Children’s Community School (CCS) was established in 1969 by a group of parents and community educators who were concerned by the challenges facing Waterbury’s inner-city children. The school began as a one-room kindergarten in the basement of the Berkeley Heights Housing Project. Adding a grade at a time, it quickly grew to include grades K through 5. In 1979, CCS was incorporated as a nonprofit and moved to its current residence in the former Sacred Heart School building at 31 Wolcott Street. In 2003, a pre-kindergarten program was added. The school’s original mission remains its guiding principle today: to educate the mind, body, and spirit of children from urban environments. The school primarily serves children from inner-city Waterbury whose families live at or below the federal poverty level. Most are single parents and represent a cross-section of the city’s ethnic makeup. As a consequence of its mission and audience, CCS is open for extended hours and has a strong focus on character development and parent involvement. We believe that focus and the following factors contribute to the school's on-time high school graduation rate for its graduates. Class sizes are limited to no more than 16 students, allowing for individualized instruction and favorable student-teacher ratios. An enormous number of volunteers dedicate THOUSANDS of hours a year tutoring and mentoring students and providing enrichment activities. The Mentoring Program supports CCS graduates through middle school. CCS is the site of the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra’s Bravo Waterbury! program, which provides intensive music instruction every afternoon from 3:00 to 6:15 pm. The Character Development program is an integral part of every grade every day and teaches CCS students respect and self-respect as well as how to make good choices. A full-time on-site chef prepares nutritious meals (breakfast and lunch) plus fruit and vegetable snacks every day. Outside food is discouraged. Most children start in pre-K and stay through 5th grade. Classmates and staff become an extended family. A six-week summer program helps prevent the “summer slide” typical of urban, underserved students and keeps our students activelyengaged and academically stimulated.
May 22, 20258:30 AM - 9:30 AM
May 23, 20258:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Jun 01, 202511:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Jun 05, 20257:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Jun 06, 20258:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Jun 12, 20255:30 PM - 7:00 PM