Choosing the school is the hard part. Most parents expect that, and most get through it.

What catches people out is the next bit. You’ve decided. Now what? Do you bring the birth certificate today or later. Is there a fee. Is there an exam. Is it already too late for this school year.

Here is the whole process at Shining Stars, in the order it actually happens.

What you need to bring

Five things, and only one of them takes any real effort to prepare.

• PSA birth certificate, photocopy only.
• 2×2 ID picture, soft copy, white background.
• Enrollment forms, completely filled in.
• ID information form, also completely filled in.
• Admission assessment, done at the center with your child. More on that below.

The PSA copy is the one to sort out first, because if you don’t have a recent one in the house, getting it takes a few days. Everything else can be done the same week.

The admission assessment

Before enrollment is confirmed, you and your child visit the center together for a basic admission assessment, administered by one of our teachers.

What it is for is readiness and class placement. The teacher looks at where your child is now, and that determines which class is the right fit.

Placement matters more than it sounds. A child placed a level too high spends the year behind. A child placed a level too low spends it bored.

If you are trying to work out in advance which level your child belongs in, we wrote a separate guide on what nursery, playgroup, kinder and prep mean and the usual age for each. But you don’t need to have it figured out before you come in. That is what the assessment is for.

The reservation fee

Securing a slot costs ₱5,000.

Two things about it, and both matter.

It is deductible from tuition. It isn’t an extra charge on top. Whatever you pay in reservation comes off the total.

It is non-refundable. If you reserve and then change your mind, the ₱5,000 stays with the school.

That second part is worth sitting with for a moment before you pay. A reservation fee exists to hold a seat that somebody else cannot then take, which only works if it costs something to walk away. So reserve when you have actually decided, not while you are still comparing.

If you are still comparing, that’s completely fine, and our seven questions to ask on a school visit is the better thing to read first. Come to the trial class. Reserve after.

Slots, and why there is no deadline

Enrollment for SY 2026–2027 is ongoing. There is no fixed closing date.

That sounds relaxed, and it’s the opposite of relaxed, because the real limit isn’t the calendar. It is the seat.

Each class takes a maximum of 12 students. When those twelve are filled, that class is closed regardless of what month it is. There is no waiting for a deadline that never comes.

Group size is worth asking about at any school, not only ours. We went into the reasoning in how many kids per teacher a play school should have.

Practically, this means the useful question isn’t “when does enrollment close.” It is “how many seats are left in the class my child would join.” Ask that one when you call.

Walk in or book ahead

Both are accepted. You can walk into the center, or you can schedule an appointment first.

Either way, bring your child. The assessment is done with them present, so a visit without them cannot complete the step.

Pearl Drive and Fairlane work the same way

Same requirements, same assessment, same ₱5,000 reservation, same 12-student cap at both branches.

So the branch decision is about the one thing the branches don’t share, which is where they are. Pick by the drive, the traffic, and which one you can realistically get to twice a day without hating it by November.

The order to do it in

If you want the short version:

1. Get the PSA copy out of the way first, because it’s the slowest item.
2. Call or message to book the assessment, and ask how many slots are left in your child’s class.
3. Come in with your child. Bring the documents if you have them ready; bring the child regardless.
4. Reserve once you have decided, not before.

You can see the classes we run and the programs behind them.

Message us to book the assessment or to ask what is still open.