Investing in early care and education today will provide all of us with a strong return on tomorrow. 

The Early Care and Education Work Group (ECEW) is charged with implementing the Children Youth and Family Collaborative Commission's   Children & Youth Master Plan, Goal 2, Strategy 2.1. To this end, ECEW released the Common Agenda, which includes a strategic framework, priority activities for 2016 and a set of indicators to measure progress for the early care and education systems building work in Alexandria. 

The ECEW comprises stakeholders in early care and education (ECE) systems building, including leadership from the City of Alexandria, Alexandria City Public Schools, Alexandria Department of Community & Human Services, Alexandria Health Department, community/nonprofit ECE providers, the Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission, Bruhn Morris Family Foundation and ACT.

VISION: All of Alexandria’s children and youth succeed today and tomorrow.  
MISSION: Every child in Alexandria has a strong start in life and in school. 

Download the Early Care & Education in Alexandria Risk & Reach Study Presentation and watch the video below for highlights from the study. 

This website provides information on high quality, free or low-cost preschool opportunities for qualifying families in the City of Alexandria. 

See the video. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited Patrick Henry Elementary School for a roundtable discussion on early learning. The roundtable also included, US Congressman Don Beyer, Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton,  US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Early Learning Libby Doggett, Patrick Henry Elementary School Principal Ingrid Bynum, Patrick Henry Elementary School Kindergarten Teacher Lori Shabazz, Patrick Henry Elementary School Parent Eby Aka, City of Alexandria Director of Community and Human Services Kate Garvey, Alexandria City Public Schools Chief Academic Officer Terri Mozingo,  The Campagna Center President and CEO Tammy Mann, Bruhn-Morris Family Foundation Executive Director & CEO Ellen Folts. 

Make an online donation to the Early Care & Education Fund. Checks may also be sent to: ACT for Alexandria, 1421 Prince Street, Suite 220, Alexandria, VA 22314. 

IMPACT: Early Care & Education Forum Presentations

• Tana Ebbole, Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County
• Kathy Glazer, Virginia Early Childhood Foundation
• Tonja Rucker,  National League of Cities - Institute for Youth, Education, and Families 

Early Care & Education Links

• Alexandria Children & Youth Master Plan 2014
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America 
  "Leveling the Playing Field: The Value of Investing in Early Childhood Practice, Policy, and Knowledge" 
  http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/reports/2013/rwjf406410
• Mission: Readiness - "Military Leaders for Kids" 
  "Pre-K Around the Beltway, High-Quality Early Education in the Metropolitan Washington, DC Area Can Help Build a Stronger Country" 
  http://missionreadiness.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/PreK-Beltway-report.pdf
• The Atlantic Cities 
  "The Best Thing We Could Do About Inequality is Universal Preschool" 
  http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jobs-and-economy/2013/06/best-thing-we-could-do-about-inequality-universal-preschool/5919/
• Harvard University Center on the Developing Child - Multimedia Resources 
  http://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/multimedia/
• National League of Cities 
  "Educational Alignment for Young Children: Profiles of Local Innovation (2012)" 
  National League of Cities - Cities Strong Together (nlc.org)
• Zero to Three
  "The School Ready Child (Infographic)"
  http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/school-readiness-infographic.html