School Program

Serving children aged 18 months through 5 years old

CCS uses a play-based curriculum in distinct classroom cohorts, grouped with overlapping ages. Our regular daily schedule gives children a sense of routine, but with plenty of opportunities for wondering, jumping in puddles, singing silly songs, and pretending. Click here to learn more about our curriculum.

Jump to

A Day in the Life at CCS | Sample Daily Schedule | What Children Should Bring | Meals and Snacks

A Day in the Life at CCS

Kids join with their class cohorts in their classrooms or outside in the yard, playing, reading books, and singing songs together. Children learn to take part independently in all the arrival routines each day: hanging up their coats, putting away backpacks, water bottles, and lunches, and washing their hands.

Morning Circle: Each class has a structured morning circle every day, when teachers and children sit together and talk about the routine for the day, share updates and predictions, and often read books, sing songs, and play circle games. 

Centers Time: Children enjoy unstructured play at various centers, or play stations, within their classroom. Some centers remain consistent within the classroom, like a play kitchen, the library, or places for building with blocks or drawing with crayons. Other centers might vary be season or by class interest: for instance, playing with fresh play-doh or with shaving cream to practice fine motor skills, or even “working in an office” with disconnected keyboards and telephones! 

We love to play outside in the yard! Children will spend a portion of each day outside so long as the weather is not unsafe, as described in the Family Handbook. The yard includes structures for climbing and hiding, places to dig and plant, vehicles to roll and ride, and even a garden where children and teachers grow veggies, flowers, and herbs. The yard is a great place for classes to play together in mixed-age groups.

Each day includes time to play in the common room, which has a large open space and many options for jumping, climbing, spinning, dancing . . . and, well, whatever else sounds fun! The common room is also a great place for classes to play together in mixed-age groups.

All children who stay past 12:30 PM are supported to have quiet rest time after lunch. Children who nap do so on individual nap mats, with the lights lowered and encouragement to keep their bodies and voices quiet. Children who do not nap will be supported to have a quieter period in their day, reading books or drawing.

CCS supports children and families to maintain the diapering and toileting routines that are best for their children’s health and bodily autonomy. Children who wear diapers will have their diapers checked and, if necessary, changed at regular intervals throughout the day. Children who use the toilet or who are learning to do so will be supported to use or try using a child-sized toilet at regular intervals throughout the day. Children are permitted to be present for one another’s diaper changes or toileting time and to be respectful of one another’s bodies. 

Back to Top

Sample Daily Schedule

Individual classroom schedules may vary! 

8-8:15 AM: Early Drop-Off

8:15-9 AM: Drop-Off

9:15 AM: Morning Snack

11:15 AM: Lunch

12:30 PM: Part-Day Pickup

12:30-2 PM: Rest Time

2:15 PM: Afternoon Snack

3 PM: Full-Day Pickup

4 PM: Aftercare Snack

6 PM: Extended-Day Pickup

Back to Top

What Children Should Bring

These lists are samples; your child’s teacher will provide specific recommendations on what to bring. Please label all items with your child’s name.

Each Day

  • Water Bottle & Lunch: Each day, children should bring a full water bottle and their lunch (if not enrolled in PHLPreK).
  • Outerwear: Kids should be dressed appropriately for playing and should wear appropriate outerwear for outside play (coats, mittens, and hats in winter; sunscreen in summer).

Beginning of the School Year or As Needed

  • Spare Clothes: Families should bring a full set of seasonally appropriate spare clothes for each child, to be stored in the classroom in case a change of clothes is needed unexpectedly.
  • Diapers & Wipes: For children who use diapers, families should plan to bring diapers and wipes to school for their kid’s personal use. Teachers will notify families when their child needs more diapers or wipes.
  • Comfort Objects for Rest Time: Children who stay at school for rest time are encouraged to bring a special comfort object like a blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal that can stay at school and be used each day for rest time. Comfort objects will be machine washed and dried weekly.

Back to Top

Meals and Snacks

For all snacks and meals, children sit together at kid-sized tables and chairs or picnic-style outdoors. Staff supervise all snacks and meals.

If your enrolled child has allergies or food sensitivities, please email Health, Safety, and Nutrition Supervisor Seth at kitchen@childrenscommunityschool.org.

CCS serves three snacks per day:

  • Morning Snack: Served to all children. Sourced through an external vendor and served by staff.
  • Early Afternoon Snack: Served to all Magnolia, Juneberry, and Oak children who stay until 3PM or later. Redbud kids tend to sleep through early afternoon snack time; we provide snack to Redbuds who stay past 3 PM after they’re done resting. Sourced through an external vendor and served by staff.
  • Late Afternoon Snack: Served to all children who stay for the afternoon program. Sourced directly by CCS.

All snacks are included in the cost of tuition. For snack, children receive pre-portioned, age-appropriate, low-sugar snacks with at least two food groups (such as sunbutter and rice cakes, fruit and yogurt) as well as milk.

  • All Kids Not in PHLPreK: For children not enrolled in PHLPreK, families are asked to send a packed lunch with their child each day. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to provide lunch to children outside the PHLPreK program.
  • PHLPreK: CCS provides lunch to all children enrolled in PHLPreK. are provided a lunch each day; 

All lunches are served cold; no heating options are available. 

A weekly menu of snacks and PHLPreK lunches is emailed to enrolled families each week:

  • Monday
    • AM Snack: Honey Scooters cereal, applesauce, milk 
    • PHLPreK Lunch: cheese sandwich, baby carrots, fresh fruit, milk 
    • PM Snack: Pretzel Goldfish, peach yogurt
    • Aftercare Snack: Popcorners, mozzarella string cheese, veggie cups, applesauce
  • Tuesday
    • AM Snack: banana muffin, pineapple tidbits, milk 
    • PHLPreK Lunch: turkey & two cheese wedge sandwich, baby carrots, fresh fruit, milk 
    • PM Snack: Cheddar Goldfish, colby jack cheese stick
    • Aftercare Snack: Seaweed snacks, colby jack cheese, fruit cups 
  • Wednesday
    • AM Snack: Blueberry Chex cereal, mixed berry applesauce, milk 
    • PHLPreK Lunch: soy butter & jelly sandwich, baby carrots, mixed berry applesauce, milk 
    • PM Snack: cinnamon graham crackers, soy butter cup
    • Aftercare Snack: pretzels, yogurt, veggie cups
  • Thursday
    • AM Snack: cranberry orange muffin, mixed fruit cup, milk 
    • PHLPreK Lunch: cheese sandwich, baby carrots, fresh fruit, milk 
    • PM Snack: Harvest Cheddar Sunchips, blueberry yogurt
    • Aftercare Snack: Aussie Bites, cheddar cheese, applesauce
  • Friday
    • AM Snack: Honey Cheerios, apple slices, milk 
    • PHLPreK Lunch: soy butter & jelly sandwich, baby carrots, apple slices, milk 
    • PM Snack: pretzels, colby jack cheese stick
    • Aftercare Snack: Cheddar Goldfish, soy butter, fruit cups

Notes about provided snacks and PHLPreK lunches:

  • All fruit cups and applesauce have no added sugar. 
  • All AM snacks + PHLPreK lunches includes 1% fat cow’s milk.
  • Breakfast cereals are reduced-sugar formulations. 
  • All grain-based foods are whole-grain.
  • Menu is subject to change! Any substitutions made will maintain the balance of food groups, e.g. a fruit will be replaced with a different fruit or vegetable.

Back to Top