The early childhood education gap in northern Virginia is a serious issue. Children at or near the poverty level in the area have the second lowest rate of preschool enrollment in the country. According to the Virginia Education Association, only 29 percent of the nation’s four-year-olds and five percent of three-year-olds are currently in state-funded pre-K to prepare them for kindergarten and future success.
As Northern Virginia Family Service (NVFS) celebrates 100 years of serving the local community, we’re not only looking back on the successes that have fed our longevity; we’re looking to the future to see how we can provide our services to a greater number of people in need.
One of the four key areas that drives our passion to continue forward is to address this early childhood education gap in northern Virginia and provide remedies that will help local families.
The other three pillars of our mission include Mental Health Crisis, Housing Cost Burden, and Uneven Opportunities Landscape. However, for the purpose of this post, we’d like to demonstrate how we’re identifying the need for early childhood education and are helping to bring innovative ways to the community to provide greater opportunities for local children.
The Big Dig
Toward the end of 2024, NVFS joined with PNC, Out Teach, Claude Moore Opportunities, Claude Moore Charitable Foundation, Loudon County Chamber of Commerce, Loudon County Board of Supervisors, and the local community to break ground and begin working on The NVFS Early Childhood Education Center in Ashburn, Virginia. When it opens in spring of 2025, this center will contribute to meeting the need for affordable, accessible, and high-quality Head Start and Early Head Start options in Loudoun County.
Part of the center will feature an Outdoor Learning Lab to provide hands-on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) activities for 70 children and their families. The Center itself will provide full-day Head Start and Early Head Start services, Monday through Friday, offering parents of young children with affordable educational programs.
As part of the Big Dig last November, the Outdoor Learning Lab was built in one day and includes weather stations, plant beds, outdoor kitchens, and animal habitats to provide a number of different learning opportunities for children, encouraging them to think like scientists as they solve problems, ask questions, collaborate with each other, and test solutions.
The value of the Center will create a ripple effect that will positively impact the children, their families, the community, and society as a whole.
NVFS Fund For Families
The NVFS Early Childhood Education Center helps to further fulfill our core goals, which include:
- Providing a comprehensive service model that will give NVFS clients full access to any program or service they need, no matter what the initial entry point. This allows for a personalized approach to each individual, generating deeper long-term results.
- Building our capacity so we can continue to prioritize our frontline staff. By recognizing the indispensable roles they play, supporting and developing their development, ensuring their well-being, and equipping them with the tools they need, we believe it will better prepare them for helping individuals navigate their difficult challenges.
- Expanding the breadth and depth of our services to meet increasing demands and ensuring equal access to all. We currently have a waitlist that numbers in the hundreds. Additional funding from this campaign will help us shift resources to where they are most needed.
Through these goals, we can aid all families in Northern Virginia to find the path to a safe, healthy, and financially stable life, which in turn, will help to support the financial health and well-being of all citizens.
The Next 100 Years
Over the past century, NVFS has had the honor of serving our community. By helping individuals and families address the root causes of the challenges they face, they transform their own lives.
Our wide array of services, ranging from early childhood education to culturally sensitive mental health support, has made us one of the largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in Northern Virginia.
Would you like to help us further our mission? We’re always looking for volunteers to assist with a number of different tasks and projects. Here is a list of our current opportunities and how you can get involved.