Our experience at UADC has been amazing. The dedicated teachers provide a loving and caring environment making it easy and, most importantly, fun for the children to learn. UADC has been in the neighborhood for over 30 years and they are nationally accredited with NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) Another unique aspect are all the specials. Each day there is either a music, Spanish, art, dance or yoga class which have been incredibly enriching for our son. They also provide a nutritious breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack everyday so you don't have to scramble packing food every morning. And are very good with accomodating those with special dietary needs such as any food allergies or vegetarians. The classrooms are enormous and have many different centers for the children to explore. They also get the kids outside as much as possible. It is in an excellent location near the University that allows for exciting field trips for the kids. They go for walks in the neighborhood, and take exciting trips to places like the Farmers Market, Wingra Park, the zoo, Centennial Gardens, and even the Children's Museum. It is a great testament to the staff that they are so good with the kids that they are able to take them all out and have them be so well behaved because they prepare the kids so well beforehand. When the weather keeps them inside they take the kids down to the "running room", which is a huge room where they play fun games with parachutes, hula hoops and can even bring out the bean bag toss or basketball hoop among many other things. The 4K program also goes above and beyond in preparing the kids for kindergarten too. The teachers create the curriculum so that the kids stay interested and engaged and want to learn more, all while having fun and learning to be good friends to their fellow classmates. I would recommend this center to everyone. They start accepting kids as young as 2 years 9 months that are potty trained. Have care until 5:30, where most places we looked only went until 5. And they have been able to accommodate any scheduling changes that we needed due to our changing work schedules. Our son has been there for two years now and is very happy there and we plan to send our daughter there once she is old enough. read more

PROS: Cost - after looking at a bunch of places, we found the center to be the best priced center for what you get. Tons of extras like language class, yoga, dance, art and music class taught by outside instructors and not the regular teachers. In general, tuition is one of the lowest in the Madison area. Hot Lunch everyday - we were so tired of packing food at our prior center. Lunch is included in tuition and the meals are healthy and organic when ever possible. Teachers - Teachers are great, qualified and very caring. Also, they all have a degree in teaching or education. Many centers we considered had one main teacher and the others just had job experience as care providers. Class room - The rooms are spacious and well organized. There are several center areas for the kids to do different activities such as science, dramatic, music, art, books and sensory. This seemed to work well and keeps our kids interested. Field Trips- It seems the schedule is always changed and kept fresh. Our kids love going to the trips and it is always the highlight of their week. Cons: Building Dated- Although not affiliated with the church, they rent space from them in their mezzanine level. I know the center works hard with the church to keep the space up to standards but still, the church is old and shows at times. Turnover - Initially, there was a high turnover in teachers but over the past year, it has stabilized and there now seems to be a conscious effort to keep staff turnover down. ---------------------------------------- Overall, I feel UADC is a great center and I would highly recommend it to friends and family. No center is perfect but as far as the quality of education and preparing our kids for kindergarten, it would be really hard to beat it at the same tuition level. read more

We initially went to visit UADC when our oldest daughter was staying home with a Nanny and just needed some additional time with other kids. Our neighbors had sent their 2 girls to UADC and couldn't say enough about the wonderful staff and teachers there. After touring the school we signed up and haven't regretted it for a day since. The teachers really are phenomenal and they do an amazing job of preparing the kids for the transition to kindergarten and teaching them other very important skills like how to behave in a classroom environment, how to get dressed yourself and how to resolve conflicts with other children. Our oldest daughter just completed kindergarten and many of the staff at her school asked where she attended preschool because they were so impressed with her self assurance and abilites in the classroom. We are equally impressed with how our now 4 year old has flourished at UADC and thrilled that she will be joining the 4k (wizard) classroom in the fall. I always feel like the staff takes the time to listen to us and our children and really feel like the school is one big family. Additionally, the school provides many special field trips including: spanish, dance, yoga, art and music. They take the children on many fieldtrips, stress the importance of time outside and offer wonderful healthy meals! We can't wait for our baby to start in the preschool classroom (buckaroos) in the next year. I would definitely recommend UADC to anyone who is looking for a child focused center!!! read more

We desired to move our son from an in home daycare setting to a preschool setting when he turned 3 years old. We were very discouraged after 14 visits to daycare/preschool settings and not feeling a connection to any of them. We registered at a center that felt "acceptable" and then googled for a preschool for one last time finding UADC. We enrolled upon completion of our tour and have not doubted our decision for a moment. Our son is now 5 years old and will be entering into kindergarten next year. The development our son has experienced is beyond words - he is a well rounded child - emotionally and intelligently. The teachers at the school have been great "coaches" to myself as a parent ... Thanks to them we discovered at an early stage our son needed glasses. We are going to be heading to kindergarten next year and have been told our son is exceeding in all areas of development and is very well prepared for the next chapter of life. It is great having a child who likes going to school! I would want to mention that the school is not fancy, does not have a lot of the high-tech components (the classrooms do have iPads), however the connection between the educators and the children are admirable. I highly recommend UADC to all parents who are looking for an exceptional preschool program that is truly child focused. read more

We just started our daughter at this school a couple weeks ago, and we are so glad we made the switch! We've had all sorts of experiences with in-home, bi-lingual, Montessori, play based, etc. and the approach at UADC is the most holistic and fun! There are so many things we love about the place, it's hard to list them all, but here are some of the highlights... I love getting a daily email recap of the types of things they do throughout the day. The teachers are consistent and experienced. Both teachers and the management are always very responsive and helpful. There is so much variety in what they do from day to day and the work is often small group based so it still focuses in on my daughter as an individual learner. Also, because they aren't a "daycare" but rather a preschool/4K they can really focus in and tailor the programs to that age group. Lots of outside play time! Behavior wise, our daughter has responded well to the structure and we find she is doing better listening at home now. We highly recommend you consider UADC!! read more

Our 3 year-old son is in the pre-school program at UADC and our 5 year-old daughter is in the after school program. Both kids love UADC. The teachers support each child and his or her individual interests. The programs focus on building social skills and empathy in the kids, which has helped them build lasting friendships and improved their ability to handle disappointment. UADC also teaches the kids about our community through incredible field trips and walking tours. On snowy days the Owls have even gone sledding, exactly what we would have done if I had been able to be with the kids at home. The Owls program also offers piano lessons! Our daughter is looking forward to her first year in their summer camp program. Over all, UADC is a cozy nurturing environment for kids from 3 to school age. read more

UADC is a hidden gem for preschool in Madison. It is located right off of the UW-Madison campus and has been offering child care since the '60s. It's shocking that not more families are aware of it - though I think word is starting to rapidly spread. The staff is extremely caring and conscientious and I've always found the rates very competitive, if not more affordable than other centers nearby. Plus, UADC offers so many bonuses included in the cost that other centers do not - on-site meals prepared by a chef, a very large indoor play gym for kids to run around during those snowy or rainy days, huge classrooms, specials like yoga, dance, and music each offered every week, and the part-day or part-week options to accommodate the varying needs of families. read more

Our 5 year old daughter began UADC when she was three and is currently in the 4-K program. We love it. The school provides an enriched learning environment with daily specials including music, dance, yoga, and Spanish. The general philosophy of UADC is play based learning which incorporates math, science, and especially focuses on the arts. The teachers and staff are highly qualified, extremely supportive, and open to new ideas. The kids go on many field trips and often go to the public library, the zoo, or to UW-Madison to participate in various events. They offer care until 5:30 and summer camp, which is perfect for working parents. I would highly recommend UADC for child care and 4K. They also offer an after school program for older children. read more

UADC offers 3-4 year old preschool and 4-K classes. Our son has gone to UADC for both. He loves it there. The staff are kind, caring, creative and work hard at providing an enriching program. Music, art, yoga, and spanish are all included in tuition, as is lunch (served family style) and afternoon snack. The classes focus on social-emotional development just as much as "academics". I love getting my daily e-mail about the day's activities. Something about each child is highlighted in each one. We couldn't be more pleased. read more

We come from China, our 4 year-old son has been here for 6 months. We are happy to find his English made great progress. The teachers here are very nice, professional and responsible. I like their programs such as yoga, music, painting, dance,Spanish ....which are very good for kids. They always arrange field trips and many activities. My son loves the foods here, although they are very different from Chinese style. They open from 7am to 5:30pm which is really helpful for parents. We appreciate all teachers hard work very much! read more

My daughter has been attending UADC for about 4 months now and it's been a great experience so far! They provide a fun, safe environment, rich with a great variety of stimulus and activities, resulting in a very well rounded development. They even have their own cook preparing healthy meals from scratch and local ingredients whenever possible. All the staff are great actually. Also, when considering the complete package offered at this preschool, the price is really very reasonable. read more

My wife and I are extremely pleased with the wonderful education, experiences, and care the staff of UADC provide our two daughters. You can feel the sense of community when you walk into the classrooms and the teachers are sincerely invested in the lives of our girls. I highly recommend UADC!!! read more

UADC is fantastic. Our daughter has been a student for two years and is happy and thriving at UADC. The staff are amazing with the kids and have a wonderful play-based curriculum. They provide wonderful meals and have fantastic large classrooms. I can't recommend them enough! read more