Early Childhood Kindergarten Elementary
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What We’re All About We Respect Childhood Why We Play Kindergarten Is Special Academic Program A Balanced Education Beyond The Classroom Beyond The School Day Family At The Center Our Alumni Are Special We’re Excited To Meet You
What We’re All Our Mission
The Center for Early Education, a socio-economically and culturally diverse independent school for children, toddlers through grade six, strives to graduate students who are joyful, resilient, life-long learners. The Center embraces a philosophy of education that combines a nurturing, inclusive learning environment with an increasingly challenging academic program that addresses the developmental needs of each child.
Our History
The Center for Early Education began as a play group for children in a single-family home in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles in 1939, founded by psychoanalysts who had recently immigrated from Europe. The Center was created as a place that respected the inner world of the child and the program was based on principles of child development. At a time when preschool education was in its infancy, CEE’s founders pioneered a school dedicated to the needs of young children. The Center moved to its West Hollywood location in 1946. It was not only a thriving nursery school, but for 44 years until 1991, it also included The College for Developmental Studies, a teaching college that trained generations of early childhood educators. In 1971, The Center for Early Education expanded to an elementary program. Today, more than 80 years after its founding, The Center has grown to a thriving Toddler-6th grade program of 540 children that still holds true to its founding values.
About Our Core Values Inclusion
Honesty Responsibility Caring
Children of all ages thrive when challenged to stretch and grow, and we understand that this challenge is very different at different ages and developmental stages.
We Respect Childhood We’re Always Learning
The Center’s teachers understand and appreciate the cognitive, intellectual, physical, and socialemotional development of the children they teach. Our teachers continually read, discuss, and participate in workshops and classes that extend their professional development, impacting them professionally and benefiting their students and colleagues. Classrooms and outdoor spaces are based on research and best practices. They are designed and arranged to be learning environments JUST RIGHT for the children using them—comfortable, warm, and always providing opportunities for growth and challenge.
A Developmental Program Looks Different at All Ages
Respecting child development means that we honor where each child is today and expect great things of them as they grow and learn. We know that children are capable, kind, and exceedingly curious. Children of all ages thrive when challenged to stretch and grow, and we understand that this challenge is very different at different ages and developmental stages. Our Toddlers are learning autonomy, early social skills, language, and trust as they become a part of a warm classroom community. Their physical and cognitive abilities grow rapidly in a short period of time, so our teachers arrange the classroom and daily schedule to nurture children and expand their skills. By sixth grade, children are developing independence in a whole new way, built on the foundation of all of their previous development. Eleven and 12-year-olds are making a leap as their thinking moves from more concrete to more abstract, a continuity of the developmental trajectory to more complex thinking. This abstract thinking opens up doors socially and academically. Students become much more nuanced in their understanding of friendship and their individual place in—and responsibility to—their local and world community. They are also ready to dive into higher level thinking in their literary analysis, writing, and math. Our elementary program scaffolds skills aligned with developmental readiness so that our 6th graders transition from our 5th grade elementary model to a middle school schedule in their 6th grade year at The Center with distinct subjects and teachers for each class. Our graduates are ready for secondary school expectations for coursework and homework.
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Why We Play It’s How Young Children Learn Best
We want our children to have every opportunity in life, so we set them up with the very best foundation.
Research and experience show us that when play is introduced, guided, and extended by expert teachers, play becomes the most effective (and joyful!) way for young children to learn and practice:
• Problem-solving • Making choices and decisions • Planning and executive functioning skills • Social relationships and friendships • Spatial development • Gross motor development • Fine motor and muscle development • Number sense and math foundations • Language development • Early Literacy skills • Self-regulation • Appropriate advocacy for self and others • Community-mindedness • Empathy • Hypothesizing and testing • Intrinsic motivation and love of learning
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We want our children to have every opportunity in life, so we set them up with the very best foundation.
Kindergarten is Special Kindergarten at The Center is where Early Childhood and Elementary Meet
We make space for what 5- and 6-year-olds need to do their very best thinking, learning, and living. In Kindergarten, we introduce an academic program that sets the stage for the challenging curriculum and high expectations in the coming elementary years.
Our Class Community Expands
Each year, children from our Early Childhood 2 classes matriculate to our Kindergarten program, eager to be joined by newly enrolled children (who make up about one third of the Kindergarten class). Because the children who join The Center new in Kindergarten are great matches for our program, academically, socially, and in their interests, and because our Center community is so welcoming, newly enrolled children and their families quickly become an irreplaceable part of their class and The Center. At The Center, children form the bonds that will become deeper and more meaningful each day of their next seven years together.
Our Kindergarten Day is Intentionally Designed Our daily and weekly schedules for Kindergarten are designed to teach, practice, and extend:
• Independence and collaboration • Choice and decision-making • Self-regulation • Phonics, early literacy, and reading readiness • Math and number sense • Art and Music • Technology skills and application • Social Studies • Self-advocacy and social justice • Physical fitness and growth • How to be a Friend • Mindfulness • Classroom expectations
Our Kindergartners Learn, Move, and Play
As the first year of our elementary program, we recognize that Kindergarten children learn best when they have time each day to make choices for themselves and direct their own play. The cognitive, social, and emotional benefits of play alongside an academic program are clear, so our Kindergartners start each day with a play period before beginning their academic day. We know that children (and adults!) benefit physically, cognitively, and socially from physical education and activity. In addition to their academic program and full specialist curriculum, our Kindergarten students have daily PE classes as we prioritize their collaborative skills, motor development, and well-being!
Team Teaching
At the heart of CEE’s educational program is the team teaching model. This approach allows for more interaction between teachers and students, as it makes for a smaller student-to-teacher ratio and a more intimate learning environment. The team teaching model also allows for the two master co-teachers (along with a third teacher in Toddler through Kindergarten) to communicate about each child’s progress, giving two informed points of view from two different professionals about each and every child. This is a strong benefit for students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Students observe two adults modeling a collaborative working relationship while providing multiple adult connections for each child.
Class Sizes
2 classes per grade Toddler-5th grade. 3 class sections in 6th grade. • Toddler: 17 children & 3 teachers • Early Childhood: 22 children & 3 teachers • Kindergarten: 30 children & 3 teachers (2 master teachers & 1 teaching assistant) • 1st-5th grades: 30 children & 2 teachers • 6th grade: 20 children/section • Children attend their specialist classes in groups of 15 children. Our class size of 30 at Elementary is intentional and allows students to have many opportunities to collaborate and partner with their classmates in many different ways. We believe diversity of thought is an incredibly important component of a child’s education. Having a range of peers for students to connect with throughout the school day is a key goal for both academic and social emotional learning. In an effort to prepare our 6th graders for middle school, we have departmentalized the 6th grade program with teachers specializing in the core academic subjects of Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Science. Our Learning Specialists and our Elementary Math Specialist also support small group work, providing even more expertise and differentiation for students. The Center for Early Education | Page 11
Academic Program Core Subjects Language Arts
At The Center, elementary classrooms incorporate literacy, writing, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary in their Language Arts program. We teach students the processes of learning to read, then reading to learn, in developmentally appropriate ways, growing students who are self-motivated to read and write for both pleasure and understanding. Reading and Language We lay the foundation for literacy in our Early Childhood program by exposing children to a wide variety of both fiction and nonfiction texts. A great deal of storytelling takes place in classrooms, which helps our youngest learners create a sense of wonder about the world around them, helps them make connections to their own lives, and further develops their language skills through purposeful conversations. Developing language helps children expand their vocabulary, have a better understanding of the letters-sound relationship, and lays the groundwork for skills needed for reading readiness. Our Lower Elementary classrooms use a balanced literacy approach to help identify the reading needs of each and every student rather than taking the “one book fits all” approach. Teachers assess students’ reading levels throughout the school year in order to find each student’s specific instructional reading level. Knowing each student’s reading level helps teachers differentiate reading instruction for all students. Upper Elementary classrooms help develop students’ ability to think critically and make insightful interpretations of literature and nonfiction texts. Students are taught to demonstrate their understanding of various texts in a multitude of ways, such as through different genres of writing, group discussions, and project-based assignments. Writing For Kindergarten through 4th grade writing, we use the Writer’s Workshop model, which is a student-centered framework for teaching writing that is based on the idea that students learn to write best when they write frequently, for extended periods of time, on topics of their own choosing. As students matriculate into Upper Elementary, there is a greater focus on expository writing. We explicitly teach students how to craft clear and complete sentences, build coherent and organized paragraphs, and assemble logical and cohesive essays that are grounded in relevant evidence from complex texts. These writing strategies are embedded in curriculum across all content areas, such as Social Studies, Science, public speaking, and even Mathematics!
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A great deal of storytelling takes place in classrooms, which helps our youngest learners create a sense of wonder about the world around them.
We use a Singapore Math approach, which enhances the learning experience for students.
Mathematics
Students begin their math learning through concrete experiences. They manipulate physical objects when counting, sorting, and graphing before being exposed to pictorial representations and mathematical symbols. As their math skills mature, they focus on developing number sense and place value understanding, as well as critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. By the end of their Center experience, students attain a foundational knowledge of numeracy, geometry, operations, and algebraic skills. We use a Singapore Math approach, which enhances the learning experience for students. This approach is developed so that students deeply understand concepts and have many opportunities to engage with them in meaningful ways. In an effort to support teachers, students, and parents with mathematical best practices, The Center has a full-time math specialist who oversees all aspects of the math curriculum.
Social Studies & Social Justice
The Center’s interdisciplinary approach to Social Studies integrates Language Arts, sociology, geography, Science, Math, and Technology into thematic investigations. Students participate in hands-on, experiential, and research-oriented activities. Grade levels study a variety of themes including family, self, community, environment, ancient and modern history and culture (local, state, national, and global), social movements, racial literacy, and belief systems. A common foundational thread of every classroom’s social studies curriculum is a focus on identity. We encourage students to learn about the world around them through the concept of “mirrors” (seeing one’s own identities reflected in the classroom and community) and “windows” (the opportunity to better understand and connect with others). Intentionally carving out time for this type of self-reflection is an essential piece to helping students understand and analyze the power of voice and action. This is a critical component to our social justice curriculum where students learn about voices of people who have felt “othered,” or been discriminated against. Classroom teachers masterfully facilitate conversations about ways students can be agents of communal, social, political, and environmental change. The goal is to help students learn in developmentally appropriate ways how to engage with and be positive forces of change within systems that produce and advance inequities.
Specialist Classes
The specialist programs at CEE are at the core of students’ well-rounded learning experience, building a multifaceted knowledge base for the future, and meeting the needs of diverse learning styles and student interests in the present.
Art
Our Art program is designed to support children’s creative thinking, visual awareness, and artistic expression by presenting students with a range of visual problems to solve through a variety of inspirational and motivational media. In addition to studio art classes, students present their work each year in our Spring Art Fair. The Center for Early Education | Page 15
In Early Childhood, children engage with materials in an open-ended process-focused approach, and learn about a diverse group of artists and their lives. As children move through the elementary program, they are taught a variety of techniques, skills, and mediums such as printmaking, painting, sculpture, watercolor, drawing, and mixed media. By Upper Elementary, children have developed a confident and independent artistic voice and are able to make connections with, and draw inspiration from, many forms of art, artists, galleries, and museums. They understand art as an expressive, relevant, and visual language of history, culture, politics, thought, and emotion.
Library & Information Studies
Our school library offers over 20,000 print and digital resources that support school curricula, children’s literary interests, and the informational needs of The Center community. The Library includes an extensive parent education and teacher resource collection. The library teachers collaborate with classrooms on projects and research. All CEE students have regularly scheduled library classes. Early Childhood library classes center around read-alouds of age appropriate picture books, group discussion, and literacy extensions. Classes are intentionally designed to teach pre-literacy skills including letter recognition, letter sounds, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, and narrative skills. Kindergarten and 1st grade classes also center on read-alouds but of more complex texts, illustrations, and narrative structure. Author and illustrator studies, world folklore, and works that show the diversity of human experience are emphasized. We support each student’s growing sense of their own “taste” as an independent reader so that they learn to find books to love. Children also learn about library organization systems and how to check out a book. Elementary students explore and discuss various literary themes and genres, and specific focus is placed on children sharing books they’ve enjoyed with their peers. During additional Information Studies visits, students learn increasingly complex methods of finding, organizing, and evaluating information. In these classes, students learn to become wise information consumers, develop an awareness of how information can be arranged, stored, and accessed, and hone their skills in developing appropriate search strategies.
Music & Performing Arts
Music at The Center is based on the Orff Schulwerk method, which incorporates singing, movement, improvisation, instruments, and imagination to develop the musicianship within each child. The performing arts specialist teacher collaborates with classroom teachers and other specialists to develop integrated, interdisciplinary, and creative dramatic experiences in which students hone public speaking and communication skills. Early Childhood students begin music by exploring pitch, beat, rhythm, and movement through songs, chants, unpitched instruments, body percussion, games, and recorded music. Elementary students develop singing skills, apply rhythm, and build a repertoire of multicultural songs with increasingly complex structure. As students move into Upper Elementary, they learn the soprano recorder and ukulele, explore instrumental and chord progressions within blues and jazz, perform instrumental pieces with
poly-rhythms, and study musical genres throughout history. Upper Elementary students explore creating performance pieces combining literature and music, collaboratively creating compositions. Throughout Elementary, students learn increasingly complex musical pieces and increase instrumental and vocal competency, as age and development allow. Second and 3rd grade students may participate in Jr. Choir and 4th through 6th grade students may participate in Choir or A Cappella Choir. All students participate in musical performances throughout the year.
Physical Education
We are devoted to providing an opportunity for all students to have a safe and enjoyable learning experience in an inclusive environment where students can grow as players, teammates, athletes, and leaders. The Physical Education program fosters the physical development of every student. The curriculum includes a range of activities, games, dance, fitness, and sports that challenge children to push themselves physically, develop positive attitudes toward participation, and internalize the “fit for life” philosophy. Early Childhood movement philosophy focuses on activities in and out of the classroom that support hand-eye coordination, body awareness, movement with energy and enthusiasm, balance coordination and much more. In Early Elementary PE, students build on gross and fine motor skills, further develop spatial awareness, and engage in activities that involve locomotive and rhythmic challenges as well as movement and cooperation. Students also participate in game play, which provides opportunities to develop sportsmanship and competitive learning concepts. Lead-up games and sports skills are also an important part of the curriculum. Our Upper Elementary students engage in a formal fitness program, learning the fundamental components of fitness, participating in a fall and spring fitness challenge, and setting goals to increase their personal fitness levels. Students build skills in units such as large group games, yoga, hockey, volleyball, badminton, soccer, flag football, and basketball. Students throughout Elementary also learn dance. CEE’s Olympics is an annual event that gives students the opportunity to engage in athletic competition both as individuals and as members of a team. This event looks to the international Olympics for inspiration, as teachers pick one country for their class to represent and they then teach their students about that country’s history, people, culture, and geography. All students learn dances from around the world and then work cooperatively to perform a specific world dance as a grade level at our Opening Ceremonies, thus celebrating dance as a form of art, athletics, and world language. Students focus heavily on teamwork, sportsmanship, and personal growth throughout the training for their events. The Center for Early Education | Page 17
Science & Human Development The Center encourages students’ natural curiosity about scientific phenomena through a hands-on and explorative approach, utilizing the latest technological tools. Our science program emphasizes observation, prediction, data collection, and analysis. Students learn to communicate and analyze findings in developmentally appropriate ways. Early Childhood science units occur in the classroom and outdoor gardens, focusing on physical characteristics and basic needs of living things as well as the outdoor environment and consistency of various objects. During the elementary years, the science program is lab-based. It offers balanced exposure to life science, physical science, and earth science while connecting theory to real-world applications. Our Science teachers collaborate with classroom teachers and the school counselor to deliver human development curriculum that addresses scientific concepts, social-emotional learning, and identity work. Our human development curriculum has an extensive parent education component as well.
Technology & Digital Citizenship
The school has an Innovation Center, which is an ever-evolving, state-of-the-art learning space that provides opportunities for students to develop critical thinking and creativity in a collaborative environment. Whether students use this space to partake in a design challenge or to enhance an area of study in the academic core curriculum, the Innovation Center serves as an extension of the classroom. Our Director of Innovation and Technology/Innovation Specialist teacher collaborate to integrate innovation into the curriculum across all grade levels, with clear learning goals for each grade. Our vision is to instill in students, faculty, and staff the skills and motivation to thrive in the technology-rich environment in which we live. We are committed to the seamless integration of the best learning and productivity tools into our programs and our school culture. We use technology resources for analyzing, synthesizing, creating, and communicating information. Early Childhood classrooms focus on physical experiences, and begin to explore data programming, sequencing, and estimation with programmable robots and use other technologies with a focus on problem-solving and playing. Elementary students build on these tech skills as they explore coding, robotics, and digital fabrication through various tools and applications. Through our Upper Elementary program, children apply foundational skills to academic learning, create media-savvy content within core curricular areas, experiment with leading-edge technology, and practice age-appropriate digital citizenship.
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Our vision is to instill in students, faculty, and staff the skills and motivation to thrive in the technologyrich environment in which we live.
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Joyfu
ul Education
CEE's mission rests firmly on the belief that happy and emotionally resilient children make the best students who will lead the most joyful and purposeful lives.
A Balanced Education Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We believe schools should be spaces where students explore the unfamiliar, but also see their own lived experiences reflected, validated, and valued. Our strong belief is that children do not have a complete education until they are immersed in communities which represent a variety of ideas, cultures, and social groups. Our community is intentionally diverse, and the makeup of our student body is purposeful. Over 50% of our students and over 40% of our faculty and staff are People of Color. 7% of our students have same-sex parents. 22% of our students’ families receive financial aid. We value our diversity of family make-up, including adoptive families, single-parent families, LGBTQ+ families, multigenerational households, and so much more. We know how important it is for children and families to see themselves reflected within a school and we continually work towards that goal. Diversity isn’t just about enrollment though. Students must experience a diverse and inclusive program throughout their schooling. We design curricula for students to study the diverse world beyond our school walls. Through a culturally responsive curriculum and faculty who actively learn, live, and teach diverse perspectives, we strive to provide opportunities for all students to have access to a rich multicultural curriculum, develop bias awareness, explore social justice and global issues, and analyze issues related to race, culture, language, adoptive families, socio-economic class, LGBTQ+ families, gender, ability, and religion.
Character Development & Social-Emotional Learning
CEE’s mission rests firmly on the belief that happy and emotionally resilient children make the best students who will lead the most joyful and purposeful lives. We know that successful learning cannot take place unless a child feels safe, loved, and has a strong sense of self, so social-emotional learning (SEL) is woven into our school’s fabric, and it is something that is continually integrated into daily life at our school. We utilize several different approaches that foster positive social-emotional growth for students of all ages. R.U.L.E.R., an acronym for the five core skills of emotional intelligence (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating) is the evidencebased approach to social and emotional learning developed at Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence. Additionally, we use the Responsive Classroom model
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to help students develop their academic, social, and emotional skills in a learning environment that is developmentally responsive to their strengths and needs. These two elements of our SEL program commingle beautifully and are essential components to build a healthy school climate and culture of care for all students.
Innovation and Design
The Center is a national leader for schools in innovation and design. We believe that our program and facilities should give students and educators the tools and the space they need to grow and learn in a way that equips them with the skills to thrive in our future world. We build capacity for creative problem-solving, experimentation, and opportunities to fail and reassess as they continue in their journeys as life-long learners. Our classrooms and buildings are designed to be flexible, comfortable, and support collaborative learning. Classrooms and our many break-out spaces include Smart Boards, flexible furniture, and many teaching walls so that there is not a singular “front” of the classroom.
Professional Development
CEE’s educational program is supported by the extensive professional development available to faculty and staff. In order to help keep our teachers on the leading edge of educational best practices, we provide all faculty and staff the opportunity to attend local, national, and international professional development experiences. A large benefit of professional development is that teachers return and share their learning at faculty meetings. Additionally, as a way for teachers to develop their own leadership skills, they are strongly encouraged to present at local and national conferences. CEE also regularly hosts highly distinguished and sought-after speakers to educate our faculty and staff on a variety of topics. We have a long-standing culture of professional growth and collaboration that is at the heart of supporting our educational program. The school’s long-standing commitment to development of educational leadership originated when the school was founded. CEE’s Leadership Fellows program is an integral part of the school’s faculty culture and provides opportunities for faculty and staff to develop leadership skills while continuing their engagement in the classroom as teachers.
Beyond the Classroom Community Service and Service Learning
Service Learning and Community Service are embedded into curricular studies as a way to help students internalize and practice CEE’s core values. Students learn about a variety of social issues, including homelessness, hunger, and environmental conservation through literature, research, and interactions with local and national organizations. They are empowered to publicize their causes and to contribute in a variety of meaningful ways. We view Service Learning and Community Service as two different approaches to support the caring and concern young people have for their world. Service Learning is a method of teaching that connects classroom lessons and skills with meaningful service to the community. Curriculum is always at the core of Service Learning. Community Service, on the other hand, can be performed at any time, for any reason, and is not necessarily tied to curriculum. With the support of our Community Service parent volunteers, CEE collaborates with the school community to support various causes by organizing food, book, and clothing drives. In addition to this, CEE has created a Whole School “Day of Service” where students have the opportunity to experience both hands-on volunteerism and the joy of serving their community through organizations in the Los Angeles area. In our first year of the Day of Service, we organized over fifteen field trips in one single day and came back together afterwards as a community to reflect on the day’s experience. Even in its first year, CEE’s Day of Service certainly brought our core values to life!
CEE Families
“CEE Families” are small groups, made up of children from each grade Kindergarten-6th grade. CEE Families meet every six weeks to participate in community-building activities and projects. This co-curricular program focuses on promoting a nurturing, inclusive learning environment. By working together to bring to life community-building projects, students learn to function as a unit that requires teamwork, leadership, and a range of other social and emotional tools necessary for bonding. CEE’s core values are embedded in all aspects of these meetings, and current 6th grade students plan and lead many of the sessions. Each year, the CEE Families also move out into the community beyond the school, engaging in community service at various local organizations.
Field Trips
Field trips begin in Early Childhood 2 as children explore their local community, museums, gardens, fire stations, and more! As children move through the Elementary program, they continue to participate in occasional field trips that focus on the arts, sciences, and service learning. Our Upper Elementary students participate in overnight field trips connected to the science curriculum, social studies, and social-emotional learning.
Recess and Lunch
Our children have several recess periods each day. In Early Childhood, our day is based on choice and much of that choice happens outdoors! In Kindergarten and Elementary, students have regular recess periods. We know that they need to move their bodies, practice cooperative games and social negotiation, and enjoy fresh air! Based on research of what’s healthiest and developmentally appropriate for children, we use a “Play First, then Eat” approach to elementary lunchtime. Lunch is an opportunity for students to connect with each other as well as with faculty, staff, and parent volunteers. All Elementary students may order a nutritious hot lunch or bring their own lunch from home. In addition, Pizza Friday is a much beloved CEE tradition!
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Beyond the School Day Athletics
After school Athletics begins in 4th Grade in a developmental league where students are encouraged to participate and try new sports. This helps them focus on the process, not the outcome, and build self-confidence. As students reach 6th Grade, we participate in a more competitive league, which prepares them with the skills needed to partake in middle school athletics and demonstrate commitment to the team. Our purpose is to support our students by fostering communication skills, adaptability, mental toughness, and positive thinking, while striving towards a common goal through healthy competition.
Before and After School Daycare Early morning care is provided at no additional charge from 7:30-8:30 a.m.
Our After School Daycare is offered daily until 6:00 p.m. for an additional fee. Daycare staff are employees of The Center and create a homey, warm environment where children can choose between active play, arts, board games, building, and more!
Debate Team
As part of the Upper Elementary After School Program, CEE founded a Debate Team in 2012 to support and inspire students who wanted to conduct research, collaborate with others, and develop their rhetorical skills. As a part of this team, students engage in extra independent reading, writing, and verbal communication. CEE’s Debate Team competes in tournaments and wins numerous awards each year.
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Math Olympiads
In 2012 CEE founded its first Math Olympiad team to support and inspire students who showed a strong interest and aptitude in math problem-solving. The Math Olympiad team continues to be a popular extracurricular activity for students who are excited to practice their math skills. Team members meet outside of class and do homework preparation to practice different types of math problems. Since its founding, the CEE Math Olympiad Team has competed every year in local competitions and has won numerous awards.
Musical Groups
We offer several musical groups for children who are interested in additional musical opportunities. Our Junior Choir is open to all 2nd and 3rd grade students. The CEE Choir is open to all 4th-6th grade students. Both choirs rehearse twice each week before school. A Cappella Choir is our award-winning, audition-based 3rd-6th grade choir, intended for singers who are ready to sing three- and four-part harmonies. A Capella meets twice each week after school.
Musical Theater
Second through 6th grade students are invited to participate in Lullaby, our after-school musical theater program. Students work for most of the year learning lines, songs, and dance choreography for a musical play that is presented in the spring for the students and parents. This experience allows children to perform in a fun, supportive environment and to gain an appreciation for the performing arts.
Family at The Center Volunteer Philosophy and Opportunities
The Center is not only home to students, but to families too! Parents are a big part of our positive school environment and strengthen the sense of community in many ways. In fact, once families become a part of The Center community, it is an expectation that all parents volunteer in some capacity over the course of the school year. We understand that parents have different amounts of time to contribute, so the school provides a range of opportunities so that volunteering can feel great and not stressful. When possible, having parents on campus strengthens the home-school partnership and enables The Center to maintain a wonderful school community!
Parents’ Association Every parent of an enrolled Center student is a member of the CEE Parents’ Association. We believe that the active partnership between parents, children, and The Center makes our school and community even stronger!
We are proud of our 45+ different volunteer committees that are collectively supported by our parent community. Volunteer committees range in mission from greeting children at the beginning of the school day (and keeping our dropoff line moving!) to planning community events (such as our Fall Picnic, Book Fair, Spring Gala, and numerous cultural celebrations!), to helping serve hot lunch, to introducing prospective families to The Center. Because we want every parent in a family to volunteer in some capacity throughout the year, and we value the diversity of our families’ schedules, talents, and availability, we make sure that our volunteer opportunities are varied in time commitment, scope, and topic. Our Parents’ Association is dedicated to ensuring that each and every family enjoys a sense of purpose, community, and belonging at The Center.
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Parent Education
CEE offers numerous on-campus events, workshops, and resources that focus specifically on parent education. Orientation and Back-to-School nights take place at the start of the school year and are wonderful opportunities for parents to familiarize themselves with their child’s teachers, classroom, curriculum, and school routines. We also host developmental meetings for each grade where division heads provide an overview of typical developmental characteristics across three areas: physical, social-emotional, and academic. The meaningful Q&A that follows these presentations helps bring these conversations to life because it provides a platform for families to connect over different topics. Additionally, we host many parent education nights for all parents. We invite leaders in various fields of child development, parenting, diversity and identity, health, media, and psychology to discuss topics of interest. Past topics have included: gender and racial identity, mindfulness, establishing sleep routines, media and screen time usage, and human development, just to name a few.
Grandparents’ Council
The Center’s Grandparents’ Council is designed to keep CEE grandparents well informed about (and connected to!) the school, including providing updates on activities around campus, enhancements being made to the campus, academics, and other topics. Grandparents receive regular communication from The Center, including email updates, the Annual Report, and more. The Grandparents’ Council is active, meeting 3-4 times a year on campus with an option to join virtually, often featuring guest speakers and group discussions. Grandparents are an integral part of our community and we welcome them to volunteer on campus, read to their grandchildren’s classrooms, and more. Grandparents and Grandfriends love coming to campus each May for Grandparents’ & Grandfriends’ Day.
Giving
Every Center student’s experience is enriched by generous supporters from all corners of our community. Parents, alumni families, grandparents, friends, corporate and non-profit partners, and faculty and staff show their commitment to our mission and programs through generous donations of resources, time, and expertise, year after year. Giving, simply put, helps CEE provide the best educational experience possible for each child, now and in the future. There are many ways to support CEE. We have a robust Annual Fund Drive that supports the operating budget and an annual Gala that supports financial aid and the operating budget, in addition to capital and endowment campaigns and planned giving.
Our Alumni are Special
Center alumni are not hard to spot. They are kind, bright leaders who are prepared for, and find joy in, navigating the world.
Alumni Council
The CEE Alumni Council is made up of a diverse group of adult Center graduates who gather to collaborate in support of CEE. Whether it’s creating care packages for college freshmen, helping a Center class make sandwiches for the hungry, or participating in our annual Gala or Alumni Poker Night, there are many exciting ways to stay connected and involved with The Center. The Alumni Council meets 4-5 times a year on campus and participates in committees such as Networking, Annual Fund, Events, and the Community Service Award program.
Student Secondary School Placement Process
Great care and thought goes into guiding and supporting each child during the many transitions they make at The Center. After incredible growth and learning, the last major transition a Center student makes is preparing to leave and enter secondary school. We want the secondary school admissions and selection process to thoughtfully support a child’s experience in separating from The Center, saying goodbye, and eventually entering into a new learning environment. The Center provides expertise and resources to guide this transition. The Director of Student Placement, working in conjunction with the Head of School, leads the student outplacement process starting in the spring of the child’s 5th grade year. While the secondary school admissions process has universal requirements like application questions, interviews, grades, and standardized testing, The Center takes a highly individualized, tailored approach to working with each family within the graduating class. In the most recent admissions season, over 90% of Center families earned placement into their school of choice. For the last five years, The Center has placed all of our 6th grade students in at least one secondary school. We are proud that all families in 2019-20 demonstrating financial need were offered placement with a financial aid grant.
Secondary School Placement List
The Center Matriculation from 2015-2019 (in alphabetical order) Archer School Brentwood School Buckley School Campbell Hall Cathedral Chapel Crossroads School Flintridge Preparatory School Girls Academic Leadership Academy Harvard-Westlake School Immaculate Heart Marlborough School Milken Community Schools Oakwood School Pilgrim School Polytechnic School Wildwood School Windward School Viewpoint School
College Placement of Alumni
College matriculation of Center alumni 2015-2019 American University in Rome Amherst College Barnard College Boston University Bowdoin College Brown University California State Channel Islands Carnegie Mellon University Casper College Chapman University Colgate University Cornell University Dartmouth College Duke University Emerson College Emory University Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising George Washington University
Georgetown University Grinnell College Harvard University Indiana University Institute of Chicago Kenyon College Loyola Marymount University Massachusetts Institute of Technology McGill University Middlebury College The New School New York University Northwestern University Oberlin College Pitzer College Pratt Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Sarah Lawrence College Southern Methodist University St. John’s College Stanford University Stevenson Institute of Technology Texas Christian University Trinity College Tufts University Tulane University University of California Berkeley University of California Los Angeles University of California Riverside University of California Santa Barbara University of California Santa Cruz University of Chicago University of Colorado, Boulder University of Connecticut University of Miami University of Michigan University of Pennsylvania University of Redlands University of San Diego University of Southern California University of Texas University of Wisconsin Madison Vanderbilt University Vassar College Washington University in St. Louis Williams College Yale University
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We’re Excited to Meet You! We are so glad your family is applying to The Center for Early Education, and we cannot wait to get to know you.
Our Admissions Process
Our admissions process is meant to provide families with an introduction and clear understanding of our program, curriculum, and community. The process includes an Open House, parent interview and, for Kindergarten and Elementary, current school evaluation forms and student visits. Please visit our website for a step-by-step guide to the application process.
Financial Aid
The Center for Early Education is a community of socio-economically diverse students and families. Practices of inclusion are an essential element of our educational philosophy and culture. Socio-economic diversity enriches the lives of all families. In support of a school community that includes families with a wide range of economic experiences, our significant financial aid budget is dedicated to assisting families with the payment of tuition, fees, and extra-curricular programs at all grade levels with grants ranging from a 5-99% of tuition. Our financial aid program is solely need-based and is awarded without regard to race, color, national and ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, or religion. Financial aid awards go beyond tuition, providing inclusion awards for summer programs, after school enrichment programs, on campus tutoring, hot lunch, daycare, and parent/family events, such as the annual Gala and Book Fair. These inclusion awards allow families that receive financial aid to participate fully in the life of CEE.
Contact Us!
Please call or email us with any questions as your family continues the admissions process at The Center. We look forward to supporting your family through this process. (323) 651-0707 Katrina Lappin, Director of Admissions lappink@cee-school.org Lindsay Watson, Assistant Director of Admissions watsonl@cee-school.org
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563 North Alfred Street West Hollywood, California 90048 Telephone: (323) 651-0707 CenterForEarlyEducation.org
