General FAQ

 

How do I enroll my child into one of your programs? 

In order for your family to be considered for enrollment you need to sign up to our waiting list. All of our programs have a waiting list for subsidized (low-income) families and another one for full cost families. If you are interested in signing up for them

CLICK HERE, fill out our interest form and a member of our staff will contact you shortly.

 

We are a bilingual family, do we get priority for enrollment?

No, priority is given to siblings already in our programs. The waiting list for full cost families works on a first come first served basis, the sooner you sign up for our list, the greater your chances are of being offered a spot.

 

For subsidized families, priority is given to the families with the lowest income. Other factors are taken into consideration when enrolling subsidized families. Qualifying only under income does not mean you have a secure spot in our program.

 

What is the difference between Centro VIDA, Academia de Bahia and Bahia School Age Program?

Centro VIDA is a full day childcare in Berkeley. Monday through Friday 7:30AM-5:30PM. We offer care for children 2-5 years old. 

 

Academia de Bahia is our part day state preschool in Berkeley . Monday through Friday 9:00AM-12:00PM. We offer care for children 3-5 years old. Children need to be potty trained to be part of this program. Academia runs from the end of August to June.  

 

Bahia School Age Program is our afterschool program for children enrolled in Kindergarten through 4th grade. Bahia also offers full time care during the summer and BUSD holidays. 

 

Does my child need to be a Berkeley resident to be able to attend your programs? 

No, you do not need to be a Berkeley Resident to be able to attend our programs.

 

My child attends school outside of the Berkeley School Unified School District, can they still attend Bahia School Age Program? 

Yes, your child can still be enrolled in our program but you will have to provide your own transportation if you want your child to attend Bahia School Age Program

 

Do you provide transportation to the Bahia School Age Program?

Transportation is NOT provided by Bahia School Age Program. Transportation is provided by the Berkeley Unified District from the North Zone schools:

 

Thousand Oaks

Rosa Parks

Ruth Acty

Cragmont 

Sylvia Mendez 

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Full Cost (Full Pay) Families FAQ

How soon should I add myself to the waiting list? 

As soon as possible, families can sign up their child when they are expecting. The full cost waiting list works on a first come first served basis. The sooner you add yourself on the list the greatest your chances are for enrollment. Please note that if your child is one and you are just adding them on the list, it might be already too late. We usually have 50 families on the list a year before they are eligible for Centro VIDA's Florecita's classroom.

There is a $25 waiting list fee to add yours child in the Centro VIDA waiting list. Academia and Bahia's waiting list do not requirement a payment.

 

How long is the waiting list? 

Every waiting list varies. We separate families by the year they were born. If your child was born after September 1st, they will go on the waiting list with the children that were born the following year. 

 

Where do I send my waiting list payment? 

You can send your $25 Centro VIDA waiting list fee made to the order of BAHIA, Inc. to

BAHIA, Inc. 

1000 Camelia St.

Berkeley, CA 94710

Please make sure to add your child's name, date of birth and contact information on the memo. 

 

I am a full cost family, and would like to attend 3 days to your program. Can I change the days I am enrolled from month to month?

No, we prefer that you maintain a regular schedule while you are enrolled in our programs. You can add an extra day if you need to and pay the daily fee for the extra days attended during the month. 

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If my child is absent, can I make up that day? Or get credit for it?

No, at Centro VIDA and Academia de Bahia every month will be charged a fixed rate regardless of attendance.

 

At Bahia School Age Program you will also be charged according to the dates you enrolled your child for, there will be no credit or make up days if your child was absent. 

Subsidized Families FAQ

How do I enroll my child into one of your programs? 

In order to be considered for enrollment you need to sign up for our waiting list. In order to qualify for subsidized care at Bahia School Age Program and at Centro VIDA, you need to qualify in terms of income, need, and family size. For Academia you need to qualify in terms of income and family size. We receive funding from the California Department of Education, Child Development Division. The State gives us a list of requirements that all families need to meet in order to qualify for care. When you are signing up for our waiting list you will be asked about your income, need for care, education and family size. For example what is your monthly gross income? What is your family size? Are you working or attending a college or training program? And can you provide proof? 

 

How soon should I add myself to the waiting list? 

It does not matter when you add yourself on the list, families are ranked based on their family size and income per State guidelines. Even if you added your child to the waiting list when he/she was just born, if families with lower ranking call after you they will take a spot before you on the waiting list. We do recommend that you call a year before you are planning to enroll your child in our programs, so you can be on our list at the time of enrollment. Being on the waiting list does not guarantee entry to our programs per the State requirements. Validation of income and need eligibility needs to be assessed. 

 

How do you determine a family's eligibility to your programs? 

When we are ready to start the enrollment process we fist go down the list which is arrange according to the rank assigned to a family based on their income and family size. Every family called for a spot will be asked to bring in necessary paperwork to provide proof of income, family size, and need for care. Depending on the information provided, BAHIA will determine if a family qualifies for subsidized care. 

 

How long is the waiting list? 

Our waiting list varies from year to year. What determines your chances of getting in is your rank compared to the other families in the program. 

Do I have to pay a waiting list fee if I am a subsidized family?

No, families who are subsidized do not have to submit a waiting list fee.

How can I qualify for subsidized care? 

To qualify for subsidized care parents need to fall bellow the following income ceilings

https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ci/mb2109.asp  

 

For Bahia School Age Program and Centro VIDA parents need to qualify in terms of need. 

The following are considered need: 

• Employment

• Vocational Training

• Child Protective Services

• Seeking Permanent Housing

• Seeking Employment

• Parent Incapacitation

• At Risk

 

How do you determine a family's income? 

We ask all parents to provide us with a month worth of check stubs or any proof of income. We determine parents gross income and assigned a rank based on their family size and income. 

 

Do I have to pay if I am a subsidized family? 

Tuition payment for subsidized families is based on family size and monthly gross income. To know approximately how much you would pay for child care you can click HERE and take a look at the chart provided by the California Department of Education. 

 

I am currently unemployed, can I still receive child care? 

Yes, parents seeking employment are able to receive up to 32.5 hours of care per week. 

 

i AM A STUDENT WORKING TOWARDS MY MASTERS DEGREE, CAN I RECEIVE CHILD CARE?

Parents working towards their Masters degree can receive care up until completing 24 units. 

 

Where else can I find MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CHILD CARE

Parents can find more information for child care services in the East Bay through the following websites:

COCOKIDS.ORG

BANANASINC.ORG