From the Advancement Team

Contributing to Children's Community School is the only way to achieve the mission of CCS. As a non-profit organization, our income comes from tuition and donations - that’s it! So your gift is simply necessary to make sure that we can sustain a student body that represents the wide socio-economic diversity we value while offering an excellent progressive education.

CCS is committed to dedicating at least 22% of our annual budget towards tuition assistance to make sure all our classrooms reflect the diversity we value. For over 40 years, CCS has built a reputation for not only graduating students who are well-prepared to be actively engaged citizens in our democracy, but they also come from a wide range of backgrounds, neighborhoods, and privilege. This makes a difference to every student at the school - everyone is learning to effectively collaborate with people who are different from themselves, and that is what makes Children’s Community School so special.

We also use your donations to continually update our programming, improve our physical spaces, and bring to life new facets of a CCS education. For the 2023-24 school year, your donation to the Community Fund is your one-time, all-inclusive gift to CCS, ensuring the people, places, and purpose of CCS are sustained and broadened for our students.

Please join us in this important endeavor, and reach out to me if you have any questions.

 
 

Kalea Dunkleman
Director of Advancement & Admissions
kalea@ccsteaches.org

 
 

Community Fund

2024-2025 Chairs: Sanjay Chandani, Matt Marsh, and David Straus

The Community Fund is our signature fundraising program, and it is the most effective way to contribute to our school. We raise unrestricted funds that support the ongoing expenses of our school including our exceptional teachers and staff. People are the biggest and primary expense at any school and making sure that we offer a competitive salary and benefits package is of primary importance. Other expenses include: site maintenance, supplies, emergency training, professional development, field trips, and more. Your gift to the Community Fund is 100% tax deductible, and all gifts are valued and appreciated. P

  • As at all educational institutions, tuition does not cover the full cost of a student’s education. We ask all families to participate in the Community Fund (100% is the goal!) according to their ability. In this way, tuition can remain affordable and everyone can do their part.

  • Every year, the school publishes an Annual Report to transparently report to everyone how we allocate the funds. From salaries to supplies, these donations make a big difference to the fiscal health of the school.

 

 

 

Endowment Fund

Chair: Jacinto Hernandez

In honor of Children’s Community School’s 40th Anniversary, the school embarked on an ambitious but crucial project - an endowment fund dedicated to tuition assistance. With the generosity of our constituencies, we raised over $5 million for an invested and protected fund. The school uses the interest earned each year to support our vigorous tuition assistance program. Our overall goal for this campaign is $25 million, which will sustain financial aid for the foreseeable future. A donation to the endowment recognizes that long-term sustainability of our financial aid program depends on institutionalizing the funding.

  • Not yet! In order to fully fund tuition assistance, the endowment will need to grow to $20 million, but this is how we start to get to that goal. For our small school, this is an incredible achievement.

  • Yes! Planned gifts and gifts of stock are a wonderful way to make a difference to CCS and ensure your lasting effect on the school. Just contact heather@ccsteaches.org to learn more.

  • The endowment is designed to relieve the pressure on the annual budget of the school by funding tuition assistance from another source. This will allow the school the ability to enhance other programs.

 

 

 

Volunteer

Parent Association Chairs: James Alba, Marcella Marlowe, Joey Rockenstein, & Annie Sevareid

CCS is proud of its very robust volunteer culture. As a small school, volunteers are needed to make sure that our school runs smoothly, and volunteers add a great deal of value to our students’ lives. Every year, the school hosts a Volunteer Job Fair (or Expo) to help parents find their own particular way to contribute. From distributing lunches and fundraising to making sure our disaster plans are on point, CCS welcomes volunteers and is grateful for their time and expertise.

  • No. CCS recognizes that parents have varying schedules and availability. To accommodate different families, CCS asks that all parents volunteer on at least three committees, or that they take a leadership role on a committee.

  • No. Our teachers have expertise and a specific way of teaching that requires a deep knowledge of progressive education. But, we often have parents come into the classroom to support a specific topic of study or help our students build a skill.

  • Yes! Our Spring Gala, PanDerby, and Book Fair are annual events that raise valuable funds which are utilized in the classrooms. We rely on parent volunteers and everyone's participation to make these a success. Any questions should be directed to the Director of Advancement.

 

Register your Ralphs loyalty card annually and CCS gets a percentage of your purchases.

 
 

Advancement Committee

Kostas Sgoutas, Co-Chair
Alejandra Zamorano, Co-Chair
Leah Emkin
Francesca Fartaj
Mike Lee
Matt Marsh
Sanjeev Sirpal
Wendy Wallace
Azizi Williams, Head of School
Kalea Dunkleman, Director of Advancement & Admissions

 
 

The CCS MISSION

Children’s Community School is a progressive school dedicated to teaching children to think for themselves, collaborate successfully with others, and take responsibility for their own education in a safe and loving environment. CCS embraces the principles of diversity, self-determination and participation in democracy. We foster critical thinking, compassion, and respect for each student, their community and their world.