Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Two hour street parking is available throughout the neighborhood. Please refer to our Contact Us page for a map to UCDS.

For the 2011-2012 school year, UCDS has enrolled 319 students.

UCDS is not currently affiliated with the University of Washington. Started in 1911, UCDS originated as a pre-school and kindergarten for UW faculty and students. A more complete history of UCDS can be found in the Explore section.

Our Teacher Education Center (TEC) sponsors several workshops and speaker presentations throughout the year. Our summer workshops offer the opportunity to earn clock hours or credits through Seattle Pacific University. For more information, please visit the TEC section.

UCDS uses student visits, parent questionnaires, teacher recommendations, parent interviews and testing information (for Kindergarten applicants and older), to create a complete picture of each child and his or her family. The entire faculty and staff work together to build classes that reflect balance and diversity. We aim to create peer groups for children that foster academic rigor, respect and risk taking. We create classroom communities that allow for the joyful discoveries that make the learning process engaging.

The admission season opens the fall of the year prior to your child's start at a school. For example, if your child will start Kindergarten in September 2012, you need to begin the application process in the fall of 2011. The application process usually closes in early to mid-January. In order to apply to UCDS, at least one parent or guardian of the applicant must attend a school tour during the current application season.

Preschool and Kindergarten are very popular ages to enter an independent school. Beginning the application process the fall before you plan for your child to enter school will help you move through the admission experience with the greatest ease.

We build our classes at our Early Elementary Program over the course of three years. We accept the first third of a given class as three year olds, the second third as four year olds and complete the class by accepting the final third to Kindergarten. Acceptance into our Elementary Program is based on attrition and can vary in number and grade level each year.

We use testing as one piece of information that helps us learn about a child. Test scores help us think about a student's strengths and challenges and aid us in building academic balance and diversity into our program. UCDS does not employ a score cutoff.

Each year, we create a new wait pool of applicants from the current admission season. The wait pool is very small and is made of applicants that we feel would be excellent peers for a given class but for whom we simply did not have enough spaces. We use the wait pool to fill openings.

For the 2012-2013 school year, children must be three years old by June 1, 2012 to begin preschool. To apply for Kindergarten, children must be at least five years old by June 1, 2012.

Siblings do not attain automatic admittance to the school. UCDS adheres to our philosophy of considering each individual student when thinking about his or her education. Sibling families complete the same application process as their peers when considered for admission.

Tuition is determined annually by the Board of Trustees. The 2011–2012 school year full-day tuition is $20,900; half-day tuition is $13,585. Financial aid is available.

Field trips, overnights and special programs create added cost to a family over the course of the school year. These costs vary annually depending on the school's concept study and the class' interests. During the past few years the average additional cost was around $800. Financial aid is available for families for these extra events.

Extended Day Care and After School Clubs are the other costs a family may encounter. Childcare is available free of charge from 7:30 a.m. until the start of classes. After school care lasts until 6:00 p.m. Fees for the 2011–2012 Extended Day Program will vary depending on the number of days selected. For example, the rate for five afternoons a week is $265 per month. The program is also available on a drop-in basis for $25 per day. After-school clubs including Chess, Cross Country or Art Club are offered to students as well. The fees for these programs are based on their duration and needs. Financial aid is also available for Extended Day Care and After School Clubs.

Every member of the parent body is automatically a member of our Parent Association. The Parent Association is a dynamic group of parents that organizes and hosts a wide range of social and curricular events over the course of the school year. Families are welcome to be as involved as they like in the Parent Association. Additionally, parents may help chaperone field trips and overnight excursions.

Not at all. The admission process is separate from the financial aid process. A student must first be accepted by the Admission Committee before his or her financial aid application can be considered by the Financial Aid Committee. The Financial Aid Committee will then determine whether a student receives an award and how much will be granted for the academic year.

All financial aid awards are based on financial need. Financial aid awards are computed individually based on recommendations from SSS by NAIS. SSS uses a uniform methodology in which a family's unique financial circumstances are assessed in a consistent manner. Keep in mind, financial aid is not determined solely by income; other factors including assets, debts and additional children in tuition-charging schools, are also considered.

No. The Financial Aid Committee awards grants and makes financial aid decisions based on each family's financial need. Some grants may provide up to the cost of a full tuition. The average financial aid award for the 2010-11 school year is equivalent to approximately 53% tuition.

Financial aid applicants new to UCDS are notified of the status of their awards with their acceptance letter. Current families will be notified by the end of April.

Yes. All financial aid recipients need to reapply each year for financial aid. With that said, UCDS is committed to supporting current financial aid families who qualify for aid in subsequent years. The amount you can reasonably contribute toward meeting the cost of your child's education may increase, decrease or remain the same depending on your financial circumstances in any given year.

Yes. For families needing extra help, we have funds available to defray the full cost of field trips, our extended day program, and other additional costs. If UCDS awards aid for tuition, then required curricular charges will be supported at the same percentages.

We do not give discounts for siblings. However, families are welcome to apply for financial aid for each child.

For families that are divorced or separated, we request complete financial information from both natural parents. Both parents send separate PFS forms and all accompanying materials to UCDS. All adults (step-parents, significant others, partners, grandparents, etc.) contributing to household income are also required to disclose financial information. Failure to produce necessary documents can jeopardize the granting of awards.

SSS by NAIS then makes recommendations for contribution for each household. The Committee takes into consideration the total contribution of all households and the number of adults contributing to each household. The award is then granted to the student not the parents. A letter of award is sent to each household. UCDS expects the parents to make their own payment.

No. Financial aid is used to offset the cost of a UCDS education. Aid is awarded by UCDS in the form of a grant, not a loan. Financial aid grants from UCDS do not need to be repaid.

No. There are several payment options for families at UCDS. These options are outlined when enrollment contracts are offered.