CHILDCARE & PUBLIC SCHOOL

Child Care

University Daycare

The University of Michigan operates three university child care facilities. As with childcare facilities in major cities, the waitlists can be long, especially for infant and toddler care. Of the three, one is primarily for use by employees of Michigan Medicine, so we don't typically recommend that for fellows, as there is little chance of getting a spot. The two others are Towsley Children's House, which is on Central Campus and not far from Wallace House, and the North Campus Children's Center, which is on North Campus near the Northwood Graduate Student Housing. We recommend getting onto the waiting list for these immediately, even if you are not sure you will use them. Though infant and young toddler care is in high demand, we have had fellows successfully get spots. There tend to be more openings for 3 and 4 year olds.

Non-University Daycare

Ann Arbor has several well-established non university-run childcare businesses. Two that fellows have used in the past are Doughty Montessori, for children ages 2 and a half to six and Gretchen's House, which has both infant and toddler care and preschool programs. Gretchen's House has several locations around Ann Arbor. For proximity to campus, the Gretchen's House on West Stadium is closer to Center Campus and downtown. Gretchen's House Traver is convenient for people who live closer to North Campus. Other wonderful daycare options include:

• Alaina's Children's Center; email Angie at angie@alainascc.com (Ashley Bates's son previously attended this daycare, at their Beakes Street location, and had a positive experience)

• Ann Arbor YMCA Child Development Center; email Amanda at ahutcheon@annarborymca.org (this is a pre-school for kids who are 2.5-6 years old; it includes weekly swim lessons; Ashley's son currently attends this daycare)

• Green Apple Garden Playschool; email: gaupper@appleplayschools.org 

This website is extremely helpful in identifying daycare additional options. 

Nanny and In-Home Care

For at home nanny and child care, you can set up an account with Care.com or College Nannies + Sitters. Because Ann Arbor is a college town, it is overflowing with potentially great babysitters during the academic year. But you want someone who has been vetted and comes with solid recommendations. Both of these sites allow you to search for what you are looking for with specificity around age, qualifications, language etc.

Backup Child Care

The university also runs a service called Kids Kare at Home Backup Care. This is mostly for families with school-aged children. If you have a child who needs to be at home for a day or two because of illness and you have work/exams or other commitments that prevent you from staying at home with a mildly ill child, Kids Kare Backup provides last-minute, short-term care. You need to be registered to use the service, so it's worth registering even if you think you'll never need it.

Ann Arbor Public School

If you choose to live in Ann Arbor students in Ann Arbor Public Schools are assigned to schools by neighborhood/zone. You can see the Ann Arbor Public Schools Enrollment Requirements here. Your landlord/management company can tell you which K12 schools are zoned to your address. All students must have proof of required vaccinations to enroll in K-12 public schools.

Ann Arbor School Calendar (the school calendar for the 2025-2026 school year is not yet released; Ashley will update Fellows with school-aged kids when it is released)

Ann Arbor enrollment office email: enroll@aaps.k12.mi.us