The Best Investment America Can Make

Preschool A Matter of National Security

On September 1, 2009, Mission Readiness - a bipartisan, nonprofit, national security organization of more than 80 retired generals and admirals - released a report at the Virginia State Capitol that concludes: "Our national security in the year 2030 is absolutely dependent upon what is going on in pre-kindergarten today."

The report begins with a startling statistic: "75 percent of Americans aged 17 to 24 are ineligible to serve our military." The top three reasons for this - inadequate education, criminality, and weight problems - "are serious and - if left unaddressed - will adversely affect the strength of our military."

The report goes on to highlight the 40 plus years of research that demonstrate that quality early education increases graduation rates and cuts crime, successfully addressing two of the three crucial problems that threaten our national security. For example, did you know that research studies have found that:
*Quality early education increases graduation rates by as much as 44 perecent;
*By the age of 18, inner-city children left out of preschool programs were 70 percent more likely than children with preschool to be arrested for a violent crime;
*Individual children who grow up to drop out of school, abuse drugs, and become career criminals cost society, on average, over 2.5 million dollars each;
*Because the various costs to society incurred by some of the at-risk kids can be so high, research shows that the benefits of investing in high-quality early childhood education for at-risk kids far outweighs the costs. One cost benefit study found that the net savings from investing in early education was $244,811 per child.

READ THE FULL REPORT and find out about the next steps for Virginia.

CFNC Expands Services to Additional 36 Low-Income Families

Several weeks ago Louise entered our Birchmere center with a big smile on her face. She was excited because she had just heard that CFNC was re-opening two classrooms in the Charles Houston Recreation Center that had been closed for several years due to building renovations. The second she heard the news, she ran over to enroll her daughter because she knew from past experience that her daughter would receive the kind of high quality preschool experience that is typically only available for families who can afford to pay for it.

As she filled out enrollment forms, she told us about her son, a former student at CFNC, who is flourishing in school and loves the arts, which she said began in our preschool classroom eight years ago. Speaking of her son’s experience, Louise said, “His teachers were always telling me that I had to come into class to see his latest work.” As a young, single mother, she recalled how much it meant to her to be able to leave her only child at a safe and caring preschool while she went to work. Without CFNC, she had no other affordable option for her son. Today, eight years later, “he plans to be so many things: an artist, an architect, and an animator. I really attribute this to the center, because he spent so much time there at such an early age.”

CFNC expanded its free preschool programming to residents of Alexandria’s Charles Houston neighborhood in 1987. In 2006, these programs were suspended due to a planned major renovation of the Charles Houston Recreation Center. After three years, the renovations are complete! On September 8th, CFNC will re-open two classrooms at the center that will provide 36 low-income families with free preschool and family support services, increasing the total number of families served by CFNC from 157 in FY2009 to 193 in FY2010.

“Getting my daughter a place at CFNC is really a huge blessing for me because I’ve just started a new job,” Louise said. “Sending her to daycare would have been a huge out-of-pocket expense, and she still would not have had the benefit of qualified teachers with the ability to teach her through play.”

Charles Houston remains one of Alexandria’s neediest neighborhoods. 19% of Charles Houston residents live below 100% of poverty (compared to 7% city-wide); 35% live below 185% of poverty (compared to 20% city-wide); 20% of adults of have less than a high school diploma (compared to 13% city-wide); and 30% are African American (compared to 20% city-wide).

CFNC’s expansion is made possible by an increase in state funding through the Virginia Preschool Initiative and individual giving through our 25th Anniversary Benefit, as well as by the continued generous support of the City of Alexandria, the Freddie Mac Foundation, BAE Systems, Land & Armaments, the Cafritz Foundation, Bright Horizons Foundation for Children, and numerous other foundations and corporations. We would also like to extend a special note of thanks to Josh Dickinson, Larry Green, Jr., Andriy Harmatiy, Nicole McManus, Allen Sager, and Brendon Weiss - graduate students at the University of Maryland, for organizing a wonderful happy hour fundraiser last spring to benefit our two new Charles Houston classrooms.

Despite CFNC’s expansion this year, we are still not able to serve all of the children who need our programs. With a full enrollment of 193 children, CFNC still has over 90 children on our wait list.

CFNC’s Family Services Helps Families Make Gains

When people think of The Child and Family Network Centers, preschool is typically the word that comes to mind, for good reason. Each year, CFNC provides nationally accredited preschool, free of charge, to nearly 200 children living in poverty, preparing them for success in school and in life. Yet CFNC also provides an array of family support services, including ESL classes, job placement services, and health services that give children what they need most: strong, healthy, stable families to nurture and support them in their journey through school and life.

The situations of the parents CFNC served this year were generally similar to years past, including poverty, limited English proficiency, lack of knowledge about how to access services, and lack of confidence in partnering in their child's education. However, this year also yielded a significant increase in the number of unemployed parents, likely due to the current recession. CFNC’s social workers, each with an average case load of 60 families, spent more time helping parents secure jobs, gain training to be more competitive in the job marketplace, and/or avoid or overcome foreclosure on their homes.

The results from these initiatives indicate a successful approach. Forty-one parents gained employment (compared to 14 one year earlier, an increase of nearly 200%); 20 parents enrolled in educational or job training programs (compared to 13 one year earlier, an increase of 54%); and 21 parents obtained appropriate housing (compared to 9 one year earlier, an increase of 133%). Additionally, 13 families in crisis situations who were unable to meet their basic needs from outside agencies received the support they needed from CFNC’s Family Services to maintain stable households for their children. By the end of year, 157 parents set and achieved at least one goal that led to improved parenting skills, a more stable home environment, gains in English literacy, and/or employment (61 of these parents achieved two goals and 63 achieved three or more goals).

To give CFNC’s social workers more time to focus on non-employment-related family needs, The Herb Block Foundation has provided a grant to fund a part-time, on-site job placement coach. The position, beginning this fall, will enable CFNC to provide more employment-related services, including workshops that promote soft (interviewing, timeliness, work ethic, etc.) and hard (resume writing and computer literacy) skills critical to securing and keeping a job.

Our Kids are Prepared!

Every single one of the kids that graduated from the CFNC this year went home with a new backpack chock full of useful things. Its hard to believe that in this day and age that many children are in a position where they would go to school without adequate supplies.

However, thanks to Klutz, who donated well over 150 backpacks, the Saint Stephens and Saint Agnes School Brownie Troop, who donated a box full of supplies, and donors at our yearly gala, we were able to give all of our kids backpacks stuffed with glue, pens, sanitizers, and more. Our teachers gave them the social and mental tools they need to succeed, and now they have the materials to follow through.

Donations to fund these backpacks only came in increments of $25. It just goes to show you that every little bit counts!

Heath Gordon

Acumen Solutions to the Rescue

We are so impressed and pleased with the outcomes from our volunteer project with Acumen Solutions. Over two days and ten hours of physical labor, Acumen Solutions employees built a new shed, completed an outdoor walkway, and built a new cover for our sandbox. Each of these acts will improve the quality of service we are able to provide to low-income families.

The shed was a monstrous project, made all the more difficult by the most arcane, asinine set of directions ever written. In fact, one group had already tried to assemble the shed one year prior to this volunteer project. The shed sat for one year in ruins under a tarp on our playground, and would have remained there for all eternity had it not been for a few brave souls at Acumen Solutions. It required not only an ironclad determination to decipher the instructions, but also an extra trip to Home Depot and three more hours than had been originally been planned. The team that worked on the shed braved the longer work period, a fierce assault of mosquitoes, and a nearly sweltering day. In the end, they defeated my arch-nemesis. For the all the bad talk about the shed, it will really benefit the children at our Birchmere center. With the shed now assembled, we will be able to purchase more outdoor toys and equipment (such as hot wheels, easels, water tables and balls) to promote the healthy physical development of the young children in our care. Plus, playing outside is just plain fun! Before the shed, we were limited in the number of outdoor toys and equipment we could have because (1) we could not leave them outside for fear they would be stolen and (2) we did not have the space indoors to store them. So thanks to our volunteers we will now be able to provide even more outdoor activities for our children!

Our volunteers also built a new cover for our sandbox. Each year, we have to replace the sandbox cover as it becomes warped by the rain and sun over the course of the school year. When it becomes warped, it no longer keeps the rain and animals out of the sandbox. This year, our team of Acumen Solutions volunteers went above and beyond the call of duty in an effort to create a more sturdy cover for the sandbox. They also painted the cover with a protective seal to keep out the moisture. It is my hope that their added efforts will keep our sand dry and in good condition for the children for a longer period of time.

Finally, our volunteers completed an outdoor walkway that connects the path leading from the back of our facility to the front door. The families we serve all live within walking distance of our center, and many take this path to get their children to our front door. During rainy days, the uncompleted portion of this path became a pool of mud, making for a messy trip to and from our program. This meant our families got dirty and our classrooms got dirty as all that mud was tracked in from outside. It may seem like a small thing, but completing the walkway improves the quality of everyone's experience by creating a cleaner, more professional environment for our families and program staff members. Not having to constantly clean the floors or children's shoes and clothes means more time can be spent providing quality services.

Again, it was a tremendously successful volunteer project. We are all thrilled by the outcomes and so appreciative of the time and talents given by our team of Acumen Solutions volunteers.

With Sincere Gratitude,

Ryan and the CFNC family

The Gift of Gratitude

We recently received a thank you note from one of our parents, and we wanted to share it with you. Enjoy, and know that as our supporter and friend, you are part of an organization that truly makes a difference in the lives of families in need.

from December 18, 2008

"Hi,I'm a parent of Gian Carlo Daproza,one of the students that your organization is helping. He's currently attending at Cora Kelly Recreational Center.
My name is Rosita-Nitz Daproza. I'm emailing just to show how our family and I are so very grateful for what your organization have done for us.. From having us celebrate the Thanksgiving Holidays with peace with the help of the food you've provided our family,I personally is very thankful. Now, for having to provide my children gifts to open for Christmas and for our gift also. Our family is really going through one of the toughest time right now...my husband is trying his hardest to make ends meet but since our economy got hit really hard the company he is now working for decided to cut their hours and its been really hard for us. While fulfilling his duty to his ill mother who is diagnosed with kidney failure and going through her weekly dialysis...
So,every blessing that my family and I are receiving is very much appreciated...

Again, Thank You so very much for all the help that your organization have done for my family and I...

Sincerely,

Rosita- Nitz P. Daproza"

Cinderella's Dress

Sergio is a four-year-old student in our program and he is in Ms. Tonya’s and Ms. Ana’s class at our Birchmere site in Alexandria. He is bright and very funny…a big ham! His sister, Heidi, was one of our preschool students and now she is in second grade. She gets excellent grades and enjoys singing and creating any kind of artwork. I have one of her drawings in my office. Today Heidi came with her Mom to pick up her brother, Sergio. She was all dressed up in what Sergio calls her “Cinderella dress” because she sang in a holiday assembly at school today. She explained to me that she and her classmates performed songs in English, Spanish and even Japanese, and then – to my delight - she demonstrated a couple of the songs! It was gratifying to see her self-assured demeanor, and to take a little credit on behalf of CFNC, for her continued success in school and life.

I love working in a setting where I often have the opportunity and pleasure to see and talk with our former students and their parents at various points along the way and see how well they and their families are doing. I encounter our former students in the public schools in which we have classrooms and in CFNC’s Birchmere site where my office is located if they have a younger sibling enrolled in our program. I also see them in Arlandria, the Birchmere’s neighborhood, where my husband and I also live. What a gift and a joy!

by Donna Bain