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Waiting List

The Center Director maintains the waiting list. The date of registration and a priority category are entered on the waiting list with the child’s name and birth date or due date. The wait time for a childcare space is largely dependent on the age of the child and priority category. Often, a family can be on the waitlist for a year or more. 

Children are offered spaces according to the following priority categories: 

A. Children (dependents) of Federal NIST employees 

B. Children (dependents) of non-NIST Federal employees 

C. Children (dependents) of NIST Associates 

D. Children with a grandparent, aunt or uncle who is a Federal NIST employee 

E. Children (dependents) of U.S. citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents, who are not in the priority categories above

NIST CCC has adopted a sibling policy. When a family has a child already enrolled in the center and the family adds another child to the wait list, the sibling will have priority within their category. 

The priority category is updated if the status of the parent (guardian) or sponsoring relative changes with time. Parents (guardians) or sponsoring relative must notify the Center Director if their status impacts the priority category of the child for the Center Director to modify the priority category for the child on the waiting list. Parents (guardians) or sponsoring relative must demonstrate proof of status for the appropriate priority category at the time you are contacted to fill a vacancy in the Center. When a family is contacted, and offered a space, they will be given 48 hours to respond. Every effort will be made to contact the family. If there is no response it will be considered as a decline. Families will have 1 week from the initial offer to accept or decline. If they accept the deposit is required by the end of the week. If a family declines, they will be required to re-register (including the fee) to maintain their spot on the waitlist or be moved to the end of the waitlist. A family is not eligible for another offer within 30 days of a decline. 

The child’s name will be removed from the waiting list if (1) the child becomes enrolled at the Center, (2) the parent/guardian of the child informs the Center Director that they no longer seek enrollment at the Center, or (3) the child enters first grade. A child’s placement on the waiting list is not changed in the event that a vacancy is offered but not accepted. 

NIST has implemented the revised priority order in order to comply with Title 40 of the U.S. Code, Section 590b (2007), which authorizes federal agencies to establish childcare centers for federal families and also requires that at least 50 percent of the children enrolled must be children of federal employees. 

 

 

Created August 10, 2009, Updated September 17, 2020