FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about enrolling your child at the UWM Children’s Learning Center.

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We serve children ages 6 weeks through 12 years.

The UWM Children’s Learning Center operates Monday-Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The Center will be closed all legal holidays according to the University calendar (in addition to the day before and the day after Thanksgiving), from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Day, the week following spring semester and the week following the summer semester. The week following spring semester is the campus’ annual Steam Shutdown week and the week following the summer semester is used for heavy building maintenance and extensive cleaning and repairs. The Center will also be closed one day during mid-fall semester and two days during mid-spring semester for staff professional development days.

There are four categories in which to qualify:

  • UWM Student. Student status is determined by registration for at least 3 graded credits (graduate students, 2 credits), enrollment in a degree-granting or certificate program, and payment of the segregated fee.
  • UWM Faculty/Staff. Faculty/Staff status will be determined by at least one parent being on the UW-Milwaukee payroll.
  • Member of the UWM Alumni Association. Alumni status will be determined by at least one parent being a member of the UWM Alumni Association. (If you graduated from UWM you are automatically enrolled in the Association.) Parents that are not UWM alum are able to join the Alumni Association as community members, but do not need to join the Association until after their child has been accepted at the Children’s Learning Center. The Alumni Association can be reached at 414-229-4290; ask for the Associate membership which is $40.00 annually. An application for Alumni Association membership is also available on our website under ‘Forms.’
  • MPS/Shorewood School-age Child. MPS/Shorewood school-age child status is determined by a child being enrolled in an MPS or Shorewood Public School.

Applications are available on our website 2-3 weeks prior to the priority application deadline listed on our Calendar. You are able to apply for a current semester, or the next upcoming semester during the registration period, but we do not accept applications for future semesters. There is a $30 application processing fee for UWM students; the fee is $40 for non-students.

Please see our Calendar in the Enrollment section of our website for this information.

Children must be scheduled for a minimum of two half-days per week, over two days per week. Children six weeks up to school-age may be scheduled in a couple of ways: per half day (7:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and/or 12:30-6:00 p.m.) per semester, or full-time for the full year. School-age children may be scheduled in our all-day kindergarten program, our after-school program, or our school-age summer program.

The best opportunity to enroll your child/ren for the semester you want is to apply by the Priority Application Deadline listed on our Center calendar, although we accept applications after that deadline on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you want specific information about what times/days are available, you will need to submit an application, as we cannot offer any hours without an application to process. You may contact the Center’s Enrollment Manager for more information to see if there is a waiting list for a particular age group.

We typically do have some families on a waiting list, and the list changes each semester. Our waiting list varies greatly depending on the age of the child, the hours/days requested, and the parent’s university status.

Yes. If you are already on the waiting list and you reapply for the following semester by the Priority Application deadline, you will have priority over new families that apply in your category (e.g. student, faculty/staff or member of the UWM Alumni Association).

Please see our Fees in the Enrollment section of our website.

If your child is in attendance during the lunch hour, you will need to send a bag lunch with your child. The Children’s Learning Center provides milk at lunchtime, snacks and juice. For young children, parents provide diapers, wipes and formula (or breast milk).

Yes, all types of financial assistance are accepted.

Just click on the ‘Tour Request (parent/s)’ icon on our homepage! You may also contact us at 414-229-5384 to speak to our Enrollment Manager if you have further questions.

In each infant, toddler and school-age classroom, there is a full-time, degreed Lead Educator. In preschool & kindergarten rooms, there are two Lead Educators. UWM students who receive extensive on-the-job training comprise the rest of the classroom staff.

Our staff-to-child ratios are an important factor in determining quality care. Our ratios are as follows:

  • 6 weeks to 12 months 1:2
  • 12 months to 18 months 1:3
  • 12 months to 3 years 1:3 or 1:4
  • 3 to 5 years 1:5 or 1:6
  • Kindergarten (K3-K5) 1:8 or 1:9
  • 1st grade – 12 years  1:10 or 1:12

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