University City Children's Center

We are wrapping up with Family Friday!

Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. Early childhood is a time when teachers, children and families grow together—inviting joyful play, collaborative inquiry, thoughtful observation and deep caring.

Together, families and early childhood educators nurture positive social, emotional and intellectual development.

Happy Week of the Young Child! Thanks for celebrating with us!

Think, problem solve and create!

Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills through open-ended art projects and working together. Part of this week's celebrations include Work Together Wednesday and Artsy Thursday—an opportunity for children to make choices, use their imaginations and create with their hands.

We are loving watching how teamwork and self-expression is actively developing young children's social and early literacy skills!

Today is Tasty Tuesday!

This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more.

Today we encourage you to talk to your little ones about healthy nutrition and fitness habits, while also connecting with time in the kitchen. Food and family go hand-in-hand. Share your recipes and stories with others!

Today for , we're celebrating Music Monday!

Music Monday is more than singing and dancing, it’s a way to encourage children to be active while developing their early literacy skills and having fun with friends and family!

While we are celebrating today at UCCC, we encourage families to continue the fun at home! Visit https://www.naeyc.org/events/woyc for more ways to celebrate Music Monday!

Today we're celebrating Kick-Off Saturday for !

This week, UCCC joins early childhood programs nationwide in celebrating Week of the Young Child, a national initiative led by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

Week of the Young Child is a joyful reminder of how critical the early years are and of the educators, families and supporters who help young children build strong foundations for lifelong learning.

At UCCC, this reflects what happens in our classrooms every day: nurturing relationships, joyful learning and inclusive environments where children feel safe, valued and excited to grow.

As we celebrate throughout the week, we invite you to follow along on our social media channels—and, if you’re able, to make a gift in honor of our youngest learners by visiting www.uccc.org

Last Friday, we celebrated our annual Block Party, and it was a big hit!

Children and their families spent the afternoon sparking creativity and imagination through hands-on block play. As they built, rebuilt, and watched a few towers tumble, children practiced important skills like problem-solving, persistence, and resilience—learning that every fall is just another chance to try again.

We loved seeing our families build, laugh, and learn together!

It may still be cold outside, but our Seed to Table Curriculum has already begun! An amazing group from Winco Window, one of our school year sponsors, joined us to help each and every child plant their own fruit, vegetable or herb. Soon, these seeds will grow into the very food that's cooked into our lunches at UCCC each and every day! Our children are learning both where food comes from and the empathy and compassion necessary for gardening. Thanks again to Winco Window for helping make our "Planting Party" a huge success. Stay tuned to watch our garden grow!

Your gift today helps us continue serving 200+ families from 30+ St. Louis-area zip codes and provides tuition assistance that makes quality early childhood education accessible for more than half of our families.

Give today to support a better tomorrow. Together, we can ensure ALL children are prepared for life.

Visit the link below to make your gift today!
🔗www.uccc.org

This holiday season, we are so grateful for our friends at Enterprise Mobility!

Earlier this year, these hard working team members made our playgrounds safer for outdoor play, our offices cleaner for creative work and our space more organized to find just what we need. Now, they have gone above and beyond with a generous $2,500 donation from the Enterprise Mobility Foundation™.

Thank you to for creating a more beautiful space for our children and for providing access to high quality care and education for more families with this gift!

This year, our theme at UCCC is See What's Growing On. Families like the Harrises are part of that growth. With support from our tuition assistance program, all five of their children have thrived at UCCC- building confidence, resilience, and a strong foundation for lifelong learning.

Your support of our tuition assistance program helps more families access life changing quality early childhood education. Give today to help more stories like the Harris family’s take root.

To make your gift and to learn more, please visit www.uccc.org

For 55 years, UCCC has been a place where children of all backgrounds can play, learn, and grow.

Everywhere you look, something is growing—children, our gardens, and our new partnership with Youth In Need as we become Better Together for St. Louis families.

Just like a seed planted in our garden, your gift today provides hope for a better tomorrow for all children and families across St. Louis, so all children are prepared for life.

Donate today by visiting https://www.uccc.org/

Last month, we wrapped up our Power of Dress Up Week with our annual Parade of Characters on Halloween!

This special week celebrates the magic of pretend play—a time when children use imagination, creativity and curiosity to explore new roles, express themselves and make sense of the world around them. Our classrooms were filled with laughter, learning and lots of wonderful costumes!