Frequently Asked Questions

1. What age does my child need to be to apply to Mandell?
Children must be 2 years old by September 1st, 2009 to apply to The Mandell School for Toddlers and 5 years old by September 1st, 2009 to be eligible for Kindergarten.

2. Are any applicants given special consideration?
Yes. Siblings and legacies are given special consideration. No other applicants are given special consideration.

3. What is the interview process?
For families applying to The Mandell School for Toddlers, parents and child will meet together one on one with a member of the Mandell Staff for approximately half an hour.

For families applying to Kindergarten or First Grade, it is four-step process including a playgroup date, interview with an Admissions Director, group meeting with the Director of the Pre-School Program including Kindergarten and a parent tour.

4. When do tours begin?
Tours are given October through January.

5. Can a parent tour the school before submitting an application?
No. Families must have submitted an application and be part of the admissions process in order to have a tour.

6. Under what circumstances would an applicant be able to reschedule an interview/tour?
Our policy is to reschedule interviews/tours only for child illness or injury. For other cancellations applicant will be placed on a waitlist until the end of the process, in the event that an interview or tour spot opens up. In addition, please note that we will not conduct an interview if both parents are not present. This does not apply, of course, to single parents.

7. Do you require First Choice Letters?
Per ISAAGNY guidelines, the Mandell School neither requests nor requires first choice letters. However, if a family genuinely feels that Mandell is the best fit for their family we welcome their input.

8. When do decision letters go out?
Notification letters will be mailed according to the Independent Schools Admissions Association of Greater New York (ISAAGNY) timetable.

9. Does Mandell offer financial aid?
Mandell School provides financial aid to families already enrolled in the school as well as incoming families. All inquiries for aid should be made directly to the Office of Admissions and are strictly confidential. The Mandell School has a very strong needs based financial aid program which is committed to supporting all forms of diversity.

10. Do you offer Open Houses?
We hold two Open Houses in January for families applying to our Toddler Program. As part of the Kindergarten and First Grade admissions process, the Head of School hosts several small group Q & A sessions throughout the fall.

11. What is the student/teacher ratio?
On average our student /teacher ration is between 5:1 and 7:1. The average class size for Kindergarten is 18 to 20 students.

12. Do you enroll an equal number of boys and girls?
As a coed school we do our best to make sure the classes are well balanced with an equal number of boys and girls.

13. Are children required to wear uniforms?
Kindergarten at Mandell is the first grade in which school uniforms are required. This uniform includes a wide variety of choices for both girls and boys and is administered by Lands End, allowing for maximum comfort for students and ease of purchase for Parents.

14. Will the Mandell School provide lunch?
Lunch is not provided by the Mandell School. Children bring lunch from home and eat together in their classrooms.

15. Is there a school bus?
As of this time the Mandell School does not provide bus service.

16. Will Mandell's addition of grades K-8 affect your child's ability to exmit to other Kindergarten programs?
It is our assessment that for the foreseeable future there will be a number of families in our Toddler through Pre-K programs that will have come to Mandell with the desire to look at other ongoing school programs. Our comprehensive exmissions process will remain in place for all of these families and we will continue to support their desire to be at the school of their choice as vigorously as before.