Main Street CDC, Fairfax

Welcome to Main Street Child Development Center (Main Street). Founded in 1973, Main Street provides 3,000 hours of nationally-accredited educational instruction and enrichment for at-risk children (ages 2 to 5) each year. Main Street is located in the former Green Acres Elementary School in Fairfax, Virginia. The center boasts a library, gymnasium, cafeteria, and 10-acre property on which our school is located. We serve the children of predominately low-income, working families in Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. Childcare costs can easily exceed 30% of total family income. In Fairfax County, programs that both affordable and high-quality – as Main Street does – are scarce. Our affordable early childhood program allows the area's working parents to maintain employment and ensure the quality education of their children thus contributing to family stability and the expansion of the county's tax base. In the past 40 years, we have prepared over 5,000 children for success in kindergarten, closed the achievement gap between low-income students and their peers, and increased parent engagement in children's lives. Main Street welcomes all preschool children and families regardless of race, religion, culture, national origin, gender, family background or economic status. We have been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 1995. Main Street Child Development Center is a partner of the Virginia Preschool Initiative. We maintain a 4-star rating from the Virginia Star Quality Initiative. Main Street Child Development Center participates in the Combined Federal (#31872) and the United Way (#8262) campaigns.

Main Street Child Development Center's mission is: To provide a quality accredited early childhood learning program for children ages 2-5 of limited income working families to grow and thrive in a nurturing environment. To enhance the quality of life for our diverse families through partnerships with community services agencies, and to provide educational opportunities and resources that strengthen literacy, parenting and the family. Main Street advocates the belief that each child is special and unique. We believe that there are no bad children, only challenging behaviors. Therefore, we try to instill within each child a positive self-image, in order for them to gain the confidence to try new things and meet life's challenges. The environment and curriculum at Main Street are designed to meet each child's social, cognitive, physical, emotional, and developmental needs. One goal we strive for each day is to provide the most caring type of atmosphere possible for each and every child, in order for them to grow as learners and individuals. Consequently, a child who needs an extra hug because Mom was late to work and the toast burned will be sure to get one. It is also our goal to promote creativity by offering a wide variety of activities that each child can experience in his or her own way.

In 1973, Main Street Child Development Center – then named the Vienna Day Care – was founded to provide affordable childcare for low-income families. Shortly thereafter the Fairfax County Department of Social Services (now the Office for Children) invited the Fairfax Organization of Christians and Jews United in Service, Inc. (FOCUS) to assume responsibility for running the Center. Following an invitation from Fairfax County to assume management and administration of operations, FOCUS established an oversight committee, which became organization's governing Board of Directors. The organization was rebranded as Main Street Child Development Center in 1989 to reflect its location in the heart of Fairfax and incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization soon after. Initially located in Fairfax Baptist Church, Main Street relocated to the former Green Acres Elementary School in 2002. In over 40 years of serving our region's disadvantaged children, Main Street has prepared over 5,000 children for success in kindergarten, closed the achievement gap between low-income students and their peers, and increased parent engagement in children's lives.

A child's early years provide a foundation for his or her emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development. As children grow, they go through a series of developmental stages, and each child learns and progresses at his or her own rate. At MSCDC, we believe that to help children develop to their fullest potential, their environment should encourage curiosity and provide opportunities to think creatively, make choices, and solve problems. We also believe that a positive self-image – enhanced by adults – gives children the confidence to meet life's challenges and enables them to succeed.

Focus on the children's strengths Modify the environment to support children's needs Give children choices, consistency, and freedom to learn through play, and provide them with the opportunity to develop close relationships with others Serve as a means of support for both child and family, providing resources to assist each family