Summer vacation is still a few months off, but it's never too early to start preparing for Summer after your child leaves school. There are a number of options for how your child can spend their Summer in Alexandria. Check out some of these ideas! Continue your child's education: No matter how you end up spending your Summer, always make sure you're still practicing some of the skills that your child learned throughout the school year. Here are some tips: Practice writing their first and last name every day in a notebook Count and write the numbers 1-15 Read a…

ALEXANDRIA – The Child & Family Network Centers’ Board of Directors announced that Jacquelyn Horstmann Didio has been selected as the organization’s new Executive Director. Didio will officially assume the position on February 3rd, 2020. Didio takes the helm from Lisa Carter who served in the position for 3 years. "As we say good-bye and thank you to our beloved Lisa Carter, we are excited to welcome our new Executive Director.  Jackie has a passion for early education and brings the strengths and skills to build on CFNC’s success and lead our organization to new heights," said Heather Jelks, President…

Take a look at who our children and families are in 2019-2020!

CFNC has been chosen as the beneficiary of Whole Foods' "Nickels for Nonprofits" program! From now until June 1, 2020, bring your reusable bag to the Whole Foods on Duke Street and a nickel will be automatically donated to CFNC. Now you can buy your groceries AND change lives - what could be better? Where: Whole Foods Market - 1700 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 When: Now until June 1, 2020 How: Bag your groceries with your reusable bag Why: Alexandria's low-income children deserve a high-quality early education that will set them up for success in school and in life! Questions?…

Forty-five children in the West End area of Alexandria will have access to high-quality pre-kindergarten educational services in new Child and Family Network Centers’ (CFNC) classroom space. CFNC used a combination of public funding, private contributions, and pro bono support from across the Alexandria community to create classroom space in a West End apartment complex.  The Alexandria City Council approved $41,000 for the renovation as a part of their initiative to expand access to Early Education in the community. The rest came from private donations including Marietta McNeil Morgan and Samuel Tate Morgan Jr. Trust, Van Metre Foundation, and an…

Signal Vine, a leading business in higher education Artificial Intelligence messaging platforms, has decided to "drop the swag." When they were preparing for an upcoming conference they thought, "a lot of these giveaway items end up in the trash, how can we use that money to make a positive difference?" That's where we come in! Instead of purchasing giveaway items, Signal Vine decided to invest that money in early education. Both CFNC and Signal Vine are dedicated toward providing vital support to the students who need it. CFNC to children at the beginning of their academic career, and Signal Vine…

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Johan was one of 75% of our students who came to CFNC as an English Language Learner (ELL). Johan's parents came to the U.S. from Guatemala and don't speak much English at home. Like 69% of CFNC students, Johan and his family speak Spanish. Because kindergarten in the public schools is an English-speaking setting, CFNC's teachers and social worker knew it would be important for Johan to learn English before he entered kindergarten, and provided resources, tools, and appropriate learning opportunities so Johan could build confidence in his Spanish literacy and vocabulary while also learning English. Research shows that English…

In the fall of 2018, The Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC) was awarded a team of consultants from Compass Pro Bono (compassprobono.org) to help us evaluate a few critical questions related to our strategic plan: 1) In 2018, enrollment into CFNC’s free preschool program slowed – what happened? 2) CFNC’s operational and strategic growth scenarios – where should our classrooms really be? 3) Are their opportunities for growth? Where should those classrooms be and can CFNC afford to grow? 4) How can CFNC better market itself to families? To tackle these large, imperative questions, Compass connected CFNC with eight…

Supports the Child & Family Network Centers [ALEXANDRIA, VA] – Ice cream lovers can mark off their calendars for Ben and Jerry’s annual free cone day on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. All tips will benefit The Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC), and employees and volunteers will be scooping ice cream for donations at the Old Town Ben and Jerry’s location as well as the National Harbor Location from 12 -8pm.   Ben and Jerry’s Old Town      Ben and Jerry’s National Harbor  103 South Union Street           138 National Plaza Alexandria, VA 22314             Oxon Hill, MD 20745  For over 40 years, Ben and Jerry’s has dished out free scoops of ice cream to commemorate the…