First Program (K-3)

Visit Dalton

Visit Dalton!

Once your child's application has been received, the Admissions Office will call you to schedule your necessary visits. Families are called in the order that the applications are received.  Due to the large number of applications submitted, please give us several weeks to contact you.  We begin making our appointments in mid-September.

  • Required for all Kindergarten applicants:
    Child's visit- These are small group visits held in a child-centered room, different from our classrooms, close to our Living Room where families first gather. The visit lasts 1 hour and fifteen minutes and children will be assessed with age-appropriate activities done both one-to-one with our teacher interviewer as well as some group activities. Children will also have free time to explore various "play" materials (such as blocks, coloring materials, Legos, puzzles, etc.)

  • In addition, required for all parents new to Dalton:
    • Tour of First Program-This tour may be taken either in the Spring or the Fall but not both. A Dalton tour lasts about 1 hour and fifteen minutes and, if taken in the Fall, happens while the child has his/her school visit.

    • A parent meeting with the Director of Admissions or another Senior Admissions staff member- This is an important opportunity for parents to help the Admissions staff get to know their child and family better. It also provides time for parents to ask questions and get to know more about Dalton. The meeting is usually a separate one, after the child's visit and parent tour have taken place, and lasts about 30 minutes. We do ask that both parents attend, if you are a two-parent family.

Optional Opportunities to Visit Dalton for Parents Applying for Kindergarten

Please be assured that these visits are completely optional.

List of 2 items.

  • Open Houses

    Open Houses will be held in October.

    Registration will be online on Ravenna.  The dates for Fall 2020 TBD and will be announced after Labor Day. 

    Information regarding Open Houses:

    These events are for families new to Dalton who would like to see First Program before applying. Evening Open Houses give parents an opportunity to view our First Program facility as well as meet students, faculty and administrators, who will describe our program to you. For families who know that they will be applying to Dalton, it is not necessary to attend an Open House, as a tour of First Program is part of the admissions process.

    Registration will begin online. Please do not leave your information on our voice mail, email or fax, register online on Ravenna. Once the Open Houses are filled we will have a waitlist. Please sign up for only one Open House date.  Dates will be available once registration is active.

  • Dalton Beyond 91st Street (for Kindergarten applicant parents)

    This evening event features a panel discussion of Dalton high school students and a Tour of our Middle and High School.
    The event is held in early January.  

    This event is for Kindergarten applicants' parents. It is open to families new to Dalton who have submitted a Kindergarten application. This evening gives parents an opportunity to hear from older Dalton students as well as having the students lead them on a tour of the Upper School facility. Space is limited.


Questions?

Contact First Program Admissions:
Phone: 212-423-5463
Fax: 212-423-5467
Email: fpadmissions@dalton.org
Address: 53 East 91st Street
New York, NY 10128

Snow Day Policy

In case of school closure due to inclement weather, the First Program Admissions office is often open for children and parent interviews. No tours will be given and will be rescheduled. We will call families to confirm their appointments.

IMPORTANT: These are uncertain times when we are all striving to limit the spread of COVID-19 to keep you and our community safe and healthy. We ask the following of you:  

PLEASE DO NOT ATTEND THE SPRING TOUR IF:
  • Either you or a family member is feeling ill, especially if experiencing symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, or coughing;
  • You have recently traveled to a high risk country with large outbreaks of coronavirus. The Center for Disease Control is maintaining such a list. It is frequently updated so we recommend you check the status of a country to which you have traveled.
Your health and our community’s are our primary goal.   Making the decision not to attend a Spring or Fall Tour will in no way affect your child’s eventual admissions process---as a matter of fact we will be most grateful for your honesty and for your thoughtfulness.
Please know that we have every intention of conducting Tours, however, in the event that it seems prudent or necessary to cancel them, we will do so and contact you before your scheduled visit.

Access the News, Calendar and Snowday pages for more information about school closure and Snow Days.
212.423.5200 | info@dalton.org
(K-3) 53 East 91st Street, New York, NY 10128
(4-12) 108 East 89th Street, New York, NY 10128