About CCSC

The Children’s Center of the Stanford Community (CCSC) provides child care for children 8 weeks to 5 years of age. A parent-teacher cooperative, CCSC is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). CCSC provides child care for the children of Stanford staff, faculty, academic staff, and matriculated students with full-time status at Stanford.

Parent participation has been an integral part of the CCSC program since it began in 1969 and is still strongly encouraged, although a non-cooping option is available.

Craig Infant Program & Teeny Kids’ Place

Our infant and toddler programs provide a nurturing environment that encourages growth in all areas of development. Within a predictable, individual rhythm of daily life (eating, sleeping, diapering, playing), children are free to explore. Trust and intimacy are best developed during routine caregiving. Our staff members give total, unhurried attention to each child; the child is encouraged to be an active participant rather than a passive recipient during these interactions.

We view infants and toddlers as self-learners and self-initiators. We provide an environment that is consistent and predictable, allowing large amounts of time for play. Finally, we respect children by allowing them to develop at their own pace rather than expecting them to meet developmental milestones on our timetable.

The Little Kids’ Place and Big Kids’ Place

For older toddlers and preschoolers, our philosophy remains the same. We strongly believe that play is the most significant mode of learning and that child-initiated, adult-guided activities enable children to flourish. We place special emphasis on helping children develop increasingly complex social skills and encouraging them as they become members of a larger peer group. As they grow, children are given increasingly more responsibility for self-help and for helping others in their classroom community. They are free to choose from classroom activities that include cooking, science, art, dance, movement and music. The curriculum is dynamic and responsive to children’s emergent interests and ideas.

“Co-oping parents” assist the professional teaching team in each classroom in creating a nurturing and interesting environment for children. The comfortable relationships families develop with staff make CCSC a place where children develop trust and feel secure. Classroom social events and parent-teacher conferences further enhance communication between teachers and parents.