Harvard Yard Child Care Center

Story

Harvard Yard Child Care Center was founded in 1971 as a non-profit, cooperative child care center and preschool, serving children from three months through five years of age, in Cambridge, MA. It is open to all families, regardless of race, religion, national origin, cultural heritage, political beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability. We believe in developing strong individual relationships, stressing respect for all children and their families. Parents work with the professional staff in their child's classroom and are actively involved with many aspects of the center's organization.

Mission

Harvard Yard Childcare Center (HYCCC) is a high quality, non-profit early education and care program containing a community of learners that includes administrators, teachers, children and families. Based on our guiding principles, we create a nurturing environment that supports the whole child. Demonstration of respectful practices and interactions is a core value in our program. HYCCC builds connections among community members and prioritizes professional development of teachers.

Our “guiding principles” are as follows:
1) We treat others with respect and care.
2) We constantly strive to learn, evolve and improve our practice because development spans a lifetime.
3) We teach with intention.
4) We tailor our teaching practices to best meet the needs of our
students and families.
5) We strive to affect positive changes in the people, environments,
and cultures that we encounter.
6) We value and respect the differences within and beyond our community.
7) We hold ourselves accountable for the quality and improvement of
our practice as teachers, collaborative partners with parents, and as role models to children.
8) We are committed to maintaining our own health and well-being as a basis on which our ability to care for children depends.
9) Our work is a collaborative effort.