<strong>The Children’s Center at Bowdoin College</strong> strives to provide an excellent standard of care that intentionally <em>nurtures and supports</em> all children, families and educators.

Bowdoin College Children's Center

Bowdoin College Children's Center


Bowdoin College Land Acknowledgement 

Bowdoin College is located on the ancestral homelands of the Wabanaki. Today the Wabanaki include the Abenaki, Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscot nations, who have deep and enduring relationships with Maine’s lands and waterways. We acknowledge the painful legacy of the region’s colonial history and commit to better understanding it, while also celebrating the vibrancy of Native American cultures and working to build a more inclusive community.

The Bowdoin College Children’s Center strives to provide an excellent standard of care that intentionally nurtures and supports all children, families and educators.
diversity makes our community rich

Diversity makes our community rich.

We appreciate the diversity that forms our community and celebrate a joyful, warm, and nurturing atmosphere throughout the Center with anti-bias curriculum, inclusion of all children, and responsiveness to individuality.

Nature-based play

Nature-based play makes their world accessible.

Children are also offered access to the outdoor play yards throughout the day, every day, and in all kinds of weather. This commitment to nature-based learning completes the academic preparation that research shows is substantial and nourishing for young children.

Secure Relationships

Secure relationships are the context for play.

The Children’s Center builds its practice on research that asserts attachment and presence are the basis for play and learning. The primary relationships between each child, their family, and our educators is the foundation of our care. With these close connections, the presence that we offer in their lives brings security, stability, and calm.

Cultivating and inclusive community

Cultivating an inclusive community

The Children’s Center aims to cultivate a community that feels welcoming to all. Our intentionality is focused on embracing the discomfort in learning what we do not know; and striving to listen, reflect and advocate for change as we recognize the impact of biases promoted by living in a predominantly white community. Over the past two years, the staff has worked with Britt Hawthorne, a nationally recognized early childhood education, anti-bias education facilitator who provided resources and training to support our growth in this work. The admin team worked closely with Takiema Bunche Smith and her team, President and Founder of Anasha Consulting who offers coaching to early childhood professionals to support in building a culture of anti-oppression and racial equity for children and adults.