Urban School for Children

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

Welcome to

Philosophy & Approach

We strive to honor the whole child by nurturing the sense of wonder and keeping the spirit of play alive throughout the day.

Classes

We offer full preschool classes and a DepEd-recognized Kindergarten program for children ages 2-5 years old, in a warm and nurturing setting.

Extended Learning

Together with like-minded providers, we provide an array of short courses designed to complement children's learning.

Honoring childhood,

playfulness, and joyful learning

Our Classes

2/3s

3/4s

4/5s

5/6s (Kindergaten)

Urban School in Action

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

Extended Learning

USC offers extended learning opportunities through a carefully curated array of short courses (6-10 sessions per cycle) and partners with like-minded providers of programs that target specific competencies and areas of interest to complement learning. Together with our partner programs, we are committed to enriching educational experiences for students, schools, and the community.

Click our logo to find our current class offerings!

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

About Us

About USC

Urban School for Children was founded by a group of like-minded educators with a shared passion for teaching. It opened in June 2020, at the height of the pandemic as Making Space Learning Hub – a purely online program that offered short-courses of extended learning opportunities like art, cooking, and dance among others. In August of the same year, USC opened its first school year with 2 levels – the 3/4s and 4/5s, adapting a purely remote/online mode of learning. Now entering its 5th year, USC offers a full, in-person preschool and Kindergarten program for children ages 2 to 5.

Our school is located in a quiet, residential area, and is equipped with a library, a music and movement room, a kitchen, and an outdoor playground. We strive to give our students opportunities to learn and grow inside and outside of the classroom setting.

Our school year runs from August to May, with an open enrollment year-round depending on slot availability.

Aside from our regular preschool program, we continue to offer extra-curricular classes like ballet, cooking, taekwondo, gymnastics, and art among others, through various partner programs and Making Space Learning Hub, our after-school program branch.

Our team of teachers and staff are equipped with a wide-ranging set of skills that enable us to provide a loving, nurturing, and happy learning environment for our students to be confident and thrive.

From Our Director

At Urban School for Children, we pride ourselves in offering a high quality preschool program that does not waver at trends and societal pressures that insist on early academics. Though we are a young school, our partners and educators have been in the industry for over 30 years. In those years we have practiced, and to date, stand steadfastly for the defense of early childhood through a program that advocates intellectual and socio-emotional development through play and meaningful explorations. Our advocacy has been affirmed through the years with an outpouring of research on the correlation between adult success and early childhood programs like ours.

We also put focus on Mindfulness and welcome it as a unique and profound approach to social change. We constantly remind ourselves and each other, and we teach our students, to be fully present, composed, and to pause before we react to the challenges of our busy lives. As Mindfulness enters the mainstream, we hope to develop a way of living for ourselves and our students that brings focus, kindness, and caring into everything that we do.

Thank you for entrusting your children to us. As your children play and explore, we commit to teaching them with understanding, consistent fairness, and love.

Beni Ancheta – Veloso, Program & Curriculum Director

Our Vision

To create a LEARNING community hub for children, families and educators where everyone will feel welcome, safe and respected. Through active exploration, meaningful activities and intentional educators, empowered learners grow into life-long learners.

Our Mission

To provide a progressive, safe, high-quality, joyful and stimulating educational environment where the whole child is supported by intentional and qualified educators. The school advocates for learners and educators. It is an environment that inspires learning and serves the needs of children, their families and care providers.

Our Values

Social emotional learning
Whole child approach
Nature and environmental education
Professional development
Diversity and anti-bias curriculum
Relationships and kindness
Creativity and self-expression
Joyfulness and playfulness
Learning agility and mindset
Tinkering, making, and creating

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

Philosophy & Approach

OUR APPROACH

USC is a progressive school that espouses an experiential, language-rich approach to learning that is centered primarily on the developmental life skills and dispositions. Examples of these are: focus and attention, critical thinking, perspective-taking, taking on challenges, making connections, and communication, which lay the foundation for learning. Academic concepts are integrated into play and other hands-on activities that are done throughout the day.

Developmental-Interaction Approach

A child’s socio-emotional life and learning is inseparable with, and directly affects their intellectual and physical development. At the core of our curriculum is Social Studies, and we use a lot of engagement with materials, people and the environment. We also give importance and emphasis on feeling and thinking.

In designing learning experiences for our students, we are inspired, guided, and backed by relevant research done by the following leading institutions and organizations in education and child development:

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

Classes

Our 2/3s curriculum revolves around the most familiar and meaningful experiences of toddlers in their daily interactions with family and immediate community. We support these little explorers in their endeavor to make sense of the world around them through the use of concrete materials, open-ended activities, and play experiences that engage all the senses.

Our 3/4s curriculum hones and builds on young children’s physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional skills. Using concrete materials and participating in vibrant learning experiences, children are able to better understand concepts and develop skills while beginning to engage in meaningful interaction with their teachers and peers.

Our 4/5s curriculum strengthens mastery of the fundamentals through insightful investigations of shared interests in a nurturing and stimulating environment. Children are encouraged to wonder, innovate, and collaborate as active participants and important contributors in every step of the learning process. We intentionally create opportunities for developing the whole child, while remaining responsive to their needs, interests, and growing skills.

Our Kindergarten (5/6s) curriculum fosters social, emotional, and cognitive development through play, which is still the most important way by which Kindergarteners learn. Through play, children learn concepts, practice roles, construct meaning, and test ideas. Classroom materials provide a hands-on approach to investigation, problem solving, critical thinking, sharing, and creating. To facilitate learning, individual, small-group, and community large settings are utilized. Sessions of developmental academic instruction in math, reading, and social studies are typical, interspersed with enrichment activities such as Creative Music and Movement, art, and cooking. In-depth projects and theme investigations are undertaken based on the children’s relevant experiences and interests. Guided by their teachers, children are given opportunities to discuss their wonderings, and collaborate on ideas.

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

Faculty & Staff

Partners

BENI ANCHETA-VELOSO

MS Early Childhood & Elementary Education

Bank Street College

New York, USA

LISETTE FAJARDO

MA Units in Educational Psychology

University of the Philippines

Quezon City, Philippines

MICHELLE GUANZON-SINGIAN

MA Psychology: Child &

Family Development

Ateneo de Manila University

Quezon City, Philippines

PORTIA AMORES-BARRANDA

MA Units in Basic Education

Ateneo de Manila University

Quezon City, Philippines

TRIXIE DEL ROSARIO-COROMINA

MA Child Development & Education

University of Asia & the Pacific

Pasig City, Philippines

Administrators & Faculty

BENI ANCHETA-VELOSO

School Director

Teacher, 5/6s

Curriculum Coordinator, 5/6s & 4/5s

MS Early Childhood & Elementary Education

Bank Street College

New York, USA

PORTIA AMORES-BARRANDA

Teacher, 3/4s

Curriculum Coordinator, 3/4s

Creative Music & Movement Specialist

MA Units in Basic Education

Ateneo de Manila University

Quezon City, Philippines

TRIXIE DEL ROSARIO-COROMINA

Teacher, 2/3s

Curriculum Coordinator, 2/3s

Creative Music & Movement Specialist

MA Child Development & Education

University of Asia & the Pacific

Pasig City, Philippines

MICHELLE GUANZON-SINGIAN

Admissions & Finance Officer

Library Specialist

MA Psychology: Child & Family Development

Ateneo de Manila University

Quezon City, Philippines

KAREN PICSON

Admissions and Administrative Officer, Preschool & ELO

BS Early Childhood Education

De La Salle Univesity

Manila, Philippines

JAZMINE PORTUGAL

Teacher, 2/3s

Bachelor of Special Needs Education

Major in Early Childhood

University of Sto. Tomas

Manila, Philippines

ANDIE MAGCALAS

Teacher, 3/4s

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

University of Asia & the Pacific

Pasig City, Philippines

CATH MABULAY

Teacher, 3/4s

Bachelor of Elementary Education

Siliman University

Dumaguete City, Philippines

RAM CRUZ

Teacher, 3/4s

BA Media & Entertainment Management

University of Asia & the Pacific

Pasig City, Philippines

RICA BASILIO

Teacher, 4/5s

Candidate, MA Early Childhood Education

University of Asia & the Pacific

Pasig City, Philippines

GENE VILLASERAN

Teacher, 4/5s

MA Education

Major Early Childhood Education

De la Salle University

Manila, Philippines

NINA REYES

Teacher, 5/6s

Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

University of Asia & the Pacific,

Pasig City, Philippines

Staff

CHARISH ROMAN

Administrative Assistant

EUGENE SANTOCILDES

Caretaker

MEL MABALE

School Aide

LITA TORAYNO

School Aide

TESS MEDROCILLO

School Aide

JAS PANES

School Aide

RHEA ORLINA

School Aide

Urban School for Children, 2020

Mandaluyong City, MLA, Philippines

urbanschoolph@gmail.com

SCHOOL VISIT

Get in touch with our Admissions Officer to schedule a school visit in which you can tour the school and know more about our curriculum and philosophies.

CHILD OBSERVATION

Your child will be invited to participate in a 1 hour in-person session where he/she will have the opportunity to engage in play activities and interact with teachers and peers.