Welcome to IC3!
Ithaca Community Childcare Center (IC3) is an NYS-licensed, non-profit, and NAEYC-accredited center that offers care for children aged 8 weeks to 12 years old. We provide child-inspired, professionally nurtured care and educational opportunities, including a nationally recognized continuity of care program for infants and toddlers. Our child-centered approach offers a safe environment for hands-on learning, where experienced, professional, and nurturing teachers and assistants help children embrace a lifelong love of learning.
What Sets Us Apart
Exceptional Staff
Each full-day classroom has two teachers who co-teach. Teachers have a minimum of an Associate degree, with over half having a Bachelor’s degree. IC3’s teacher turnover rate averages 6% a year.
Unique Programming
Continuity of Care (COC) is a highly recommended program model rooted in attachment research. IC3 created a COC model in 2003, which is offered at the main site. Intergenerational programming at our IC3@ Kendal site provides children with an opportunity to interact with the elderly population in a way that benefits both young and old alike.
Quality Program
IC3 became the first child care center in the county to become NAEYC accredited and has been accredited for 20+ years. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation is the gold standard for early childhood programs nationwide. Quality Stars NY is New York State’s quality rating and improvement system for childcare. IC3 became a Quality Stars program in 2024 and has a 4-star rating.
Our Programs
We offer care for children between 8 weeks and 12 years old and are committed to providing families with the highest standard of child-inspired, professionally nurtured care and educational opportunities.
Our infant program cares for children aged 8 weeks to 18 months. Our goal is to nurture and care for your baby while developing a trusting relationship with him/her and the family.
Our toddler program cares for children aged 18 months to 3 years. Toddlers learn with their whole bodies; touching, tasting, seeing, and hearing are all part of the learning process.
Our Pre-K program cares for children aged 3 – 5. The children are focused on forming relationships and exploring the workings of their environment.
Children enrolled in kindergarten through fifth grade are cared for in our School Age Program. IC3 School Age Program is an ideal transition from school to home.
Our Summer Camp Program is for children entering Kindergarten through Fifth grade. We provide a lively learning environment where children can play, create, and explore.
Meet Our Center
Administrative Team
United Way
of Tompkins County
FUNDED PARTNER
Ithaca Community Childcare Center is located in the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫˀ (Cayuga Nation). We acknowledge their painful history of dispossession and commit to supporting their continuous connection to the land.
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