Alexandria, Virginia, December 8th – Congressman Moran, Virginia Democrat, spoke today at the grand opening of the Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC) new childcare facility located in the West End of Alexandria, Virginia. The Center’s construction was made possible in part through a $350,000 grant from the Freddie Mac Foundation. Congressman Moran also contributed to the Center’s work by securing $250,000 in federal funding in the recently passed FY 2005 Omnibus appropriations bill. The funding will go towards supporting the CFNC’s early childhood education program.
Moran stated, “I applaud Freddie Mac’s support for this vital community based organization. The CFNC has a strong track record of helping at-risk youth in Northern Virginia restore their ability to believe in themselves and succeed despite serious hardships.”
CFNC is a community-based, nonprofit organization started in 1984 by a group of mothers living in public housing whose children all failed kindergarten. CFNC’s six nationally accredited preschools are conveniently located in the neighborhoods which they serve. The program helps mothers who need support in gaining parenting skills, as well as those with foreign language barriers.
“The Child and Family Network Centers (CFNC) exist to change the odds for young children who live in Northern Virginia’s toughest neighborhoods,” said Barbara Mason, CFNC’s Executive Director. “We are deeply grateful to Congressman Moran and Freddie Mac for their efforts to provide funding for our educational programs and new center.”
One hundred percent of CFNC students come from families whose income is 130 percent below the poverty level. With the opening of the new center, the CFNC will now serve 172 very low-income families. In tandem with their early education initiatives, CFNC offers speech and language therapy, psychological assessments, occupational therapy, health care, dental, hearing and vision screenings. Bilingual social workers are also on hand to provide case management.
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