UCNS FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions:

Whom Do I Contact To Schedule A Tour Or Get Additional Information About In The School?
You may contact our Director, Amy Duffy, at (530) 219-0295 or amduffy@sbcglobal.net. Tours are held by appointment.

Whom Do I Contact For Registration Or Enrollment Information?

You may contact one of our UCNS registrars.
Our three-year-old program registrar is Melissa Loscutoff and you can contact her at melissaloscutoff@yahoo.com or (530) 759-9832. Our pre-kindergarten program registrar is Shelley Bronzan and you can contact her at shelleyb@ucov.com or (530) 318-0626.

Where Are You Located?
Our address is 315 Mace Blvd., Davis, CA 95618. We are a ministry of University Covenant Church and our entrance at the west end of the church building between our two fenced play yards.

Do You Have A Waiting List?
We maintain a waiting list for families not offered a spot for the current school year only. In the event that a space becomes available in one of our classes, we will contact families on the wait list to fill the spot. Once offered a spot, families have 72 hours to accept the spot or we will contact the next family on the wait list. We do not roll over the wait list to the following year in order to allow all families the opportunity to register.

What Is Your Registration Fee?
The registration fee is $50. It is nonrefundable for families offered a spot in the program. Families on the wait list may request a refund in writing by September 30th if they have not been offered a spot in the program, after which they will be removed from the wait list. After September 30, registration fees are nonrefundable.

What Is The Tutition And When Is It Due?
Tuition for the 2011-2012 school year is $275 per month for three-day classes and $360 per month for our four-day Pre-Kindergarten classes. Tuition is payable in 10 monthly installments. The first monthly installment is due with your school paperwork by May 1st. The next monthly installment is due September 1st. Payments are due on the 1st of the month thereafter through May of 2011. There is no payment due in June of 2012. Tuition may be mailed to UCNS or dropped off in the tuition lock box.

How Old Must My Child Be In Order To Register?
Children registered for our three-year-old program must be 3 on or before December 2nd of the current school year. Children registered for our pre-kindergarten program must be 4 on or before December 2nd of the current school year and must not be enrolled in kindergarten. Our transitional kindergarten program is for young kindergarten eligible children who turn five between June1st and December 2nd.

Is Toilet Training Required?
Yes. Our program is not licensed for diaper/pull up changing. All children must be able to use the toilet and must be out of pull ups or diapers prior to coming to school.

What Is Your Teacher To Child Ratio?
Our pre-kindergarten classes have a maximum of 16 children with one head teacher and an assistant teacher (1:8). Our three-year-old classes have a maximum of 14 children with one head teacher and an assistant teacher or teacher’s aide (1:7). Because UCNS is a full inclusion school, the teacher to child ratio may be lower in those classes where a child with special needs has an aide present. We also have parent helpers in our classrooms frequently, and our preschool director spends time in each classroom regularly.

What Is The Education Level Of Your Teachers?
All of our head teachers and teacher’s aides are college graduates who have studied early childhood education. Several staff members have post-graduate degrees. All UCNS staff participate in on-going training and attend yearly early childhood education conferences.

Is Parent Participation Required/Encouraged?
Parent participation is not required. We do encourage parents to participate at school as they are able. Parent participation opportunities may include providing special snacks, chaperoning on field trips, sharing a special talent or hobby, working in the classroom on a specific day of the week or month, washing dress up clothes, and serving on our preschool board of directors.

Do You Have Field Trips?
Our pre-kindergarten classes take field trips off school grounds. Our three-year-old classes have special guests come to school but do not take field trips off school grounds. Some of our annual pre-kindergarten field trips include: visiting the pumpkin patch & farm at Impossible Acres, visiting the Yolo County Library, riding a UC Davis double-decker bus, and going to the Sacramento Zoo. Thanks to our wonderful, involved UCNS parents, we are usually able to maintain a 1:2 ratio of grown-ups to children on our Pre-K field trips.

Do You Offer After School Day Care?
No. We do not provide any childcare beyond the preschool classes listed on this web site.

Can You Accommodate Students With Allergies?
Yes. We are sensitive to the needs of each of our students, and strive to make UCNS a safe place for all of our children to learn and grow. We have been a peanut-free school for the past four years due to serious student allergies. We also have a locked medication box for emergency medicine for the treatment of allergies.

Are Snacks Provided?
Yes. We provide a daily snack for the students. Families receive a monthly snack menu with our school-wide and class newsletters at the beginning of each month. Students with allergies may bring in and store alternative snacks at school.

What Curriculum Do You Use?
UCNS uses a thematic approach to teaching integrating three curricular resources, including The Creative Curriculum for Preschool, Gospel Light, Scripture Bites, Handwriting Without Tears (Pre-K students only), and Zoo Phonics (Pre-K only). We provide a wide range of hands-on activities that encourage children to experiment with science, math, language, reading, dramatic play, blocks, music and art.

How Structured Is Your Program?
We strive to achieve an optimal balance between children’s self-initiated learning and teacher-directed activities. During the course of each class, children have the opportunity to participate in circle time, small group encounters, and free choice activities. Circle time activities are intended to help children develop listening skills, the ability to follow directions, and learn to participate in a large group experience. Small group encounters are designed to enhance social skills and reinforce and extend concepts. Free choice activities give children opportunities to practice newly acquired skills, take on new social roles, attempt novel or challenging tasks, and gain a sense of competence.

What Is Your Program's Philosophy?
We believe that each child is a unique and precious individual created in the image of God. As an inclusive preschool we are sensitive to individual differences and the developmental stage of each child. Our small class sizes allow our staff to get to know each child well and to individualize our students’ preschool experience in order to build on each child’s unique set of strengths and to facilitate growth in all areas of development.

We believe that children learn best when they have a wide variety of opportunities to explore their environment, to develop new skills, and to discover knowledge through hands-on experiences. We believe play provides essential opportunities for children to practice their emerging social skills. We place a great deal of emphasis on teaching children the skills they need to form healthy relationships, become self-disciplined, learn to respect and care for others, solve problems, and gain confidence in their own abilities. We maintain an age-appropriate balance of child-oriented and teacher-directed activities, and we provide daily opportunities for both large and small group experiences.

Is UCNS a Christian Program?
Yes. UCNS is a ministry of University Covenant Church. Enrollment is inclusive of, but not limited to, members of UCC in accordance with our commitment to serving the community at large. We strive to help children grow in understanding more of God and His loving care for all His creation and experience the warmth and love of Christian community.

What Is A Covenant Church?

We are a community of ordinary people, experiencing the extraordinary, life-changing love of Jesus Christ. Revived by faith, renewed by hope, and restored by love, it is our purpose to:

bring people to Jesus and membership in His family
love and nurture each other to Christ-like maturity
equip each individual for service in our church, our community, and the world

…that we may joyfully bring honor and glory to God.

Our Beliefs

University Covenant Church is a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church, with headquarters in Chicago, IL.

Our name says it all. The word evangelical indicates our spirit of commitment to the Good News of God's forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

The word covenant indicates our principle of voluntary commitment to one another for the purpose of spreading this Good News to all the peoples of the earth. Our beliefs can be summarized in the following four principles:

1. THE PRINCIPLE OF ACCEPTANCE.

We believe that to be a Christian is to confess Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, and that all who make this commitment are members of the Body of Christ.

2. THE PRINCIPLE OF AUTHORITY.

We believe that the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the Word of God and that only perfect rule for faith, doctrine and conduct.

3. THE PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM.

We believe in the reality of a fellowship of believers that recognizes but transcends differences within Christian faith and life, within the authority of the Scriptures, the inner witness of the Holy Spirit, and the disciplines of the Christian community.

4. THE PRINCIPLE OF MINISTRY.

We believe that every member of the Body of Christ is a minister, uniquely gifted by the Holy Spirit to build up the Church and fulfill Christ's mission in the world.

More information about UCC is available at www.ucov.com