early Childhood Center before beginning the application process, new families should submit their waitlist application and work with the ECC team in getting introduced to the Center upon acceptance. In person tours are available any morning without an appointment from 9:30 am - 11:30 am.
Enrollment
Children are placed in class groups according to age as of September 1. ECC follows the academic calendar and children stay with their age group the entire year. The enrollment process for the next fall begins in March. Families on the waiting list are contacted for available spaces and a non-refundable registration fee ($100 for new children) is collected to hold a child's place through the summer.
Registration for our Summer Sessions, 1 and 2 are available March 1st with priority given to currently enrolled children and siblings. Families may request a different schedule for these sessions than the one they have during the academic year.
Waiting List
ECC is open to the public, but prioritizes meeting the needs of staff, faculty and students at SIUE. Siblings of currently enrolled children are given first priority. We structure class groups to support appropriate diversity, gender distribution and accommodation for children with special needs. A child may be placed on the waiting list at birth, and children are placed on the waiting list by date of application. Please send us a completed Waiting List Application to earlychildhoodcenter@siue.edu and we will confirm your application was received.
Tuition
Tuition may be paid in bi-weekly (8) or monthly (4) payments. Monthly tuition payments are due on the first of each month.ECC Tuition Rates FY 26
Closure Dates
The Early Childhood Center will be closed the following dates:
Christmas Eve- Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Christmas Day Holiday- Thursday, December 25, 2025
Holiday- Friday, December 26, 2025
Holiday- Monday, December 29, 2025
Holiday- Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Holiday- Wednesday, December 31, 2025
New Year's Day Holiday- Thursday, January 1, 2026
Holiday- Friday, January 2, 2026
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- Monday, January 19, 2026
Memorial Day- Monday, May 25, 2026
Juneteenth Day- Friday, June 19, 2026
The Early Childhood Center (optional) paid break weeks are as follows:
Fall Semester 2025
Break Week 1- November 24 and 25, 2025 (Monday and Tuesday only)
Break Week 2- December 15-19, 2025
Break Week 3- December 22 and 23, 2025 (Monday and Tuesday only)
Spring Semester 2026
Break Week 1- January 5-9, 2026
Break Week 2- March 9-13, 2026
