News and Information
May 13, 2024
Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services' Early Childhood Programs and Services and non-profit Fairfax Futures held the 20th Annual School Readiness Symposium on April 27, 2024.
Nearly 300 early childhood educators from centers, permitted county child care homes and public pre-K programs attended the event at the Fairfax County Government Center. This year's theme was "The Brain - Everything Starts Here: Understanding and Fostering Development." See a video of the event from Fairfax Channel 16.
“Twenty years is a special milestone to reach as an organization, and the Symposium marks the important role that Fairfax Futures plays in our community,” said Sallyann Rodriguez-Sawao, Fairfax Futures’ executive director. “It was wonderful to see so many educators coming out for the event. I also appreciate the dedication from my colleagues to organize this creative and impactful day for our community. We are grateful to our event supporters – the PNC Foundation; Eleccion, LLC; and Truist for joining us this year."
NCS Deputy Director Keisha Dotson welcomed everyone, followed by remarks from Jermaine Johnson, PNC Financial Services Regional President/Greater Washington and Virginia. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Angela Searcy, a teacher, early intervention provider and author of the book "Push Past It! A Positive Approach to Challenging Classroom Behaviors." See video of the keynote speech.
Participants also took part in breakout sessions, workshops and a resource fair. Workshop presenters included: IFEL Early Childhood Specialists Bernice Mayfield and Debbie Weigand; Michelle Saenz from the TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health at the University of Chicago; Early Learning and Museum Specialists from the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center; Fairfax County Library Division representatives Tina Mraz and Renee Edwards; and Pamela Sneed, Early Childhood Education Program Administrative Specialist.
See a photo album of the event on our Flickr page.
Learn more about Fairfax Futures' work in the community and follow on Facebook.
May 9, 2024
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has proclaimed May 6 - 10, 2024 as Early Childhood Educators Week in Fairfax County. The proclamation reflects the invaluable ways in which early childhood educators provide positive learning experiences for children’s growth and development, and support families and the well-being of our community.
"Early Childhood Educators work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of children, families and the community," said NCS Deputy Director Keisha Dotson. "They are an essential part of the community, and providing quality programs contributes directly to the economic prosperity of the county."
Early Childhood Educators work in nearly 2,000 programs in the county. Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services supports Early Childhood Educators through a variety of programs and resources. Among them:
Fairfax County Permitted Family Child Care Providers
Institute for Early Learning
USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Earlier this year, NCS' Office for Children became Early Childhood Programs and Services. This rebranding effort, part of a recent agency realignment, reflects the full spectrum of services NCS offers and provides an opportunity to enhance services for the community including early childhood educators.
Visit this page for more information and early childhood resources.
View a copy of the proclamation here.
May 8, 2024
Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services honored volunteers at the 2024 Volunteer Recognition Ceremony on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at The Westin Tysons Corner.
More than 150 volunteers and Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn attended the breakfast ceremony. Dranesville Supervisor James Bierman and NCS Director Lloyd Tucker gave remarks. NCS South County Senior Center Director Sharnel Jones served as emcee at the event, which returned to an in-person gathering for the first time since 2019.
"We are proud of the direct service our volunteers provide in the form of food box distribution, meal service, translation assistance, social visits, vaccination clinic support, and other services at our senior centers, community centers and teen centers," said Tucker. "More than 90 percent of our volunteers say they feel their service makes a difference."
There were four volunteers/groups that received Volunteer of the Year awards:
Teen Volunteer: Patrick Livingston, for his work with Therapeutic Recreation Services.
Group Volunteers: Sahas Rajeshirke and Soham Rajeshirke, for teaching coding to children at Mott Community Center.
Senior Center Participant Volunteer: Lougenia Carnell, for volunteering at Little River Glen Senior Center.
Adult Volunteer: Nancy Bloomfield, for teaching Spanish dance classes at Herndon Senior Center.
See the Flickr album with photos from the event. For NCS volunteer opportunities, visit the NCS Volunteers Page.
Watch this Fairfax Channel 16 video about NCS volunteers: