Upon receipt of the school Prospectus, interested parents can arrange an appointment for an introductory visit with the Headmistress and a tour of the school premises. A formal interview will then be scheduled. Acceptance of the child will be confirmed by mail and will be accompanied by admission and information forms that are required to be completed and returned.

Once admitted, younger children in the Afternoon Programme, Morning Programme, Happy Nappies or Little Learners, will be scheduled for two days of orientation (approximately one hour per day) with their mothers. We will attempt to schedule Afternoon Programme pupils for afternoon orientation, but this cannot be guaranteed.

Maria's Babies Society believes that many children with special needs benefit from being involved in "mainstream" schooling. As well, their presence is valuable for teachers and pupils alike within that system. Based on this belief, the school accepts children who have special needs, if and when it will benefit all involved, and appropriate facilities are available.

Each special needs application is assessed individually, along with input from parents and specialists in the field. As with all children at Maria's Babies Society, teachers will do their best to provide individual attention. However, the school may require that individual assistance be provided by a personal caregiver, who will be present to observe and assess the child and their subsequent development at school.

Should a special need arise after a child has been enrolled at the school, they may continue. However, after consultation with parents and specialists in the field, we may require that an individual caregiver/teacher assistant be present to support the child's participation in their programme.

Many of our programmes, in particular the Morning Programme, are often filled to capacity. Therefore, it is standard procedure for children to enter the Afternoon Programme while waiting for an opening, or to be placed directly on a waiting list and begin attendance when an opening becomes available in the programme of their choice.

A deposit of 20,000 yen (deducted upon admission from the General Entrance Fee) as well as a 10,000 yen enrollment fee, are required to guarantee a position on the waiting list. After the above deposits are received to the school bank account, the child's name will be placed on the wait list. Please note that all fees are non-refundable.

Children will receive invitations to enroll in requested programmes according to their position on the waiting list and the days of attendance requested. Please be aware that the more flexible you can be regarding your child's days of attendance, the easier it will be for us to offer you a placement. Class sizes permitting, we will make all efforts to place children from the same families in the same programme.

The school has three waiting lists, which are:
a) a General Waiting List;
b) a Programme Waiting List; and
c) a Days of Attendance Waiting List .

Waiting list priority is arranged as follows:
1) currently enrolled pupils
2) siblings of currently enrolled pupils
3) new applicants

Families that wish to enroll two or more children are given priority over single-child families. Maria's Babies Society will make all efforts to be flexible in arranging complementary arrival/departure times; in some circumstances, programme and age requirements may be waived to permit two or more siblings to follow a similar weekly schedule.

All cases will be evaluated carefully, taking into consideration factors such as the emotional and cognitive readiness of the child. All decisions regarding the waiting list are made on an individual basis, at the sole discretion of the school.

Given that a child's physical and mental health are of an adequate level to allow him or her to function productively in a group environment, Maria's Babies Society has an open ongoing admission policy. We continually monitor our programmes to ensure we are providing the most appropriate pupil/teacher ratios possible, taking into consideration the special needs that some children may possess.