Little Pines Book a tour
Children at a low table in a bright classroom, painting and cutting paper with a teacher alongside

Where the tuition is posted and the ratios are on the door.

Little Pines is a licensed Madison center (#DCF-2031184, since 2012) for sixty kids, six weeks to five years. We think parents deserve real numbers before a sales pitch, so tuition and ratios are right below. Tours twice a week. Bring the kid; we have goldfish crackers and low expectations about quiet.

Book a tour or jump to rooms & tuition

Rooms & tuition

Weekly, full-time, everything included except diapers. Part-time (3 days) runs 70% of full-time where space allows.

Infants

6 weeks – 12 months

$389/week

1 teacher : 4 babies · group of 8

Own-schedule naps in own cribs, safe-sleep certified staff, daily photo reports that will derail your meetings.

Toddlers

1 – 2.5 years

$345/week

1 : 6 · group of 12

Climbing, smearing, first words, second words we apologize for. Outside twice a day, every day above 0°F. This is Wisconsin.

Preschool

2.5 – 4 years

$312/week

1 : 10 · group of 17

Play-based curriculum with letters, numbers, and a worm bin of considerable local fame.

Pre-K

4 – 5 years

$298/week

1 : 13 · group of 20

Kindergarten readiness without worksheets-all-day: name writing, taking turns, zipping your own coat. The big three.

Toddlers building with wooden blocks on a classroom rug Children rolling coloured modelling clay at a preschool table A child drawing with chalk on a classroom blackboard

A day at Little Pines

  1. Doors open, slow landings, breakfast for early birds
  2. Morning circle: songs, the weather report, who has new shoes
  3. Choice time: blocks, paint, the worm bin, dramatic kitchen commerce
  4. Outside, rain or shine (snow pants economy in full swing by November)
  5. Hot lunch, family style: kids pour, kids spill, kids learn
  6. Rest. Sleepers sleep; plotters get books and quiet bins
  7. Snack, then projects and the second outside block
  8. Wind-down, stories, pickup hugs with paint still wet somewhere

Parent questions

Is there a waitlist?

Usually for the infant room (3–6 months ahead is typical in Madison); toddler and preschool spots open most semesters. The $75 waitlist fee applies to your first tuition bill. Tour first; the list moves faster than people expect.

What does tuition include?

Everything except diapers: morning and afternoon snacks, a hot catered lunch, daily reports in the parent app, and all activities. No supply fees, no surprise 'enrichment' add-ons. Tuition is posted on this page on purpose.

What are your ratios and group sizes?

Infants 1:4 (max group 8), toddlers 1:6 (max 12), preschool 1:10 (max 17), pre-K 1:13. That's at or better than Wisconsin licensing in every room, and posted on each room's door. License #DCF-2031184.

What's the sick policy?

Fever over 100.4°F, vomiting, or anything contagious means 24 hours at home symptom-free before returning. We call early and honestly, and we credit tuition for closures we cause, not for sick days, same as every licensed center.

How do naps work?

Infants nap on their own schedule, always on their backs in their own crib (safe-sleep certified staff). Toddlers and up rest after lunch, 12:30–2:30; non-sleepers get books and quiet bins after 30 minutes; nobody is forced to lie still for two hours.

Come see it with your own kid

Tours are Tuesdays & Thursdays at 9:30am, mid-morning chaos included on purpose, because that's what you're actually choosing. Enrolling is simple: tour, application ($75, credited to tuition), a settling-in week of short visits, then full days. Start dates are the 1st and 15th. Call (608) 555-0146 or email hello@littlepines.example.

Little Pines Early Learning · 1108 Spruce Hollow Rd, Madison, WI 53711 · open weekdays 7:00am–5:30pm