ALIVE’s Child Development Center wins Four Stars!

Congratulations to ALIVE!’s Child Development Center for achieving a 4 star rating in Virginia’s Star Quality Initiative.  This initiative recognizes quality childcare programs committed to continuous improvement. Participation in this Initiative is voluntary and defines four standards of quality:

1) education, qualifications and training of staff;
2) interactions between staff and students, and peers;
3) structure or ratio of adults to children; and
4) environment and instruction, including transition practices between pre-K and Kindergarten.

Each program receives a “star” rating from one to five. One star means the program exceeds minimal licensing requirements and is on a quality improvement path.  Five stars means the the program exceeds requirements in all areas to an unusual degree.

To date, no program in Virginia has received five stars.  However, in Alexandria, ALIVE! Child Development Center received a 4-star rating on February 16, 2010!!

The good news about the Virginia Star Quality Initiative is the work does not stop with a rating.  After receiving a rating, participating programs receive a mentor who works with staff to improve the program.  This improvement piece is what sets this program apart from other accreditation and rating systems.  Programs that participate in this Initiative will receive ratings every two years, ensuring an ongoing commitment to improving the quality of early childhood experiences.

Clearly, our grant to ALIVE! that will underwrite materials and equipment to help implement the curriculum is at the ALIVE Child Development Center is money well-invested.

Do you have good news to share about a current or past Giving Circle Gift Recipient?  Click comment and let us know.

You might already know Sherry Delaney. She’s been part of the Giving Circle long enough not to be sure when she joined, been involved with the Alexandria Red Cross, the Early Childhood Commission of Alexandria and chairs the ACPS Talented and Gifted Advisory Board.  But do you know about the Safety Net Project, created by Sherry to make it easy for people in Alexandria to directly and immediately help families in need?

“The Safety Net Project is a network of community donors who commit to provide a single $25 gift card to an Alexandria City Public School when an in-school social worker identifies a family in need. These small gifts tide families through short-term emergencies until they can be connected with available social services. The program also helps working families who are over income for many social service programs, but still one illness or missed paycheck away from financial crisis. Donors receive an e-mail when their gift is needed and they deliver the gifts directly to the schools. The commitment to our donors is to ask for a gift card only once or twice in a calendar year.” There is more to this story, just make the click and find out! Read the rest of this entry »

Support the Giving Circle and Wright to Read Book Drive.  Three easy ways to participate this week!

1) Basket for Books is this SUNDAY, February 28 at Burgundy Farm Country Day School from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Join Giving Circle Members and their families for an afternoon of shooting hoops and other basketball games to raise money for books.   Download and print a form to sponsor your children in these games. Wright to Read gets a great price on books from Scholastic so your contribution goes a long way for a good cause.

2) Can’t come to Baskets for Books?  Donate new and gift quality used books (without torn pages or writing) appropriate for K-6th grades. Check out the list, then purchase new books at Hooray for Books in Old Town by phone or in person. Mention “Summer Reading Packs” and receive a 15% discount.  Hooray for Books will store the books for you and deliver to the Book Sort.  You may also shop online or in person at your favorite retailer.  Drop off or have your books ship to Wright to Read , 414 N. Washington St., Ste.101, Alexandria, VA 22314, 703-299-9855.  This is a NEW LOCATION.

3) Too busy digging out from snow to shoot hoops or go shopping? Consider a flat donation to Basket for Books. Wright to Read will use all money received to buy books for summer reading packs!  Email me, Tricia Karppi, to let me know how much your would like to contribute. Make your check out to The Giving Circle / ACT, write “Baskets for Books” in the memo line and mail it to me at 8206 Collingwood Court, Alexandria, Va 22308.

Thank you for your support and I hope to see you on Sunday!

170 people, including 36 new members, generously contributed $65,000  for the Giving Circle’s 2010/2011 priority gifts!  Thank you for your contributions of money and time to a great cause.

Still haven’t made your membership investment?  It’s not too late for you to make a difference.  Please send your check (our preferred form of payment), payable to WGCA/ACT to

The Giving Circle, Membership Chair
P.O. Box 1627
Alexandria, VA 22313.

Or give online by clicking the Donate button to the right.

Please welcome new members Kelly Abramson, Susan Hahn, Janet Hawkins, Jean Kee, Cheryl Malloy, Sherry Schiller, LaRue Sloan, and Jennifer Veech.

Do you have other friends who would enjoy being part of the Giving Circle?  More house parties are coming up. Caren Camp’s is next and it has a new date. Please bring a friend or two and join us at her home, 208 S. St. Asaph Street, on March 2 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. RSVP to Pamela Larson.

Jenny Considine will also host a combined membership and Baskets for Books event on Saturday, March 6, from 10:00 am to noon before the St. Patrick’s Day parade at Jefferson Court (between S. Pitt & S. Royal off of Wilkes St.). RSVP to Pamela Larson.

• need to expand playgroups throughout the City;
• desire for a mechanism to help various organizations collaborate on their efforts;
• the importance of engaging fathers; and
• the observation that transportation, childcare and language barriers continue to be obstacles that keep parents from attending workshops, classes or other programs they need.

The next gift committee meeting is February 11 at 7:00 pm in City Hall, Room 2000.  All interested members are invited to attend this meeting.  We will discuss the responses to the RFI in the context of what investments the Giving Circle will make for 2010-2011. This is an opportunity to learn more about how your Giving Circle investment will be used and and to be a part of that decision.

If you would like to review the responses to the RFI or want more information about the gift committee, please contact Peggy Stypula or Karen Snow.  We hope to see you on the 11th.

Give the gift of literacy by supporting the Giving Circle of Alexandria’s annual book drive with Wright to Read.  The book drive runs from February 1 through March 14.  The goal is to collect books for 1200 summer reading packs to be distributed to City of Alexandria students.  What can you do to help?

GATHER BOOKS FOR THE BOOK DRIVE

Here’s the list of books we need and there are several ways to help gather the books:

• Donate new and gift quality used books (without torn pages or writing) appropriate for K-6th grades.  Bring your books to

• Purchase new books for the book drive at Hooray for Books in Old Town.  Make your purchase by phone or in person and receive a 15% discount by mentioning “Summer Reading Packs.”  Hooray for Books will store the books and deliver them to the Book Sort for you.  How easy is that?  HOORAY!

• Purchase new books from your favorite retailer.

Drop off your books, or have them shipped to Wright to Read, 414 N. Washington St., Ste.101, Alexandria, VA 22314. 703-299-9855. Note this is a NEW LOCATION.

COME TO BASKETS FOR BOOKS TO RAISE MONEY:

Join Giving Circle Members and their families for an afternoon of shooting hoops and other basketball games as they raise money to purchase books for the Book Drive.  Wright to Read can purchase books at a steep discount ,so money raised at these events will go a long way to helping us meet our goal of 1200 summer reading packs.  You may also bring your own book donations to these events.

• Sunday, February 28 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at Burgundy Farm Country Day School
• Saturday, March 6 from 10:00 am to 12:00 before the St. Patrick’s Day Parade at the home of Jenny Considine, Jefferson Court, (between S. Pitt & S. Royal off of Wilkes St.)
• Hold your own Baskets for Books event.  Contact Tricia Karppi to find out how!

PACK AND SORT BOOKS:

Join us Sunday, March 14 from 1-4 pm to pack and sort the books into the summer reading packs.  Location: TBA.