E 1.0 Overview

Early Academy is committed to enrolling a diverse student population in its twos, PreK-3, and VPK programs. These Enrollment Policies, and the associated Enrollment Procedures, ensure that all eligible students in the community will be informed about the school, and each eligible student will be given an equal opportunity to attend the school.

E 2.0 Non-Discrimination

Early Academy will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, marital status, ethnicity, or disability. The Enrollment Policies and Procedures of Early Academy comply with Florida laws, including as to the Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program, those laws and rules set forth in Fla. Stat. 1002.53 and Florida Admin. Code 6M-8.201.  At this time, Early Academy does not offer a Specialized Instructional Services (SIS) VPK program.

E 3.0 Open Enrollment Period

Purpose
The purpose of the Open Enrollment Period is to allow every family an equal opportunity to enroll in the school.

Notice
The dates for Open Enrollment will be publicly noticed on the school’s website with a delineated beginning and ending date. The Open Enrollment Period begins at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 26, 2026, and closes at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 9, 2026. All applications submitted within the Open Enrollment Period will have an equal opportunity for admission, regardless of whether they are submitted on the first day or the last day of Open Enrollment. The lottery for all programs will be conducted on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. 

Requirements for Submission of Application

Residency and Age
Two-year old program applicants must attain the age of two (2) on or before September 1 of the school year.  PreK-3 program applicants must attain the age of three (3) on or before September 1 of the school year.  VPK applicants must reside in the State of Florida and attain the age of four (4) years old on or before September 1 of the school year.  While Early Academy does not verify residency or age at the lottery application stage, those submitting an enrollment application are advised that students cannot enroll until residency and age is established with required documentation.  VPK applicants will be required to provide a Certificate of Eligibility issued by the State of Florida, Early Learning Coalition via the Family Portal.

Submission of Lottery Application
An online lottery application, submitted via a third-party platform called Lotterease, will be available online for submission electronically. Only parents or legal guardians can fill out a lottery application.  Early Academy is not affiliated with nor responsible for Lotterease, and use of Lotterease for an applicant is subject to Lotterease’s published terms and conditions of use, as well as Lotterease published privacy policy.  Applicant parents and legal guardians are directed to review all such published Lotterease terms prior to use.  

If a parent or legal guardian lacks access to the internet, they can contact the school at (813) 388-6482 for further assistance.  A lottery application must be completed for each child. Incomplete applications will not be accepted. All deadlines for the Open Enrollment Period must be met.

Electronic Signature
The creation of a Lotterease account by a parent or guardian indicates that the person has read, understood, and agreed to all of the terms and conditions required for enrollment and that all information provided on the application is true and correct.

In addition, the person is verifying that he or she has the legal authority to make educational decisions for the student. Any incorrect or false information provided in reference to the lottery application will be grounds for terminating the application.

Processing Applications After Open Enrollment if Program is not at Capacity
Program capacity is governed by Florida law regulating staff-to-student ratios and spacing.  If capacity is not reached after the established Open Enrollment Period, subsequent applications will be accepted and ordered based on the date the application was received and the preferences extended to the applicant. As seats become available, they will be offered to applicants according to this established order, until capacity is reached.

Processing Applications After Open Enrollment if Program Is at Capacity
If program level capacity is reached, applications are accepted on an ongoing basis and placed at the bottom of any existing waitlist until the waitlist is archived.

Parent/legal guardian is Responsible for Ensuring Information Is Current​
Once a lottery application is turned in and prior to registration, parents and legal guardians are responsible for ensuring that all information included in the application is up-to-date, including all contact information. If there is a change, please update your Lotterease account to reflect such changes so you can be informed about the application status.

E 4.0 Lottery

Early Academy shall enroll an eligible student who submits a timely application unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, or building. In such cases, all applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through the random selection lottery process detailed below.

Applications will be accepted each year during the Open Enrollment Period and continuously to maintain capacity in each program level. The number of seats available will be determined by capacity and the number of students who recommit.

Process
The lottery will be generated by a third-party contractor, Lotterease. All applicants with completed applications will be entered into the lottery. The available slots for each program level will be filled in the random order generated by Lotterease. When all open slots for each program are filled, each remaining student will be assigned a waitlist number.

Preference Guidelines

All preference categories shall be published prior to the lottery being conducted.  All applicants entitled to receive a placement preference shall be identified PRIOR to the lottery.  Preference status entitles an applicant to be offered an available seat ahead of applicants without a preference status.

Each applicant will be granted preference twice during the lottery process for each school year. If an applicant with a preference category forfeits a spot for any reason, on two separate occasions, the ability to use a preference category for any subsequent lottery applications for the same school year will be denied and the applicant will be added to the waitlist in the same manner as an applicant with no preference category.

All applicants (students not currently attending Early Academy) participate in the lottery irrespective of preference status. Siblings of current Early Academy students must submit a lottery application and be offered a seat through the lottery process.

Preference Categories

All preferences shall be considered in the following hierarchy:

1. Applicant child of a full-time employee of Early Academy.
2. Applicant child of a board member of Early Academy.
3. Applicant sibling of a currently attending Early Academy student.
4. Applicant child of an active duty member of any branch of the United States Armed Forces.
5. Applicant sibling of an accepted and confirmed applicant to Early Academy, applying for the same academic year.

For preference purposes, “sibling” is defined as:

1. Siblings by birth;
2. Step-siblings;
3. Adopted and foster siblings; and
4. Students who have the same legal guardian as an existing Early Academy student. Legal documents confirming the relationship may be required by the school as proof.

Sibling preference is offered only if the sibling resides in the same primary legal residence/household as the currently enrolled student.

E 5.0 Registration

Offer to Attend
Parents or legal guardians will be sent a letter with an offer for the applicant to accept a seat at the school. The letter will be sent by e-mail to the e-mail address that was provided to the school upon submission of the lottery application.

Acceptance/Declination of Offer to Attend
From the date of the lottery until July 14th, an accepted applicant will have three calendar days, starting from the date the offer was made, to respond to the offer letter via Lotterease, either confirming their plans for attendance at the school or declining the offer.  From July 15th until the lottery is archived, an accepted applicant will have two calendar days, starting from the date the offer was made, to respond to the offer letter via Lotterease. If the applicant fails to respond to the letter, in either the affirmative or the negative, the offered seat will be rescinded and offered to an applicant on the waiting list. At this time the child will automatically be removed from the lottery list. Should the applicant decide to accept the offered seat, they will receive a confirmation email within 24-48 hours of their response. The email will contain instructions for completing the enrollment and registration process.

Completion of Registration Paperwork to Finalize Registration
From the date of the lottery through July 14th, the accepted applicant will have five (5) business days from initial notification of an available spot to complete and submit the required registration paperwork and the necessary documentation. For tuition-based programs and VPK voucher programs, the Early Academy Financial Agreement must be signed and submitted at registration, along with initial payments as directed in the Financial Agreement.  For VPK voucher programs, the VPK Voucher issued by the State of Florida must be supplied to Early Academy at registration.  If these specified registration items are not submitted within the 5-day window, the applicant will lose their seat and be removed from the lottery list.  From July 15th to when the lottery is archived, an accepted applicant will have two (2) business days from initial notification of an available spot to complete and submit the required registration paperwork and necessary documentation. If these specified registration items are not submitted within the 2-day window, the applicant will lose their seat and be removed from the lottery list. 

Once the registration paperwork is received, Early Academy may request additional information to ensure all required services can be provided by the School.

E 6.0 Waitlist

Applications Received After Open Enrollment Period
If an Application is received after the Open Enrollment Period and there are no open spots for that particular program, class, or grade level, the applicant will be placed on the bottom of the current waitlist.

Applications Not Selected during Lottery
Students who do not receive placement during the random public lottery, will be placed on a waiting list to enroll should space become available. Parents will be notified by email at the email address given when their Lotterease account was created.  Waitlist ranking will be assigned in the order selected. Students may be placed in any newly available seats even after the new school year begins.

Parents/Legal Guardians Responsible for Keeping Contact Information Current
Parents and legal guardians of students on the waitlist are responsible for ensuring that contact information is current in their Lotterease account. Applicants who cannot be reached via email will be removed from the waitlist.

Waitlist Does Not Roll Over From One Year to the Next
The waitlist is only active for one school year and does not roll over to the next year.

Re-Enrollment for Current Students
Parents of currently enrolled students will be notified in advance of the re-enrollment period, which will take place over the course of seven (7) school days. The re-enrollment dates will be determined by the Board. During the re-enrollment period, parents must confirm their intentions to have their child(ren) attend Early Academy for the following school year. If a parent does not complete the re-enrollment process during the given time period, their child’s seat will not be reserved for the following school year. Any child who does not have a seat reserved during the re-enrollment period will need to go through the lottery process to gain admission to Early Academy for the following school year if they wish to attend. Siblings of currently enrolled students do not apply through re-enrollment.  They must complete the lottery application process during Open Enrollment and be given the applicable preference per these Policies.  Re-enrollment for VPK program is limited in accordance with Florida law.

Applicants Accepted During the School Year
During the school year, once enrollment paperwork is submitted to Early Academy staff, the newly enrolled student must begin attending classes at Early Academy within five (5) school days. Failure to do so will result in the child’s seat being revoked and offered to the next student on the waitlist.

LOTTERY SELECTION PERIOD

Lottery Selection: Monday, March 16, 2026, 9:00 a.m.

APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD

Applications received after the lottery is held on Monday, March 16, 2026, will be accepted in the order received and will be placed on our waiting list behind students who were entered during the Lottery process.

How to Register for the 2026-27 Enrollment Lottery

Applications for the 2026-27 Enrollment Lottery will be accepted from 9:00 a.m. on January 26, 2026, until 9:00 a.m. on March 9, 2026. Lottery selections will take place on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 9:00 a.m.

The lottery selection process is open to the public. However, lottery results will be emailed to each family immediately after the lottery is run. Viewing the lottery will not increase your child’s chance for admission.

Results will be emailed to each applicant within 24 hours of the completion of the lottery.

1. Click here to be taken directly to Lotterease to place your student in the lottery.
• Lotterease is a self-serve website that manages the Enrollment Lottery and the Waiting List that is created post-lottery. Registered Lotterease users can log into their account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to check their child’s status.  Early Academy is not affiliated with nor responsible for Lotterease, and use of Lotterease is subject to Lotterease’s published terms and conditions of use, as well as Lotterease’s published privacy policy.  Applicant parents and legal guardians are directed to view all such published Lotterease terms prior to use.
2. ALREADY HAVE A LOTTEREASE ACCOUNT?
• If you already have a Lotterease account from any school, you DO NOT need to create a new account. Just log into your account, click on your student’s name on the left-hand side of the screen, select “Enter into Lottery,” then select SUBMIT.
• Then skip to #3(c)(i) below in the NEW LOTTEREASE REGISTRATION section.
3. NEW LOTTEREASE REGISTRATION:
• To register an account for the first time in Lotterease, go to the Parents tab of www.lotterease.com, click the Login button, then select REGISTRATION.
• Create a Lotterease Parent/Guardian Account by entering your parent/guardian contact information on this screen – DO NOT ENTER YOUR CHILD’S INFORMATION HERE. The information you enter on this screen is the only information we have to contact the parent/guardian if your student is selected; please double-check for accuracy and keep it up to date throughout the entire school year.
• Select ADD CHILD, then enter the appropriate lottery information for the 2026-27 school year:
• School Name: Early Academy (please note multiple schools use the Lotterease system), then select SUBMIT
• Lottery name: Select the appropriate program (twos, PreK-3, or VPK program) and school year. Then select SUBMIT.
• VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION: If you select the wrong program or preference level and do not correct it, your student will be entered into the lottery for the program you selected incorrectly. If you are subsequently offered a spot in an incorrect lottery, your spot will be forfeited, and you must then enter your child on the waitlist for the correct program that your student should have been placed in. Early Academy is not responsible for parent/guardian errors in the application process. Please double-check your applications for accuracy. Proof of residency and/or preference documentation will be required for enrollment of all students.
• Please read the APPLICATION PREFERENCE GROUP page carefully and select the group that defines your child. If your child is not defined by one of the stated preference groups, please select NONE. If you select a preference group other than NONE, it will be validated by our staff prior to the lottery for accuracy. Proof of preference group documentation will be required. If you have multiple children on your account, Lotterease will automatically define them as “applicant siblings.” This creates a connection between the siblings registered on the parent account.
•  If you have multiple children, please continue to add them using the ADD SIBLING button located on the left-hand side of the screen. Please note only siblings should be linked on Lotterease accounts. Do not add any other relatives (grandchildren, cousins, friends, etc.) to your Lotterease account; only parents/guardians can represent their child in the lottery process (See FAQ’s below for any questions).
•  You will be sent an automated email directly from the  Lotterease system with a confirmation of what you have applied for. If you do not receive an automated confirmation email within a few minutes of adding your student to a lottery, please check your SPAM folder and see step #6 below.
4. Once you have created a Lotterease Parent Account you will be able to:
• Monitor your child’s application or waitlist status 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Edit your account (update email addresses and/or phone number, etc.) – It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to keep this information up to date; this is the only way we have to contact you if your child is offered a spot.
• Remove your child from the lottery if you change your mind.
• Accept or decline a seat if your child is selected.
5. Please remember to update your email address in Lotterease if it changes at any during the 2026-27 applicant process. We do not contact parents by phone or via U.S. Mail.
   
   6. Please enter Early_Academy@lotterease.com to your Contacts to ensure that all e-mails from Lotterease are not marked as spam.

TIME PERIOD TO RESPOND TO OFFER OF ACCEPTANCE

FROM MARCH 16, 2026 – JULY 14, 2026
An accepted applicant will have three (3) calendar days, starting from the date the offer was made, to respond to the offer letter via Lotterease, either confirming their plans for attendance at the school or declining the offer.

AFTER JULY 14, 2026, UNTIL THE LOTTERY IS ARCHIVED
An accepted applicant will have two (2) calendar days, starting from the date the offer was made, to respond to the offer letter via Lotterease.  If the applicant fails to respond to the letter in either the affirmative or the negative, the offered seat will be rescinded and offered to an applicant on the waiting list. Should the applicant decide to accept the offered seat, they will receive a confirmation email within 24-48 hours of their response. The email will contain instructions for completing the enrollment and registration process.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• How does the Lottery work?

When the Lottery is run on Monday, March 16, 2026, at 9:00 AM, Lotterease will randomly sort all applicant names in each program level lottery (Twos, PreK-3, and VPK). No criteria are used to select students at Early Academy beyond the enrollment preference identified in the Enrollment Policy (all preferences are validated via proof of documentation by the Lottery Coordinator).
Example: If there are 200 applicants for PreK-3 and there are only 50 available slots, Lotterease will randomly sort all 200 student names, and the first 50 will be offered a seat. The remaining 150 students will make up the waiting list in the order in which they were randomly sorted.

• How can I verify/check on my applications/results for the lottery or position on the waitlist?

You can check your child’s status 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by logging into your Lotterease parent account. Login to your Lotterease account by the link on the Enrollment tab of www.earlyacademy.net or go directly to www.lotterease.com. Once logged on, click on your child’s name on the left-hand side of the screen, then select “View Lottery Applications,” and Submit. The next window will give you a snapshot of your current applications for that student.

• I applied last year for the lottery. Do I need to apply again?

Yes, you must apply every school year for the specific program that your student will be in. The school year is notated in the title of each lottery; every lottery/waiting list only is applicable to the specific school year you applied for.
Example, if you applied for the PreK-3 program 2023-24 School Year Lottery, you would need to log into your Lotterease account and apply for the VPK program 2024-25 School Year Lottery for your child.

• I applied on the first day the enrollment lottery applications were available. Does that make a difference in the lottery?

No, it makes no difference when you apply during the application period. The day of the lottery, Lotterease randomly sorts all applicants from 9:00 AM on January 26, 2026, through March 16, 2026, at 9:00 AM in each program. The list of applicants pre-lottery are listed in timestamp order, but that list is sorted randomly by the system when the lottery is run.

• I have three (3) children that I am applying for in the lottery, what happens if one is offered a spot and the others are not?

Once you accept a seat for one child, all other siblings become preferred enrolled applicants per the Enrollment Policy. This does not create an opening for the additional children, but it moves them to the preferred section at the top of the waiting list (the exact position is dependent on any other preferences already on the waiting list in the specific program). Due to class-size ratios and overall building capacity, we cannot create space for the sibling.
Example: I have three children; one is in twos, one is in PreK-3, and one is in VPK program. If a twos spot is offered and accepted, the PreK-3 and VPK program siblings are now considered preferred enrolled students until a spot is available in PreK-3 and VPK. They will be moved up on the waitlist accordingly based on the specifics of the individual program lotteries (see note above). As soon as an opening occurs in the other programs, an offer will be made in the order of the waiting list until the offer is accepted.

• May I add a cousin, grandchild, or friend as a sibling under my Parent/Guardian Lotterease account?

No, all children attached to the Parent/Guardian account in Lotterease must be the child of the Parent/Guardian who created the account. All children attached to the Parent/Guardian Lotterease account must be siblings. If you have relatives or friends who are interested in Early Academy, their Parent/Guardian must be the one representing their child in the lottery process. If a non-sibling is offered and accepts a spot due to sibling misrepresentation in the Lotterease account, it will be discovered during the school registration paperwork processes when the parents/guardians do not match. The spot offered to the non-sibling will be forfeited and offered to the next student on the waiting list. There are no exceptions to this policy.

• How many openings are there in each program? How is the number of openings determined?

For Twos through VPK program openings, the number of available seats is determined by current Twos through PreK-3 families who have completed an Intent to Return to Early Academy Form for the 2026-27 school year. This commitment occurs in March, and normally all parents notify us that their student will return in the upcoming year.  Due to our low attrition rate of students, there are very few spots the day of the lottery for Twos – VPK programs.

• What happens if all current students commit to remain at Early Academy for the following school year and there are no openings at the time of the lottery?

The lottery will still be held; however, the applicant names that are randomly sorted in each program will create the waiting list. PLEASE NOTE: The summer months can be extremely active with all program’s waiting lists, so please do not be discouraged if there are only a few/no openings at the time of the lottery. You can monitor your student’s progression on the waiting list via the Lotterease website 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• What happens if there are not enough openings for enrollment preferred applicants defined by the Enrollment Policy?

The applicants (enrollment preferred and all others) are randomly ordered in the lottery, with the enrollment preferred students randomly sorted at the top of the list. If there are not enough openings in specific programs, the waiting list will be made up of applicants (preferred and all others) in the order of their random selection.

• Can I attend the lottery?

Early Academy uses Lotterease, a web-based system, and the running of the lottery is completed within minutes per program. Your viewing attendance at the lottery has no impact on the results.  If you do wish to attend, please contact our front office for details.  The lottery will be run starting from the twos program up to the VPK program on a laptop or desktop.  Once the lottery for all programs are run, the Registrar can assist you in seeing the results on an available computer or they can assist you on your own personal device. Please note you can see the exact same results from the comfort of your own home.

• How will I be notified where my student ends up in the Lottery process?

You can log into your Lotterease account anytime after 9:00 AM on Monday, March 16, 2026, for your individual student results. The other option is to wait for your official e-mail notification, which should be delivered to your inbox within a few hours of the lottery being run. This is an automated email generated from the Lotterease system and can take several hours due to the fact that we normally have hundreds of applicants across the school.

• How will I confirm or decline the enrollment spot if one is offered to me?

When you receive your official notice from Lotterease, please open the email and follow the instructions to confirm or decline the official offer. We strongly recommend that you enter Early_Academy@lotterease.com into your contacts to prevent the e-mail from being recognized as spam. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check your junk/spam folders for notifications from Lotterease, and your Lotterease parent account for the current status of your student on a regular basis.

You can log into your Lotterease account and view the status of any offers and confirm or decline the official offer.

• What is the time frame to confirm or decline a spot when it is offered to me?

These time frames include weekends and holidays:
March 16, 2026(the lottery will be run at 9:00 AM) through July 14, 2026, the time frame is three (3) calendar days starting from the date the offer was made.

After  July 14, 2026, the time frame is two (2)  calendar days.

• How am I notified if there is an opening?

Lotterease will automatically generate an email to notify you of an offer of an open position at the school. Parents have a set window outlined in the email in which to confirm or decline attendance. Early Academy does not call to notify families or send notices through U.S. Mail.

• My child was selected in the lottery run on Monday, March 16, 2026 . What is the next step?

After the lottery has been run, you will have three (3) calendar days in which to “confirm” (accept) or “decline. These 3 days include weekends and holidays.

If you do nothing by the deadline, the offer is rescinded and your child’s name will be added to the end of the waitlist.

If you accept the offer, you will receive a welcome email from the school through Lotterease with information regarding registration paperwork, financial and voucher terms, deadlines, and any documentation needed to officially enroll at Early Academy.

If you decline the offer, the next student on the waiting list will immediately be offered the spot via the Lotterease system.

• What if I decline and then change my mind?

Unfortunately, once you decline the offer, the next student on the waiting list is immediately offered the spot via the Lotterease system. This is an automated process with no human intervention and only takes seconds to be completed. You can re-apply again for Early Academy, but your child’s name will be added to the bottom of the waiting list.

• What if I want to confirm attendance but don’t do it within the time frame defined in the offer email?

You forfeit your slot if you do not respond within the time frame outlined in your email. There are no exceptions to the deadline. Once the defined timeframe has passed, the slot is automatically offered to the next student on the waitlist via the Lotterease automated process. Your student will then be added to the end of the current waitlist.

• I registered for the Early Academy Lottery via Lotterease, but I’ve changed my mind and do not want my student to be entered in the lottery. What should I do?

Please log into your Lotterease account and make any updates (canceling account, removing student from lottery, etc.) before 9:00 a.m. on March 16, 2026.

• My e-mail address has changed and I need to revise it so that I receive email notices from you. What do I do?

You can update your email address and phone number by logging into your Lotterease account and making the change(s).

• May I enter my child more than once in the Enrollment Lottery?

No. If it is discovered that a parent/guardian has entered a child’s name multiple times using different email addresses, reversed the child’s first and last names, or any other misrepresentation in an attempt to get multiple spots in the lottery, the application will be considered null and void, and the child will be removed from the lottery. There are quality checks in place prior to the lottery that will discover multiple entries.

• Additional questions?

If you have additional questions regarding the lottery, waitlist, or enrollment procedures, please contact Early Academy for more information.