IC3 and IC3 at Kendal are open from 7:30 am to 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday. IC3 After School is in operation from 2:00 pm -5:30 pm and on full days our program is open from 7:30 am – 5:30 pm.

The children in our care are eight weeks to five years old in our childcare program. Children in our School Age Program are in Kindergarten through fifth grade.

We believe in child centered active learning, which means that children learn by doing. Children learn best by engaging and interacting with people, their environment, and objects around them. Teachers design an environment and plan experiences that allow hands-on learning for children in a range of developmental areas, social, emotional, cognitive and physical. We provide opportunities for children to work with a variety of materials and people, to make choices and to have some control over their choices and activities. Visit our Philosophy & Curriculum page for more information.

IC3 is licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).As part of our commitment to quality we are accredited by National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is a QUALITYstarsNY (all labeling of QUALITYstarsNY has to be labeled exactly that way) participant.

A testament to this commitment can be seen through our recent awards “Best of Ithaca” award for childcare, presented by the Ithaca Journal and the Ithaca Times and “Not-For-Profit of the Year” presented by Tompkins Chamber.

Our Full Day Programs are staffed with two teachers and one part-time teacher’s assistant per classroom. Our Half Day Pro- grams have one teacher and one teacher’s assistant per classroom. In all age groups, we choose to follow a smaller group size than the maximum allowed by the NYS OCFS. Our infant classroom teacher to child ratios range from 1:3 to 1:4, lower ratios allow us to better meet the needs of our youngest children and offer a higher quality program. Our toddler classroom teacher to child ratio is 1:5. Our Pre-k classroom teacher to child ratio ranges from 1:6 to 1:8. The After School and Summer Camp programs counselor to child ratio is 1:10

IC3 is fortunate to have low teacher turnover. The average number of years a teacher has been working at IC3 is 16 years and 71% of teachers have been working at IC3 for 10 or more years! Visit our Committed Staff page for more details on teacher turnover.

IC3 has a full-time cook on staff who prepares three meals each day: a morning snack at 9:00 am, lunch 11:30 am-noon, and an afternoon snack at 3:00 pm. The class will dine family-style, taking advantage of the many learning opportunities associated with sharing and good manners. If your child has allergies or dietary restrictions (for instance, if your child may not eat meat or cheese), we can provide substitute foods or you may bring foods to supplement what the Center provides.

We charge a flat rate for two, three or five days per week enrollment. Scholarships are available on a need basis. If applying for a scholarship, please fill out the Scholarship Application and submit the required financial documents. All applications will be considered, however working families will have priority when awarding scholarships.

Once offered a space you will work with our Enrollment and Marketing Manager on the enrollment process. This includes: a tour of the program, securing the space with a registration fee and deposit, completing required paperwork and setting the start date.

If our program is full or you would like to start at a future date you are welcome to join our wait list. When a space comes available you will be contacted. It’s never to early to get on our waiting list!

At the time of enrollment the Enrollment and Marketing Manager will work with you to develop a transition plan for your child. This includes: visits to the classroom, what to bring on your child’s first day and sharing information about your child and family.

During the child’s transition into the program you are welcome to relax in our comfortable lobby.

• Many children do not speak or understand English when they come to IC3. It is fine for your child to speak his or her native language, since children will acquire English simply by living in this country and by spending time in our classrooms, where language skills are emphasized for all children. The teachers are experienced and will work with your child to communicate and to learn English words. We encourage you to give teachers a list of important words in your language (for instance, yes, no, happy, sad, enjoy, toilet, mother and father) so that they can use these words to communicate basic ideas to your child.

Tuition statements will be sent to you electronically via e-mail each month. If you prefer a paper statement one can be provided upon request. Tuition is due, in full, by the 1st of each month and may be paid at the front desk by check or credit card (MasterCard or VISA).