It's Not Too Late to Start Early Learning at Aspen Academy

Aspen Academy's Early Learning program accepts new students all year long. If your child is 2 to 4 years old, you do not have to wait for next fall.

Every month you wait is a month your child spends without a strong first classroom. Here's why that timing matters more than you'd think, and how to start now.

Is It Too Late to Enroll in Preschool Mid-Year?

No. Aspen Academy runs rolling admissions for Early Learning, ages 2 to 4. You can apply and start any time during the school year, not just in August.

A lot of families assume preschool works like kindergarten, with one start date a year. It doesn't, at least not here.

We welcome new toddlers and preschoolers into our classrooms throughout the year. Starting in October or January does not put your child behind. It just means their first day is today's problem to solve, not next August's.

Why the First Five Years Matter So Much

Researchers have followed children from quality early learning programs for decades, in some cases into their late twenties. The pattern holds up: kids who start early keep their gains. They don't lose them.

A 2020 study in the journal Children and Youth Services Review followed nearly 900,000 students in North Carolina's early learning programs. Their reading and math gains did not fade by eighth grade. They grew.

A 2022 study in the journal Child Development followed a group of children from birth to age 26. Kids who got two or more years of high-quality early care were more likely to graduate college. They also earned more money in their mid-twenties.

Those two studies looked at different programs than ours, in different states, with different families. We're citing them for one reason: independent, peer-reviewed research keeps finding that strong early learning pays off for years, not just for one school year.

What Happens in Your Toddler's First Aspen Classroom?

In an Aspen Early Learning classroom, kids don't sit through worksheets. They run a pretend veterinary clinic, sort leaves and pinecones with tongs, and build with blocks, and every one of those "games" is teaching a specific skill.

Our Early Learning classrooms follow HighScope, a play-based approach built around active learning centers instead of worksheets.

In the math center, your child might roll a die and "feed" that many acorns to a wooden fox. That's a hands-on way to learn what a number means, not just recite it.

In the science center, they might use tweezers and a magnifying glass to take apart a real sunflower, or test which objects a magnet pulls and which it doesn't. In the art center, they might paint with a fly swatter instead of a brush, or spin paint in a salad spinner to see what happens to the colors.

None of this is unsupervised free time. Our teachers plan each center, then step back to let your child do the work, stepping in to ask a question or help them make sense of what they're discovering.

Even the arguments matter. When two children both want the same block, our teachers let them work it out instead of solving it for them, because waiting your turn is one of the hardest skills a 3-year-old can practice.

Common Questions From Parents Considering Mid-Year Enrollment

How do I enroll my child mid-year?

Reach out to our admissions team. We'll schedule a tour, walk you through the application together, and tell you exactly when your child can start.

What ages does Early Learning serve?

Aspen Academy's Early Learning program serves children ages 2 to 4.

Will my child fall behind by starting mid-year instead of in the fall?

No. Our teachers build individual attention into every new student's first weeks, so children settle in quickly no matter when they start.

Start the Conversation Today

The best time to start your child's first classroom was last fall. The second-best time is now.

Schedule your Early Learning call and see what a mid-year start could look like for your family.

 

 

 

Sources & Further Reading

Include these as linked citations in the published post — this is standard practice for admissions content and also strengthens how AI search tools and Google evaluate the page's credibility.

• Bai, Y., Ladd, H. F., Muschkin, C. G., & Dodge, K. A. (2020). "Long-term effects of early childhood programs through eighth grade: Do the effects fade out or grow?" Children and Youth Services Review, 112. (North Carolina's Smart Start and More at Four programs; ~900,000 students; effects on reading/math grew, not faded, through 8th grade.)
• Bustamante, A. S., et al. (2022). "Adult outcomes of sustained high-quality early child care and education: Do they vary by family income?" Child Development. (NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development; followed participants to age 26; 24+ months of high-quality early care linked to higher college graduation and salary.)