Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Our Mission
The CEC’s mission is to ignite joy, curiosity, and compassion through innovative children’s programs for all.
& Vision
In our caring and educational community, our vision is a world in which all children are valued, thrive, and reach their full potential.
Our Values
Excellence
Of our care and programs
Respect
For all
Service
To the broader community
Openness
Of our people and our processes
Diversity
Of people and ideas
Integrity
Of the individual & the institution
Innovation
In our programs
Nurturing
Of our children, families, and staff
Our Mission, Vision, and Values in Practice
Respect for All
Infants are treated with the utmost respect. We let them know we are picking them up, saying the words and using the signs, so they can anticipate what will happen to them. Teachers pause to watch their response, looking for cues they are ready to be lifted up. It may seem unnecessary to go to this much trouble for a tiny baby who we might assume doesn’t notice or care. But do we really know that? Consider a scenario where you are standing in line at a store and someone comes from behind, picks you up, and puts you in a different line. We might feel violated, outraged, and certainly disrespected. While babies do not have the same expectations adults do, they are no less deserving of the respect we can offer them.
We respect toddlers’ need to explore, having no sense of time. They dawdle. They stop to notice everything. They do not move to the rhythms of the clock. They move at their pace, totally unaware of anyone else’s pace. We respect their need to take a long time to do anything. We respect their need to do things over and over again, no matter how many times, until they are done.
We respect preschoolers’ need to be messy, to be loud, and to move fast. We do not tell them to have walking feet indoors. Instead, we let them know the yard is a great place to run. We do not tell them not to get dirty, but have mud boxes and sandboxes, paint, and other messy experiences for them to engage in. We do not shush them but find appropriate places to be loud with wild abandon.
We also respect all children with the way we respond to them with kindness, understanding, and love. No matter what. We understand that whatever is going on for them is just their way of letting us know what they need. We must always start from a place of respect and understanding.
A Caring and Compassionate Community
Second only to our care of children is our desire to care for and meet families' needs. You are so important to us, not just because you send your children here, but because caring for your children is a partnership between us. You matter. You are a part of the beautiful fabric that is our community.
We always say that while we may be the experts in child development, you are the experts in knowing your children. It turns out, this is the best way to do our work. Together. We learn so much from you about your children that we would never be able to know otherwise. Learning about your family helps us understand your children, and in turn, helps us tend to their needs in a more sensitive, respectful way.
We do focus on children, and our daily interactions with you tend to be about your children, but it is not lost on us that you have rich, yet sometimes complicated, lives outside of the CEC. And who you are as a family is just as important as who your child is. You are inseparable. Those casual chats at drop off and pick up help us build connections with you and learn more about you and your family. We want to know what is important to you as a family and what delights you, what might be hard for you, and how we can best help you and your child.
We see how you embrace this partnership with us and we are grateful. We love caring for your children and including you in our community. We are here for you and working with you to ensure we can do our best work is incredibly important. Thank you for sharing your children, and yourselves, with us.
