Welcome to UHP
Your Nature and Play Preschool
6033 Odana Road
All Families Welcome
No UW Affliation needed.
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We're a Play-Based, Part-Day Preschool and 4K
We're a Play-Based, Part-Day Preschool and 4K
Our preschool specializes in play- and nature-based learning driven by a social, emotional and kindness curriculum. We offer a part-day play-based program for ages 2-6 on Madison’s west side, near University Research Park, Exact Sciences, TruStage and Oakwood Village.
Children are wired to learn through play, and our teachers are experts at helping them do just that. Research shows that through play, children develop complex problem-solving skills alongside math and language. Play is also crucial in learning to navigate complicated social and emotional situations. Playing helps our hardworking students find calm, focus, and resilience. Resilience means not just getting through tough times but also coming out stronger and wiser.
Our teachers consider all areas of a child’s development – social, intellectual, emotional and physical – when designing the curriculum. By choosing activities that are meaningful to young children, our teachers encourage self-discovery, hands-on manipulation of materials, early literacy skills and more. They also cultivate a dynamic yet gentle community that fosters friendships and curiosity.
What's better than 1 friend in the puddle? Four friends in the puddle! Puddle Cuddle! 😍
We Love Our Small Class Sizes and Indoor-Outdoor Classroom
We Love Our Small Class Sizes and Indoor-Outdoor Classroom
Each UHP class is a mixed-age group with no more than 14 students, plus two certified teachers and a parent helper. We want it to feel encouraging and family-like so the kids build a strong self-concept and receive a positive introduction to lifelong learning.
Our teachers set up 4-5 interest areas in the indoor classroom for the kids to engage in art, sensory play, scientific investigation and imaginative play each week. The children choose how they use these spaces and the tools they contain, and the teachers provide continual engagement.
The outdoor classroom is a place where the kids are encouraged to build, dig, climb, splash, ride tricycles and get muddy. We’ve grown pumpkins, raised monarch butterflies and engaged in hours of pretend play in this special space, which our students visit every day, as long as the weather is safe.
We’re a Nonprofit Parent Cooperative That Values Community
We’re a Nonprofit Parent Cooperative That Values Community
We are a parent co-op with a long history of cultural exchange. Families who become co-op members receive discounted tuition in exchange for volunteering. This can include helping teachers in the classroom or serving on the parent board of directors.
Our board supports UHP’s director and teaching staff, shapes school policy and planning, and more. It helps give all UHP parents a voice, especially in decision-making about curriculum, health and safety policies, and new procedures.
UHP families also care about each other and our larger community. We organize events to get to know one another and community playgroups to help others in the community feel welcome at our school. In the spring and fall, we help host a preschool science booth at the Westside Community Market. Sometimes we invite students’ grandparents to read to the class and have the kids make music monthly with seniors at a retirement community. It’s fun!
We’re Interested in the Whole World
Stories, songs and food are some of the ways we explore other cultures and parts of the world at UHP. Parents have been known to fill our snack cupboard with a global selection of crunchy delights, from veggie straws to Japanese rice crackers, and we partner with Scholastic Book Clubs to offer a rotating selection of Celebrating Diversity titles to parents.
We also ask each student and their family to share some of their special memories, talents or traditions during a celebration called Child of the Week. During one of our daily class traditions, circle time, we often sing songs that incorporate American Sign Language.
We Talk About Differences
At UHP, we try to have healthy, developmentally appropriate discussions about differences. It’s okay to notice when someone is different, and it can be a valuable moment to introduce the concept of empathy. It’s also a chance to ask if the person who’s different is being marginalized and what kinds of support they might need. Having these conversations at an early age helps build culturally competent adults who are compassionate toward others and themselves.
University Houses Preschool is a nature and play based, part-day, non-profit, parent cooperative preschool with 4K as a MMSD Community Partner. Parent involvement as helpers in our classroom and on our Parent Board is one of the strengths at UHP. Member and nonmember options are available. Our outdoor classroom is open full time when it’s 50°F or warmer. What Families Are Saying about UHP.
We emphasize positive guidance of children's feelings and behaviors. We make a conscious effort to prevent potential conflicts by:
Providing a variety of materials, toys and choices to appeal to the wide range of needs and interests of the children UHP Statement of Philosophy,
Maintaining a consistent daily routine Your Child's Day,
Arranging the classroom to promote a good traffic flow, and to provide areas that encourage both small group and individual play,
Plus more… See our UHP Family Handbook!
Learn about Your Child's Day at UHP, Our Statement of Philosophy and see our 26-27 Program Info and Rate Sheet flyers for rates and schedules, then enroll New Family Registration, schedule a tour, or contact Karen kmbeck@uhpparentcooperative.org with questions.
Questions? See our FAQ page!
Nature Play Parent Cooperative Preschool and 4K MMSD Community Site Licensed Teachers Part-Day Nonprofit Indoor-Outdoor Classroom Small Class Sizes
Enrolling now:
New this year, 4K Friends on Monday (8:45-11:45am or 12:45-3:45pm) One day enrollment on Mondays is available for mornings or afternoons. Lunch Bunch is available to extend the morning and afternoon program from 11:45 – 12:45pm. This is designed for children attending 4K elsewhere who are looking to supplement on Mondays. Tuition is half of 2 day.
26-27 Returning Family Registration (ages 2-6) For 2026-2027 Academic Year, there is a separate non-refundable registration fee of $100 per child that includes the materials fee. 26-27 Program Info and Rate Sheet New: Monday enrollment is available for morning or afternoon with optional lunch bunch.
4K Enrollment 4K is offered in our afternoon class for children who turn 4 on or before September 1, 2026. Children benefit from the continuity of coming to UHP by knowing the teachers, classroom, routine, expectations, and increased outdoor classroom time. We build relationships, expand our themes with field trips and have fun! We all learn more when we are having fun. We hope you will join us for 4K!
UHP will continue to partner with MMSD as a 4K Community Site. There is a new program called Get Kids Ready. Here is a MMSD 4K and Get Kids Ready: Comparison. The following are a few selected reasons we partner with MMSD:
1. We have licensed, loving teachers
2. Higher expectations of teachers delivering play-based, developmentally appropriate 4K curriculum
3. State mandated literacy screener that:
Helps capture where children are at
Informs play/instruction to reflect on progress and adjust accordingly
Supports intentional planning for intentional playing and learning
4. Supported and established partnership with MMSD
Learning through play since 1968.
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