IC3 was founded in 1976 and has gone through many stages of growth and development over the years. We began as a small parent collective to go on to become a solidly established nonprofit organization offering child care to over 250 children ages 8 weeks-10 years old at three sites: IC3 Main Campus, IC3 at Kendal, and IC3 School Age Program.
Throughout the years, IC3 has remained committed to providing quality child care, repeatedly receiving state and national recognition for their high quality and innovative programming. Over 20 years ago, we became the first child care center in the county to become nationally accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), an indication of high standards of quality. Not only are we committed to high quality child care, but we are also committed to the community that we serve, participating in community outreach initiatives throughout the year.
In 1998 IC3 stayed on the forefront of the early childhood education field by opening an infant and toddler program with an intergenerational program at Kendal at Ithaca. More recently, recognizing the importance of secure attachments, bonding, and building trust with infants and toddlers, we established our continuity of care program in 2003 in which infants stay with the same teachers from the time they enroll until they are three years old. In 2014 IC3's continuity of care program was selected as a model for a New York State training for child care providers as part of the New York State Campaign for Continuity initiative. We continue to meet with child care providers in the region to discuss how they might implement continuity of care at their organizations and have presented nationally on the topic multiple times.
IC3 has also made great strides in staff development and retention. Currently 64% of IC3 teachers have been with IC3 for 10 years or more; some for over 20 years! Our committed staff continue to present at panels and conferences locally, state-wide, and nationally on a variety of early childhood education topics.
We are proud of our child development expertise, our commitment to innovative programming, and our leadership in the early childhood education field. Visit our FAQs and prospective families page for more information about our programs and enrollment or contact us to schedule a tour.
We provide a safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate program which fosters: active learning, support for the whole child, & a child-centered environment. We are a diverse community of children, families, and staff. We are committed to treating each individual in our community with respect and we strive to include and celebrate, in all that we do, each individual's rich character and culture.
is to be nationally recognized as an outstanding child care center.
For more information about IC3, you may visit our Programs section of this site, review our Policies and Procedures section, or contact us.