University City Children's Center
Preschool in Saint Louis, MO 63130
University City Childrens Center is committed to providing innovative, quality care and education to a racially, culturally, developmentally, and socio-economically diverse population of children between the ages of six weeks and six years in a nurturing environment that provides supportive services to families.
University City Children’s Center commits to develop as a diverse community that honors and reveals the unique spirit in each of us by intentionally growing from the inside-out. Providing quality care and education in a safe, trusting environment is essential at University City Children’s Center. The philosophy behind our curriculum is that children learn best by doing because active thinking and experimenting are required to discover how things work.
- Child Ages:
- 6 weeks - 6 years
- Rates:
- $$$
- Licenses & Accreditations:
- State of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services - MOAPCY Accredited
- Preschool:
- Yes
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday - Friday: 7:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m.
Want more information?
- Classroom Ratios
- Director and Teaching Staff Bios
- Course and Teaching Material
- Menus, Activities, and more...
Our inside-out approach to caring for young children is part of what makes us unique and
one of the most critical ingredients missing in our early care and education system as it
exists today. We have developed a model, The Spheres of Understanding that integrates
three interdependent developmental lines, each of which is critical to developing the whole
child:
The Spheres of Understanding support intentional teaching practices. We integrate each
sphere into daily practice. Within each sphere, there are key elements of children’s
growth that are based on developmental theory, observational research, and current brain
research. Our responsibility is to provide educational experiences that are driven by best
practices.
We identify literacy as the linchpin to current and future academic success for all children.
UCCC offers a literacy-based curriculum which supports the social, emotional, and
intellectual health of children, and enables them to have the opportunity for that academic
success. In addition to this innovative approach to literacy, the St. Louis Psychoanalytic
Institute provides teachers with highly specialized training in the psychodynamic
development of children, which, in turn, supports the social and emotional health of
children. Thus literacy becomes the overlay for a deeper understanding of children.
Our approach is an ambitious conceptual understanding for teachers of early childhood,
when the norm emphasizes product, not process or understanding the inner world of
children. We must create a school that can heal and is emotionally responsive to the needs
of children and families. Yet as ambitious as this may be, we believe it is the key to
systemic family change. The integration of disciplines creates a model for early childhood
education unmatched in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
