UCI Child Care Services Outdoor Classroom Programs
501 Adobe Circle Road, Irvine, CA 92617
About
UCI Child Care Services Outdoor Classroom Programs include activities such as reading stories, block building, painting, dress-up, and active outdoor play in indoor and outdoor classroom settings.
• Ages: 0–12 years old
Child care has been part of the UCI campus almost since its inception, with Verano Preschool opening in 1969, followed by the UCI Children’s Center in 1972, the UCI Extended Day Center in 1978 (which expanded into a new building in 2002), the UCI Infant Toddler Center in 1980 (which expanded in 2004 and again in 2015 into a new modular building), and the Early Childhood Education Center in 1989. The programs are part of five centers that serve children from three months to twelve years, as well as an administrative office, and use a curriculum framework that incorporates the Outdoor Classroom, Mindfulness, Empathy and Compassion, and Anti-Bias Education in rich and nurturing natural environments with ample space and time for exploration. The mission of UCI Child Care Services is to provide early care and education to children from infancy through elementary school-age whose parents are staff, faculty, or students at UCI, or members of the surrounding community, in nurturing and engaging environments that promote healthy relationships, compassion, creativity, a lifelong love of learning, and appreciation for diversity, while staying current with research in early care and education and offering hands-on learning, employment, and internship experiences for undergraduate students.
All programs are licensed by the Department of Social Services-Community Care Licensing Division and follow Title 22 rules and regulations, as well as Title 5 California Educational Code Regulations for subsidized centers. The Early Childhood Education Center and Verano Preschool are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and three centers (Infant Toddler Center, Verano Preschool, and Children’s Center) participate in QRIS. The indoor and outdoor environments and program curriculum are planned and facilitated by teachers who maintain Child Development Permits issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and all full-time staff hold a Child Development Permit and are certified in Pediatric First Aid and CPR. Teacher assistants are full-time students at UCI and are an integral part of all of the centers.
The centers emphasize the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical benefits of being outside, offer children chances to care for living things to encourage stewardship, and use mindfulness practices to help children increase positive emotions, healthy coping skills, and reduce stress and anxiety. The programs are committed to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, exercise the four core goals of Anti-Bias Education (identity, diversity, justice, and activism) in daily practice, treat all children with respect while nurturing positive cultural and social identity, and serve families with equity while celebrating their unique cultures and traditions. UCI Child Care Services serves children of students, staff, faculty, and the community, and all of the centers provide internship and fieldwork opportunities through several majors on campus as well as through local community colleges.
Last updated July 13, 2026.
• Ages: 0–12 years old
Child care has been part of the UCI campus almost since its inception, with Verano Preschool opening in 1969, followed by the UCI Children’s Center in 1972, the UCI Extended Day Center in 1978 (which expanded into a new building in 2002), the UCI Infant Toddler Center in 1980 (which expanded in 2004 and again in 2015 into a new modular building), and the Early Childhood Education Center in 1989. The programs are part of five centers that serve children from three months to twelve years, as well as an administrative office, and use a curriculum framework that incorporates the Outdoor Classroom, Mindfulness, Empathy and Compassion, and Anti-Bias Education in rich and nurturing natural environments with ample space and time for exploration. The mission of UCI Child Care Services is to provide early care and education to children from infancy through elementary school-age whose parents are staff, faculty, or students at UCI, or members of the surrounding community, in nurturing and engaging environments that promote healthy relationships, compassion, creativity, a lifelong love of learning, and appreciation for diversity, while staying current with research in early care and education and offering hands-on learning, employment, and internship experiences for undergraduate students.
All programs are licensed by the Department of Social Services-Community Care Licensing Division and follow Title 22 rules and regulations, as well as Title 5 California Educational Code Regulations for subsidized centers. The Early Childhood Education Center and Verano Preschool are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), and three centers (Infant Toddler Center, Verano Preschool, and Children’s Center) participate in QRIS. The indoor and outdoor environments and program curriculum are planned and facilitated by teachers who maintain Child Development Permits issued by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and all full-time staff hold a Child Development Permit and are certified in Pediatric First Aid and CPR. Teacher assistants are full-time students at UCI and are an integral part of all of the centers.
The centers emphasize the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical benefits of being outside, offer children chances to care for living things to encourage stewardship, and use mindfulness practices to help children increase positive emotions, healthy coping skills, and reduce stress and anxiety. The programs are committed to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, exercise the four core goals of Anti-Bias Education (identity, diversity, justice, and activism) in daily practice, treat all children with respect while nurturing positive cultural and social identity, and serve families with equity while celebrating their unique cultures and traditions. UCI Child Care Services serves children of students, staff, faculty, and the community, and all of the centers provide internship and fieldwork opportunities through several majors on campus as well as through local community colleges.
Last updated July 13, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.