Office for Children
Fairfax County Department of Family
Services
12011 Government Center Pkwy., Suite
920
Fairfax, VA 22035
Media contacts: 703-324-7162 or
703-324-8042
TTY: 711
Office for Children Prepares Children for School
Children who've benefited from the programs and services of the Fairfax County Office for Children will be among the best prepared for success when they go to school this fall.
"Everything we do is geared toward school readiness," says Judith Rosen, director of the Office for Children in the county's Department of Family Services.
The agency's efforts to prepare children for school begin before some are even born. The Office for Children administers the county's Early Head Start program, which helps pregnant women with low incomes get the care they need to give birth to healthy babies.
Early Head Start also gives infants and toddlers early learning experiences, which are continued in the Head Start program, a federal initiative for 3-5 year-olds.
In addition, the Office for Children teaches child care center employees, along with providers who offer child care in their homes, how to plan educational experiences for children that are based on nationally recognized standards and practices.
"Education cannot be separated from care," Rosen says, explaining that child care professionals are teachers, not babysitters. The agency's Institute for Early Learning offers popular early childhood education workshops for child care providers.
Also extremely popular is the agency's School Age Child Care program. Thousands of 6-12 year-olds participate in the program, with thousands more on waiting lists. The curriculum used by SACC teachers complements the public school system's curriculum.
The Office for Children is authorized by the state to issue child care permits in Fairfax County. For referrals to these providers, call 703-324-8000 or visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/ofc.