Programs

 

U Learning U Family U Play

U Learning

U Learning is our Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classroom program for children ages 3 to 5. We have two 3 turning 4 year old classrooms and two 4 turning 5 year old classrooms that offer full-time, part-time, and drop-in care.

U Learning Calendar

U Learning Enrollment Information

U Learning Services

Full and Part-Time Classrooms

  • Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classroom program for children ages 3-5 yrs old.
  • Full-time and part-time tuition offered.

Drop-In Care

  • For U Learning enrolled families outside of their child’s normal classroom schedule, when space is available.

Child and Family Social Work

  • On-site and off-site resource for the U School staff and families to assist with social, emotional, and family issues that have an impact on a child’s learning experience.
  • Serves as an advocate and liaison to help enrolled families access resources and assistance where needed.
  • Supports cross-agency service coordination.

U Learning Amenities

Child Learning Plan and Portfolio

  • Child friendly assessments gathered with input from The U School staff, child, and family designed to guide each child’s development.
  • A collection of development milestones and memories.

Family and Staff Building Sessions

  • Regular gatherings (i.e. meetings, games, activities, meals, community outings) designed to help build a strong relationship and connection between home and school.

U Food

  • Committed to local and organic foods as often as possible.
  • Snack menus are curated to be inclusive to just about all. All snacks served at the U School are no nut, no tree nut, vegan, and gluten free.

Family Enrichment

  • Enrichment opportunities such as family art projects, activities, classes, workshops, and community play events.
  • Led by The U School staff and members of our community partner network.

U Learning Classroom Schedule

AM
7:30 – 9:30 Welcome Activities & Active Indoor Play (AM snack is available)
9:30 – 9:45 Group Meeting
9:45 – 10:30 Learning Groups & Centers
10:30 – 10:45 Mid-Morning Snack
10:45-11:15 Learning Groups & Centers
11:15 – 12:00 Active Outdoor/Indoor play

PM
12:00 – 1:15 Lunch (Active outdoor/indoor play after lunch)
1:15 – 2:00 Rest Time
2:00 – 3:00 Rest Time, Learning Groups & Centers
3:00 – 3:15 Snack
3:15 – 4:00 Active Outdoor/Indoor Play
4:00 – 4:15 Group Meeting
4:15 – 5:00 Learning Groups & Centers
5:00- 5:30 Clean Up & Closing Activities

Active Play – Children have access to all that is available in the room, including art materials, dramatic play materials, science materials, games, blocks, manipulatives, puzzles, books, dolls, toys, outdoor equipment, etc. The children follow their own interests and express ideas through their imagination and creativity. This open-ended time provides the opportunity for children to play independently or interact socially with one another.

Group Meeting – Children and staff meet together to engage in school related learning discussions.

Learning Groups & Centers – During this time children follow their interests and participate in facilitated learning opportunities, both independently as well as cooperatively. Learning Centers include art, science, engineering, dramatic play, music, movement, games, writing, and multi-media (books & technology experiences).

Rest Time – Rest time is required by DHS for children who are on site for 5 or more continuous hours. For children who are not resting and for those who rest for short periods learning centers will be accessible.

 

U Learning U Family U Play

U Family

Open to all families and educators in the Ann Arbor area and beyond, whether you are enrolled in our classroom program (U Learning) or not.

U Family is our community guidance, support, and play program. We offer group and private experiences for parents/guardians, families, and educators facilitated by the U School staff and our network of expert community partners.

Through our U Family programming we hope to inspire, create, and provide a variety of meaningful experiences that help adults be their best selves. We feel that there is a direct correlation to being our best adult selves and children being their best selves. In fact, that is how we explain “Ubuntu” to children – when you are your best it helps me be my best, and when we are our best, it helps others be their best.

A portion of all U Family program fees go towards the U School’s tuition assistance fund.

Current & Upcoming U Family Programming:

Mindful Parents & Educators

Introduces a comprehensive and rigorous system of attentional training. The goal of MP&E is to help grown-ups become more adept at staying in the moment, especially when in the presence of children (who learn a lot from the subtleties about us). There are two bottom lines: 1: A solid mindfulness practice makes us happier. 2: When we are happier, our children tend to be happier and healthier too.

Lexicon Circles

A gathering of family members, educators, and caregivers to discuss the full range of joys, trials, successes, and challenges we face in cultivating inspiring environments and experiences for children. Critically, these meetings will emphasize the U School Lexicon as a platform for productive discourse at your child’s level.

U Family Sewing

Bring imagination to life with U Family Sewing! In this class, you and your child will learn the fundamentals of sewing and have the opportunity to create something unique and sentimental, an experience that you can take home, literally!

Lil Hoopers

Lil Hoopers provides an opportunity for preschoolers to learn the game of basketball. This “all about the fun” class will introduce basketball basics as children, ages 3-5, experience being part of a team.

U Family Book Club

The U Family Book Club offers community members, parents, and teachers the opportunity to get geeky together. Each book club session will involve bi-weekly discussions where we share, learn, and collectively draw conclusions to better our community, our relationships, and ourselves within the framework of early childhood and the work we do at the U School. The next U Family Book Club session begins July 28th and covers the book, Everyday Ubuntu: Living Better Together, The African Way by Mungi Ngomane. Sign up here.

U Family Kitchen Lab

The U Family Kitchen Lab is an experience designed to inspire “power food” cooking and foster a positive relationship in the kitchen for families.

U Photo

A series of local weekend adventures for families with U School Teacher & Photographer, Ellen. Children will gain experience looking through the viewfinder of a camera, not the screen, while taking pictures on a unique adventure with their families. Along the way, Ellen, will capture high quality images of the family while on their adventure. The child gets a deep photographic experience and the parents receive a quality photoshoot for their family.

The Ubuntu Squad 

Represents a group of U School community members working together, on a team, towards a common goal.

  • Previous Ubuntu Squads:
    • 2019 Winter Basketball – Tuesday Nights
    • 2018 Fall Basketball – Tuesday Nights
    • 2018 Spring/Summer Kickball!
    • 2017-18 Fall/Winter AAPS Rec & Ed league.

 

U Learning U Family U Play

U Play

U Play is a play-lab environment that is intentionally designed for children ages 3-5 to experiment with their creativity, imagination, and inquiry.

Experience a U Play Pop-Up, a mobile play-lab experience that “pops up” around the Ann Arbor area.

U Learning U Family U Play

Why?

Happy, healthy and inspired children make the world a better place.

What?

The U School is a “new-model” early childhood and family learning center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We offer an innovative educational experience for families with children ages 3-5 years old.

Mission

To offer a happy, healthy, and inspired early childhood learning environment that builds a positive sense of self in children and a connectedness to community.