About Us

Como Community Child Care (CCCC) is a non-profit childcare center founded in 1975 by University of Minnesota students from Como Student Community Cooperative, a student family housing complex near the University. CCCC is licensed to offer childcare services for children ages 16 months to 6 years. It was founded to provide childcare services to the University of Minnesota community. To this day, CCCC primarily serves University families, but also offers services to the surrounding community.

Como Community Child Care is dedicated to serving a very diverse clientele. Due to our location and relationship with the University of Minnesota as a student group, the majority of our children’s parents are students. Within our student/parent population, you will find a wide range of family needs, income levels, religious and ethnic backgrounds, and lifestyle choices. We warmly welcome such diversity, and believe that it is crucial to the quality of childcare experienced by all families in the center.

The center facilities are composed of three classrooms. Our first classroom, Room A, is for toddlers (16 months to 33 months), our second classroom, Room B, is for younger preschool age children (33 months to 4 years) and our third classroom, Room C, is for older preschool age children (4 to 5 years). The center also includes an office, a “muscle room”(used to develop large motor skills), a kitchen, a pantry and a fenced-in playground.

The mission of CCCC is to provide affordable, high-quality childcare services to meet the needs of University of Minnesota student families. CCCC provides a safe, stimulating environment where children are challenged with a creative curriculum that encourages individuality in a positive atmosphere. Our differentiated learning approach allows children to learn in their own way and at their own pace. The extensive daily routine includes fine motor skills, gross motor and movement activities, early math concepts, early literacy and language development, creative art activities, dramatic play and practical life activities, musical expression and sensory exploration. We provide a balance between child initiated and teacher directed activities as well as active and quiet activities.

At CCCC, we work hard to help children develop a positive attitude toward themselves and others. We believe that children who gain a sense of security, self-worth, and personal accomplishment when they are young are much more likely to be successful learners throughout their lives. This is accomplished through self-reliance, self-discipline and a positive self-concept. Self-reliance is achieved by allowing children to do as many things for themselves as they are capable of, keeping in mind that with new skills comes additional responsibilities. Children learn self-discipline through understanding, commitment, and reinforcement. Self-disciplined children are able to direct their efforts towards fulfillment of their goals. A positive self-concept develops in children who can fulfill their goals, accomplish tasks on their own, and cooperate with others and in turn, receive positive feelings from others.