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Now Welcoming Toddler & Early Childhood Families
A first school experience guided by curiosity, care, and community.
United Friends School is welcoming families for our Toddler and Early Childhood programs in Quakertown — including our expanded classrooms for two- and three-year-olds.
The first time your child walks into school should feel like coming home.
"It just feels different." It's something families tell us after they visit.
If you're looking for more than a place to drop your child off, you're in the right place. At United Friends School, the earliest years are a true beginning — a first school experience where your child is genuinely known, gently challenged, and encouraged to wonder out loud.
Days unfold at the pace of childhood: time to observe before joining in, familiar faces and routines, and teachers who notice the small things. It's where confidence quietly takes root.
A gentle introduction to school, made for your youngest learner.
Our full-day First Light program blends Quaker values with nature-based, project-centered learning — nurturing early literacy, math, and science through play and exploration. Readiness here isn't rushed; it's honored.
A safe, gentle start
Little ones grow comfortable in a new space, learning that school can feel warm and welcoming.
Play, movement & connection
The day is built around relationships — the foundation everything else grows from.
Early literacy, math & science
Curiosity is sparked through hands-on exploration, play, and real, joyful discovery.
Teachers who help children feel seen
Warm, attentive educators who respect the pace of childhood and the individuality of every child.
A school that grows with your child
From the very first year through fifth grade, each stage builds on the last — the same values, the same close community, deepening with your child.
First Light
Ages 1–2Our new full-day First Light classrooms for one- and two-year-olds offer a gentle first school experience that honors the pace of childhood — blending Quaker values with nature-based, play-centered learning, plus the convenience of daycare-friendly hours for working families.
- Safe, relationship-first introduction to school
- Early literacy, math & science through play
- Full-day, daycare-friendly hours for working parents
Preschool
Ages 3–4A playful, hands-on program where children explore, build confidence, and develop social-emotional skills — laying the foundation for curiosity and collaboration that lasts.
- Social-emotional growth & friendship
- Project- and nature-based discovery
- Confidence, voice & independence
TK & Kindergarten
Ages 4–5A joyful bridge into formal learning. Our Transitional Kindergarten (TK) gives children who've completed two years of preschool — but aren't quite old enough for the Kindergarten cutoff — a confidence-building year that's more than another year of preschool. In Kindergarten, children build strong foundations in reading, writing, and math through hands-on, inquiry-based learning, growing into curious, independent thinkers within a warm, values-centered community.
- TK: a bridge year for children not yet age-eligible for K
- Kindergarten literacy, numeracy & inquiry foundations
- Independence, curiosity & social-emotional growth
Lower School
Grades 1–5An inspiring program where children expand their creativity, strengthen teamwork, and apply early skills to real-world learning — developing emerging leadership and a deeper understanding of their place in the world.
- Project-centered, real-world learning
- Critical thinking & creativity
- Leadership & service to community
A different kind of beginning
For 42 years, families have chosen United Friends School for what can't be measured on a checklist — and felt it the moment they walked in.
Every child is truly known
Our classrooms are intentionally small, so teachers learn how each child thinks, what lights them up, and where they need a gentle nudge. Children aren't moved through a system — they're seen as individuals, heard when they speak, and encouraged to think deeply from their very first year.
Quaker values, lived every day
Peace, integrity, community, equality, and care for the earth aren't a weekly lesson — they're the quiet fabric of each day. Children learn to listen well, resolve conflict kindly, and recognize the light in themselves and one another, building character alongside academics.
Hands-on, experiential learning
Real understanding comes from doing. Children build, question, test ideas, and follow their curiosity through meaningful projects rather than worksheets. Early literacy, math, and science grow naturally out of play, discovery, and the things children genuinely wonder about.
Nature-based education
The outdoors is one of our most important classrooms. Children dig in gardens, observe the seasons, and explore the natural world with their hands and senses — developing focus, resilience, and a genuine sense of stewardship for the earth around them.
A small, close-knit community
Here, families and teachers truly know one another, and children move through their days in a setting that feels safe and familiar. The individualized attention means no child slips through the cracks — and the friendships and belonging formed in these early years often last for life.
Confidence, compassion & curiosity
More than facts, children leave UFS with a way of being in the world. They grow into confident, compassionate learners who ask good questions, care for others, and carry a lifelong love of learning and a deeper understanding of their place in the world.
A glimpse of the everyday
The small, joyful moments where learning, wonder, and belonging actually happen.
Loved by UFS families
Their confidence grew by leaps and bounds. Their ideas were valued and they were encouraged to be critical thinkers.— UFS Parent
Our child is valued and respected as an individual. The community has been welcoming from the very beginning.— UFS Parent
The Quaker values taught our sons to serve their community. We are so grateful to UFS.— UFS Parent
From first hello to belonging
Finding the right school should feel simple and warm. Here's how families become part of the UFS community.
Discover UFS
Explore who we are and what we believe.
Schedule a Tour
Pick a time in about a minute.
Visit Campus
Walk our classrooms and gardens.
Meet Our Teachers
See the warmth behind the school.
Enroll
Reserve your child's place with ease.
Join the Community
Begin a journey of belonging.
Come experience the UFS difference in person
The best way to understand United Friends School is to step inside the community, meet the teachers, and see how children learn, explore, and belong.
Questions families ask
United Friends School serves children from age 1 through 5th grade. Our early childhood community begins with our First Light classrooms for one- and two-year-olds, continues through Preschool, Transitional Kindergarten, and Kindergarten, and grows with your child into our Lower School through 5th grade.
UFS is a private Quaker independent school. Even our earliest classrooms are a genuine first school experience — intentional, relationship-centered, and built on 42 years of educational tradition rather than simple childcare. Our First Light Toddler Program does, however, offer the convenience and flexibility of daycare hours — making it a wonderful fit for working parents who want more than daycare for their little ones.
Quaker education is built on a simple belief: there is light in every child. That shapes everything — small classes where each child is truly known, an emphasis on integrity and community, hands-on learning, and a deep respect for each child's individual pace and voice.
Yes — our First Light Toddler Program for one- and two-year-olds is new to UFS. We're now enrolling two-year-olds and accepting applications for one-year-olds. Our three-year-old class is part of Preschool, which we've offered for years and is enrolling now as well.
Days move at the pace of childhood — a gentle rhythm of welcome, exploration, hands-on projects, outdoor time, meals and rest, and moments of quiet reflection. Children have room to observe before joining in, and teachers weave early literacy, math, and science through play rather than worksheets.
Classrooms are intentionally small, with caring teachers who know every child well. This allows for individualized attention, mixed hands-on and small-group learning, and a calm, nurturing environment where children feel safe enough to take risks and grow.
It's at the heart of a Quaker education. Children learn to name their feelings, listen to others, resolve conflict peacefully, and recognize the worth in everyone. These daily practices build empathy, confidence, and resilience right alongside academics.
Our daily routine includes time for meals and snacks in a warm, social setting. The specifics — what's provided versus packed from home for your child's age group — are easiest to walk through in person, and our team will happily cover all of it during your tour.
Absolutely — and we encourage it. Experiencing the space together is often the clearest way to know if UFS is the right fit. If your child will be joining you for the tour, we'd love to welcome them into the classrooms and gardens too.
It takes about a minute. Choose a time that works for you on our booking page, and a member of our team will welcome you to campus for a personal tour of our early childhood spaces.
Most families start with a tour. After your visit, our team will walk you through the next steps, current availability for your child's age group, and everything you need to reserve a place — at a pace that feels comfortable for your family.
Our classrooms are intentionally small so every child receives individual attention, which means early childhood spaces fill quickly. We recommend scheduling a tour soon to learn about current availability for your child's age group.
Childhood is short. Where it begins matters.
The first school your child walks into shapes how they see learning, themselves, and the world. United Friends School is a place where children are known, encouraged, challenged, and inspired — and where the early years become a foundation that lasts a lifetime.