Traditions and Community
CCC is rooted in community and tradition.
Throughout the year, families, children, and teachers come together to celebrate the seasons, care for our shared spaces, and enjoy one another’s company. These gatherings—both festive and hands-on—strengthen our connections and help make CCC a warm, collaborative place to learn and grow.
Below are some of the ways we celebrate togetherness at CCC.
Camping Trips
Twice a year, we pack up and head out for a camping adventure! It’s a great opportunity for parents to bond, kids to explore nature, and our community to share time together outside the classroom. No camping experience required.
Yard Hosted Potlucks
We have a tradition where one yard hosts a potluck for the other—Front Yard hosts Back Yard, and Back Yard hosts Front Yard. These gatherings take place as a weekend brunch and are a fun way for families and children from both yards to connect, share food, and build community together.
The hosting yard prepares the meal and welcomes the other yard into their space, making it a relaxed, generous way to spend time together outside the school week.
Holiday Sing-Along
Our annual Holiday Sing-Along is a joyful evening of music, food, and community. Children, siblings, parents, and teachers come together to sing familiar classroom songs alongside festive favorites, with plenty of room for laughter, snacking, and togetherness. Pajamas are encouraged.
The evening includes a potluck dinner and ends with a take-home luminary bag for the children—a cozy, glowing reminder of the night.
Harvest Lunch
Our Harvest Lunch is a beloved CCC tradition that brings the Front Yard and Back Yard classes together to share food, gratitude, and time in community. This autumn gathering celebrates the season’s abundance and our connection to the land, nature, and one another, with special acknowledgment of the Indigenous peoples who have cared for this land for thousands of years.
The Back Yard prepares a vegetable soup, while the Front Yard will contribute cornbread and Allyssa’s family-famous cranberry-orange relish (made fresh with the children as a hands-on, sensory-rich classroom activity).
During the meal, children from both yards sit together in alternating seating, so each child is flanked by new faces on either side—an intentional way to encourage connection, conversation, and a sense of shared community across classrooms.
Hop-A-Thon
The CCC Hop-A-Thon is our highest-energy fundraiser of the year…and the only one where the kids take center stage. Similar to a walk-a-thon, families collect pledges from friends and family, then spend the big day hopping, jumping, and bouncing their hearts out alongside their classmates.
Family, friends, and alumni often join the fun virtually, cheering on our little hoppers from near and far. All children receive treats and recognition for their efforts.
Funds raised through the Hop-A-Thon help make the CCC experience accessible to all families by supporting scholarships and community programs.
First Friday Hangouts
First Friday Hangouts are a relaxed chance to connect with fellow CCC parents and caregivers at the end of the week. We gather on the first Friday of each month to unwind, share a drink or a bite, and enjoy easy conversation in the late afternoon.
The location may vary, but the spirit stays the same: a welcoming way to build community beyond pickup and drop-off.
Family Sharing
Families are invited to take part in Family Sharing, a classroom tradition that brings children’s home lives into the school in meaningful, hands-on ways. During Family Sharing, caregivers join the class to share a family tradition, skill, celebration, or story - turning the classroom into a place where culture, identity, and lived experience are honored and explored together.
Family Sharing is part of our anti-bias education. It helps children see their own families reflected in the classroom while learning about the traditions of others. It builds pride, empathy, connection and strengthening the sense that CCC is a community shaped by the families who make it.
Recent Family Sharing moments have included making tamales from scratch, celebrating Lunar New Year, lighting the menorah for Hanukkah, creating ofrendas for Día de los Muertos, and celebrating Holi with gulal.
Pizza Parties and Playdates
Community at CCC begins well before the first day of school, starting with our New Family Meet & Greet Playdate. This allows families to explore their new environment at their own pace, meet their teachers, and connect fellow incoming families in a relaxed, supportive setting.
To bring the entire community together, we also host an All-School Pizza Party just a few days before the school year begins. It’s an easy, low-pressure way to meet new faces, reconnect with returning families, and help children start building familiarity with the community.
Beyond these kickoff events, our Events Team organizes community playdates throughout the entire school year, providing consistent opportunities for families to strengthen their friendships and stay connected outside of the classroom.
Work parties
Work Parties are a cornerstone of the CCC parent and caregiver community. Grownups come together throughout the year to care for our shared spaces—tending the yard, tackling small projects, and keeping the school beautiful and functional.
These gatherings are equal parts teamwork and connection. All skill levels are welcome.
Coffee & Pastry Mornings
About every other month, drop-off comes with a little extra warmth: fresh coffee, pastries, and an easy excuse to connect with other caregivers. We set up right in front of the school, so grownups can say goodbye to their little ones and then linger a bit if they’d like.
Some stay for a quick hello. Others hang out longer. Some grab a pastry and head off to work. However the morning unfolds, it’s a simple ritual to strengthen the adult community supporting the children inside.