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.

Group of people sitting around a campfire at night, some holding cups or snacks, engaging in conversation.
A man walking on a trail in a forest while carrying a child on his shoulders.
People toasting marshmallows over an open campfire at night.
A woman and two children fishing from a wooden dock on a lake. The woman is wearing a tan baseball cap, a white tank top, and sunglasses. The children are wearing a yellow hoodie and a dark jacket. The lake has blue water with ripples, and in the background, there is a shoreline with tall grasses, trees, and some ducks or other waterfowl.
A group of people, including children and adults, gather along a riverbank during sunset, surrounded by lush trees and vegetation.

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.

A rocky beach with the sun setting behind trees on a cliffside, waves washing onto the shore, and a clear blue sky.
Large outdoor gathering with people sitting at tables, tents, and cars in a field at sunset.
A woman with curly hair, glasses, and a pink headband is cooking outdoors. She is smiling, holding a spatula in one hand and a magazine or recipe in the other. She is wearing an apron and standing in front of a portable stove with a frying pan. The background shows shelves with bags, a wooden fence, and greenery.
A table with various dishes including salads, baked casseroles, and other side dishes, set up at a gathering with children and adults. People are serving themselves or waiting in line.

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.

People in line at a buffet-style food service, serving themselves from large containers of food.
A diverse group of children and adults sitting in a circle in a classroom, participating in a group activity or discussion.

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.

People serving food at a buffet table inside a bright, colorful restaurant with outdoor views.
Children and adults gathered in a restaurant for a party, enjoying food and activities.
A stainless steel bowl containing chopped oranges and whole red grapes, with a pink measuring cup inside the bowl.
Children gathered around a table outdoors, making or sorting red berries or fruit with kitchen utensils and containers, on a bright day.
Close-up of orange-colored pumpkin bars or slices on white parchment paper.
Children sitting around a dark table, eating snacks and drinking soup, with paper hand cutouts labeled 'BY' and 'FY' in front of them, and a clear bowl of assorted candies at the top of the table.

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.

Child wearing a festive mask and bunny ears jumping onto a padded mat during a celebration in an outdoor decorated area.

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.

Blurred pastel gradient background with soft pink, yellow, and blue hues.

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.

A person reaching for some food on a red table with various traditional Asian sweets, fruits, and snacks displayed in metal and plastic containers.
A Hanukkah menorah with lit candles and a Toy Story Rex figure with lit candles on its back, surrounded by children's drawings and decorations on a windowsill.
Two ears of raw corn on a white embroidered cloth with red, pink, orange, and green floral patterns.
A fireplace made of a large horizontal tree trunk with colorful powder splattered on and around it, surrounded by green plants and small purple flowers.
Child wearing a colorful lion dance costume, inside a room with wooden ceiling panels, a couch, and shelves, with other children sitting on the floor
A memorial display with photos, orange paper flower decorations, and a sign that says 'The HAT line.' On a pink and blue patterned cloth, there are four oranges, a cinnamon stick, a Cupcake-shaped candle, a small bowl of dried fruit, and a chocolate cupcake. The display is set on a wooden bench outdoors, with green plants in the background.

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.

Slice of pepperoni pizza on a white plate with a pink background.

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.

A man with long gray hair is measuring and leveling a wooden structure outdoors on a sunny day. He uses an orange spirit level and an orange ruler placed vertically against the wood, with a blue sky, trees, and a playset in the background.
Three men working on a sidewalk, with construction tools, a wheelbarrow filled with sand, and an orange traffic cone, near a wooden fence and blooming bushes.
Two men working on a wooden playground structure outdoors, one holding a level tool and the other adjusting a wooden beam, with trees and a house in the background.
Two men smiling at the camera, holding shovels, at a garden or backyard with a flowering bush, trees, a wooden fence, and gardening tools visible.

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.

A group of people gathered around a table outdoors, ordering food at a bake sale or outdoor event. The table has baked goods, cups, and paper bags, and people are chatting and waiting for their food.
A group of people gathered outdoors in a neighborhood, engaged in conversation. There are women with backpacks, a child with a blue backpack, and a woman wearing a red sweater. Background shows residential buildings, cars, and leafless trees.

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.