The Child
and Family Network Centers
http://www.cfnc-online.org
3710 A Mount Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301
703-836-0214
Founded in 1984
Executive Director: Barbara Fox Mason
President, Board of Directors: Steve Nearman
Staff: 27 program staff, plus support
staff and volunteers
2005 Budget: $2.6 million
Mission and History
The mission of the Child and Family Network Centers is to
provide caring, high-quality free education and related
services to at-risk children and families in their own neighborhoods
to prepare and empower them for success in school and life.
The Child and Family Network Centers was started in 1984
by a group of mothers living in Alexandria public housing
who were dismayed that their children had failed kindergarten.
Recognizing that their youngsters needed help in preparing
for school, the mothers hired Barbara Fox Mason, a talented
teacher who shared the parents’ resolve to improve
the circumstances for at-risk children. Mason started
the preschool program with six children in one room of
a housing project.
Today, Mason oversees seven accredited preschool programs
for three- to five-year-olds in Alexandria’s poorest
neighborhoods. Over the years, CFNC has prepared more than
1,000 children to enter elementary school. In addition to
getting children ready to succeed in school, CFNC provides
support services to the families of those children.
Services
The Child and Family Network Centers operates seven preschool sites with thirteen classrooms. All of the preschool
centers are located in Alexandria neighborhoods with high concentrations
of families living in poverty and one Arlington neighborhood. Over the years, CFNC has adapted its services and staffing
to meet the changing needs of the communities in which it is located.
