Mission & Philosophy

Mission

The mission of the Ossining Children’s Center is to provide high quality, educational childcare for children of working parents in a safe, supportive environment. We prepare our children for success in school with a basis for life-long learning.

We create a socio-economically diverse environment that reflects the greater community by ensuring that children from families without sufficient economic means can also attend OCC. In this setting, our children are provided with a strong foundation for life, and our community is likewise strengthened.

Philosophy

A common foundation underlies our programs across age groups. Here are a few of the key tenets. If you would like to learn more about how our philosophy impacts the day-to-day experience of our students, click here to learn more about our Programs.

Hands-on learners = > Enthusiastic learners

We empower children to become enthusiastic and confident learners by immersing them in an environment of educational materials, enriching experiences and nurturing relationships with teachers and other students. Our curriculum teaches children how to learn, through:

Hands-on discovery activities
Games
Arts and crafts
Music and movement
Child-initiated play
Enrichment programs that engage our community’s educational services and natural resources
And, especially, positive interaction with teacher-caregivers and one another

Child-centered = > Family-centered

While we are officially the Ossining Children’s Center, we like to think of ourselves as the “Ossining Center for Children and Families.” Just as we care for and educate our students, we strive to care for and support parents in their roles as the most important and influential teachers their children will ever have. We believe:

There is no “one-size-fits-all” curriculum
We give the individualized attention necessary for children — from infancy to middle school — to find and foster their own learning style.
Each child is an individual, with a distinctive temperament and his or her own way of interacting with the world
“Normal” comprises a broad spectrum of dispositions and rates of development
A flexible curriculum enables our teacher-caregivers to support each child’s unique developmental path

We partner with parents to individualize our plan for each student, offering families both insight and input during the formative preschool and early school years.

Sense of community = > Sense of self

By acting as an extension of a child’s family and community, we nurture our youngsters’ sense of self and individuality. Our diversity of backgrounds enables our children to celebrate their similarities and differences and actively fosters their knowledge of and appreciation for other cultures. Within the broader community of county and state, we educate government leaders about the importance and effectiveness of high-quality educational and enrichment programs for children.

Child “care” = > Whole child education

Since our founding, we have viewed child care from an educational perspective, and have made it our mission to educate the “whole child” as an emotional, social, physical and intellectual being. At the same time, we provide loving, home-like care. Our developmentally staged program: