How to Apply

How to Apply for the Early Childhood Development Center

Thank you for your interest in having your child attend our Nelson Mandela Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC)! Our vision is for the ECDC’s program to be a catalyst that helps children reach their educational goals and fulfill their potential. In order to fulfill our vision and make sure we are best serving our community, we have a thorough enrollment process. Please read all the following details to understand the process.

Click here to complete the Enrollment Interest Form.

Responses will be accepted March 2-27, 2026.

Enrollment Timeline

March 2-27, 2026: The online Enrollment Interest Form, the first step in the enrollment process, will be available for families to complete.

Beginning of April: Eligible families will be invited into the next step of the enrollment process.

End of April - Beginning of May: All interested families will receive communication regarding the status of their child's potential enrollment and/or next steps.

Criteria:

Nelson Mandela ECDC is an income eligible program. Here are some of the criteria taken into account when inviting families to next steps during the enrollment process.

Age: Children must be 3 years old by June 1 in order to apply for the school year starting in August. (While there may be limited space for other ages, our enrollment focuses primarily on 3 year olds.)

Income: (The ECDC is an income-eligible program.)

Qualifies for free or reduced lunch through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Receives state child care subsidies

Proximity: Lives within two miles of the Mandela campus.

Family Engagement: Ready and willing to commit to at least 35 hours of family engagement activities each year, which includes a commitment to attendance, punctuality, supporting a child's academics, school community, and extracurricular interests.

Required Documentation:

Families who completed the enrollment Interest Form and are invited into next steps will need to provide the following documents.

Child's birth certificate (raised seal)
Child's social security card (original)
Current immunization record for child
Valid parent or guardian photo ID
Custody / Guardian / Educational rights documents (if applicable)
Childcare subsidy authorization letter (most recent, if applicable)
Proof of address (utility bill, mortgage or lease agreement, tax info)
Proof of income (most recent pay stubs or tax documents)

Contact

Address: 3020 Curtis Avenue / Omaha, NE 68111

Phone: (531) 201-3446