CFNC & Harris Teeter: Together in Education

CFNC will once again participate in Harris Teeter's Together in Education program- a fundraising program for schools in the communities where Harris Teeter grocery stores are located. When customers purchase select Harris Teeter Brand products using their VIC card, Harris Teeter contributes a percentage of those purchase dollars to the schools of the customer's choice.

We need your help! There are two ways to ensure that funds from your qualifying Harris Teeter Brand purchases will be credited to CFNC. You can simply give the cashier your VIC Card and the school's Together in Education number (CFNC's is 6467) during checkout or, better yet, you can link your VIC card directly to CFNC by registering online here. That's it! The program runs from August 1, 2010 thru May 31, 2011, but you can register your card online anytime.

In the 2009/10 school year, the program raised nearly $1.4 million for participating schools of which CFNC recieved less than $100. Help us raise significantly more this year by linking your card today! Thank you for your support.

CFNC Celebrates the Class of 2010

The Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC) marked the end of its 26th school year this June with graduation ceremonies in its eleven classrooms located in seven preschool sites throughout Alexandria and Arlington.

The graduation ceremonies are a time to celebrate the great gains made by both children and their parents over the course of the school year. Children demonstrated their learnings through songs in both Spanish and English, dance, and recitation of the alphabet, colors and numbers. In recognition of their accomplishment, each child received a diploma as well as a gift from their teachers. Additionally, thanks to the generous donations made at CFNC's Annual Spring Benefit in May, children took home a backpack with school supplies for kindergarten and practice materials to help them during summer vacation.

CFNC graduations are a very festive and often emotional time for teachers and staff as they send their students off to kindergarten. It is a time for teachers and staff to reflect on the skills they have nurtured and instilled in each child; and tools that will equip them for success in kindergarten, and prepare them for life beyond CFNC's doors. We are proud of the students of CFNC's class of 2010 and excited for what their futures hold!

In the news: Study finds that effects of low-quality child care last into adolescence

On May 14, 2010 The Washington Post reported new results from the largest, most authoritative assessment of child rearing in the United States illustrating that low-quality care in the first few years of a child's life can have a small but long-lasting impact on learning and behavior.

This federally funded study has tracked more than 1,300 children since 1991, finding that obedience and academic problems among children who received low-quality child care in their first 4 1/2 years of life persisted through age 15, suggesting the potential for lifelong difficulties.

Experts praised the findings, saying they "underscore the urgent need for local, state and federal governments, employers and others to improve access to high-quality child care."

This study lends further credibility to the work that CFNC accomplishes, led by the motto "education is not a luxury, it is a necessity." We believe that if you care about preventing crime, ending poverty, or closing the achievement gap, then you should care about providing early childhood education for children living in poverty.

CFNC Selected for Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington

The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington recently announced that CFNC has been selected to be featured in the 2010-11 Catalogue. A panel of 100 expert reviewers from area foundations, corporate giving programs, peer nonprofit organizations, and the DC government evaluated nearly 250 applications; CFNC is one of 70 outstanding nonprofits to be featured this year. "Charities were selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact," Barbara Harman, President and Editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington said. "These are certainly among the best community-based nonprofits in the Washington region." The Catalogue enables smaller nonprofits, like CFNC, to tell their stories to individuals who would otherwise never hear them, and to encourage those individuals to get engaged and to give. It also provides charities with a stamp of approval that tells donors they can invest with confidence because the Catalogue vets its family of nonprofits with great care.

To request a catalogue, visit the home page of the Catalogue website at www.cfp-dc.org and look for the "request a catalogue" link in the blue banner at the bottom of the screen.

2010 Multicultural Celebration

CFNC's annual Multicultural Celebration took place on Monday, May 24 at CFNC's Birchmere location. The event is typically held at the end of the school year to recognize and celebrate the diversity of CFNC's families who hail from 17 countries worldwide - from El Salvador to Pakistan to Bulgaria.

This year, more than 200 families participated in the variety of festive activities, including pony rides, face painting, a petting zoo, a clown, and an exciting raffle. Families, staff and volunteers also enjoyed a pot luck lunch featuring a delicious traditional dish from each country represented.

Be sure to check out the Photo Galleries at www.cfnc-online.org for more!