The Child and Family Network Centers

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Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 children in Alexandria live in poverty? 

At The Child & Family Network Centers (CFNC), we provide Alexandria's working poor with tools for successful futures. Preschool for children, and social services for their parents are offered on-site and for free. Children graduate from our program with the skills needed to excel in kindergarten and beyond; parents learn how to promote their children's education and be self-sufficient.

From the beginning:

CFNC was started in 1984 by a group of mothers living in a public housing community in Alexandria, VA after they learned that 17 of their children failed kindergarten. Today, 136 children and their families living in poverty benefit from CFNC's comprehensive programs.

Who we serve:

CFNC operates in Alexandria’s distressed communities with high concentrations of minorities who speak little to no English. We serve 136 children annually who live at or below 200% of poverty, eighty-five percent of which are at or below 130% of the federal poverty line. To date, we have helped over 3,700 families. CFNC’s students carry all three major risk factors for kindergarten failure: they live in poverty; they live in households where both parents have less than a high school education; and they have parents who speak limited English or do not speak English at all. CFNC’s programs neutralize these risk factors so that learning can occur, laying the groundwork for robust academic achievement later in life.

Our approach:

CFNC provides the following services, free of charge:

(1)   Early Childhood Education

(2)   Family Support Services

(3)   Health Services

What distinguishes CFNC from others in the field is that our comprehensive programs are designed to meet the needs of children who are not eligible for other programs. In addition, our neighborhood sites give us a very important advantage over other programs that offer preschool, health and family support services. We are located in communities where the families live. Although residents are frequently distrustful of outside organizations, CFNC is viewed as an accepted member of the community.

Recognition:

In 2014, The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington named CFNC one of the best small non-profit organizations in the Greater DC area and CFNC was selected as one of Northern Virginia’s top preschools by Northern Virginia Magazine. CFNC has been praised by President Obama’s “Preschool for All” initiative as a national model for high-quality, bilingual preschools. We also received the 2015 Nonprofit Leader of the Year award by Leadership Fairfax.

Your help is critical for us to continue to fulfill our mission. 

To learn more about CFNC, the work we do, or the population we serve, please visit our website: http://cfnc-online.org

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