New Jersey school teaching young students that kindness is always in season

On days when temperatures are bitter cold, there's a place in South Jersey where kindness is always in season.

At the Child Family Center in Millville, the moment you walk through the doors, the chill disappears — replaced by warmth, laughter, and a lesson that goes far beyond ABCs and 123s.

Inside the teachers' lounge, a hot chocolate bar is set up, part of a monthly tradition designed to pour kindness into the people who pour so much into their students.

"It's been so cold — this is definitely a happy surprise," one teacher shared.

For longtime educators Robin Dick and Cindy Ciocco, each with more than 20 years in education, the goal is simple: lead with kindness and let it trickle down.

"Every year, teaching gets harder and harder," Dick said. "But if teachers are showing kindness, it trickles all the way down to the children."

That philosophy led them to spearhead the school's Kindness Committee, a major reason the preschool was recently recognized as a National School of Character.

A walk through the building tells the story. Hallways are named Caring Street and Fairness Boulevard, while children chant reminders like, "We use kind words."

And kindness doesn't stop at the classroom door.

Students spend time with elderly neighbors next door, organize coat drives during the holidays, and make a point to recognize custodians, nurses, and staff members who help keep the school running.

"You have to form committees and do things within the community," Ciocco said.

The school's mascot is a cub — and here, cubs roar with kindness.

Five-year-old Myla proudly showed off her kindness calendar, complete with checkmarks for daily good deeds.

"Clean up after yourself," she read aloud. "I do that all the time," she added, "at my house."

Another standout student, Riley, was recently named Cub of the Month for showing citizenship.

"You follow the rules and you help your friends follow the rules," Riley explained.

At the Child Family Center, kindness comes first, with reminders around every corner that being respectful, open, and kind matters just as much as learning the alphabet.

As the children sing it best themselves: "Respectful, open and kind."

The Child Family Center proving you're never too young to be kind.