A Letter From The Director
Raechel O'Neal-Coats
Dear Prospective Family,
Thank you for your interest in Friends Child Care Center.
Founded in 1978 by Quaker organizations within Friends Center, FCCC is rooted in the values of peace, equality, and community. These principles shape our nurturing, inclusive environment and guide how we care for and educate young children.
I first joined FCCC in 1990 as a pre-service teacher, and my journey in early childhood education has only deepened my belief in the power of high-quality early learning. After returning to FCCC with expanded experience, I was proud to have all three of my daughters benefit from the intellectual and social foundation provided here. The alignment of Quaker values with our family’s approach to parenting made our experience even more meaningful.
Our dedicated staff—many of whom have been with us for over a decade—bring creativity, expertise, and care to every classroom. We support them with strong benefits, opportunities for professional growth, and a positive work environment.
Family involvement is an essential part of our community. From potlucks and celebrations to volunteer opportunities, we value and welcome your partnership.
We hope your experience at FCCC is as rewarding as it has been for so many families—mine included.
Warm regards,
Raechel O’Neal Coats
Director, Friends Child Care Center
Our Mission & Vision
FCCC provides an enriching environment of love, security and community for children between the ages of 3 months and Kindergarten. Through age-appropriate experiences, our children learn respect for others, self-confidence and social skills.
They develop curiosity about the world and learn to appreciate people who are different from them. The children grow emotionally, physically, socially and cognitively. They build a foundation of competence and confidence that prepares them for everyday situations and, ultimately, for school.
Our Mission states:
Friends Child Care Center is guided by the Quaker belief that there is that of God in every person. This belief inspires and informs everyday life at the Center while it affirms the individual value of each child, teacher and parent. The approach to learning is broad but simple: children learn to get along with other people as they experience the rewards of learning what they want to know.
Friends Child Care Center provides quality child care for young children whose parents are Friends Center employees or live/work in the Philadelphia area. We strive to reflect the cultural and economic diversity of our urban community. We encourage young children in their ability to be caring, curious, responsible beings.
We wholeheartedly embrace this mission for our institution, and we affirm our responsibility as a Board to provide leadership and governance so that Friends Child Care Center can continue to thrive, while remaining responsive to the dynamic external environment and living faithfully by our mission.
We share a vision of FCCC offering:
-
a positive, trustworthy and secure environment at Friends Center;
-
an emphasis on child centered care and learning, with developmentally appropriate educational goals;
-
an affirmative work environment for teachers;
Our Philosophy
The program at Friends Child Care Center is based on active learning: developmentally appropriate activities that facilitate and enhance social, emotional cognitive and large and small muscle development, by age and individual readiness in an environment that provides loving support and intellectual stimulation.
The primary emphasis is on social development and learning through active play. Friends Child Care Center supports parenting by enabling children to grow and learn in a safe, stimulating, loving environment.
In particular:
-
We are committed to teaching non violence, seeking peaceful resolution of all conflict and to respecting every person as an entitlement of life.
-
We believe in love, laughter and learning.
-
We believe in providing a rich curriculum that gives children choices and is based upon their interests.
-
We believe that every child should feel loved, capable and special.
-
We believe that every child has unique learning needs and it is our job to meet those needs.
-
We believe that the parents of children enrolled in our program are our partners.
-
We believe that our program should be a safe, inviting place for children.
-
We believe that every child should feel proud of his/her religious, racial and cultural heritage.
-
We believe that every child should learn to respect diversity and to honor differences.
-
We believe that if every child feels loved and capable, she/he will become a well-rounded, capable adult.
