Preschoolers get a boost to early learning

Fourth Annual Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K set for Nov. 17

Staff Reports

According to Learning Starts Early, a preschool initiative started at St. James’ Episcopal Church and School, last year in Fauquier County, nearly one in five children entering kindergarten did not meet the reading readiness benchmarks established by the state. Often, they never catch up.

Additionally, 166 children (22 percent) entering kindergarten in Fauquier County Public Schools last year did not attend any formal or institutional pre-kindergarten program or were in the care of an unlicensed childcare provider. A substantial body of research spanning decades proves that highquality preschool education can substantially improve the learning and development of all young children, and especially children from low-income families, children whose parents lack high school diplomas, or children without homes.

The Fauquier Preschool Coalition is a group of community members, educators and parents dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young children in Fauquier County. Its leadership team supports theefforts of Learning Starts Early to ensure that every child in the county has access to all of the opportunities necessary to be ready for kindergarten and to succeed in school and in the workforce.

Locally, programs in Fauquier County that help at-risk children of preschool age are Fauquier County Public School’s Virginia Preschool Initiative and Fauquier Community Action Committee’s Head Start programs.

Head Start and the Virginia Preschool Initiative work together to coordinate services to best serve their students and families. Both have substantial funding needs in order to provide the highest quality preschool education.

The Learning Starts Early Program supports these programs and provides additional benefits for atrisk preschool children.

Coming together with other community agencies and preschool providers to form the Preschool Coalition has allowed us to increase outreach to families who may not be able to afford preschool for their children.” – Eileen Burgwyn

Access to high-quality preschool education is becoming a reality for increasing numbers of Fauquier County children, thanks to the efforts of Fauquier County Public School’s expanding Virginia Preschool Initiative and the efforts of the Fauquier Preschool Coalition.

In 2017, this public-private group known as the Fauquier Preschool Coalition applied for and received a $250,000 grant to explore ways to expand opportunities in Fauquier County to access high- quality preschool programs.

Eileen Burgwyn, the co-chair of Learning Starts Early along with Bob Dart, commented, “Coming together with other community agencies and preschool providers to form the Preschool Coalition hasallowed us to increase outreach to families who may not be able to afford preschool for their children. Working with the Books on the Bus project has spread the message of the importance of early childhood literacy throughout Fauquier County.”

The biggest challenge to the Coalition is how to continue to support children and families once the grant expires.

Learning Starts Early, a fund of the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation and member of the Fauquier Preschool Coalition, sponsors an annual family event called the Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K and Kids Run to meet the needs of children who may not have access to high-quality preschool programs.

It’s time to take a run or walk or wobble to help with their efforts. Proceeds from the upcoming Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K support the Learning Starts Early program developed by Saint James’ Episcopal Church and embraced by the Fauquier Preschool Coalition. The goal is to ensure that children of at-risk families in Fauquier County are successful in kindergarten and beyond.

The Learning Starts Early Fund will donate all of the proceeds from the Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K and Kids Run to meet one or more of the following needs:

• Increase the number of classrooms

• Parent resource programs

• Classroom materials, including educational technology to enhance traditional instruction

• Before- and after-school day care for working families

• Field trips and other important special learning experiences When Learning Starts Early began in 2015, 45 students were being served through Fauquier Public Schools Preschool Initiative. Today, 84 students are enrolled in the Fauquier Preschool Initiative.

Due to the Fauquier community’s generous support of Learning Starts Early through Gobble, Gobble Run or Wobble and Give Local Piedmont, over the last four years:

• Seven students have received scholarships to Saint James’ awardwinning preschool program, representing an investment of $25,782.

• More than 15 volunteers from Saint James’ spent 100 hours reading to boys and girls at Head Start.

• Head Start received $6,250 from Learning Starts Early to purchase easels, books and a digital white board. LSE won a grant from the PATH Foundation for Head Start performances by noted music educator Peter McCory.

• Learning Starts Early hosted a series of forums for parents of atrisk preschoolers, alerting them to the Virginia Preschool Initiative, the state and county program for preschool education.

• LSE bought a $3,150 translation system to bring preschool education in VPI classrooms to those students for whom English is a second language.

The Annual Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K starts on Main Street in Warrenton. Participants have the option of dressing like turkeys to add to the fun.

PHOTO BY CHRIS BONNER

Gobble Gobble logistics

The fourth annual Gobble, Gobble Run or Wobble 5K and kids’ dash will be Saturday, Nov. 17, starting on Main Street in Warrenton. Registration is $35 (kids’ run is $15). Sign up at www. runsignup.com/Race/VA/Warrenton/ GobbleGobbleRunorWobble.

The 5K starts at 8 a.m. and the kids run begins at 9 a.m. Race-day registration is $40. Packet pick-up is Friday, Nov. 16, from 4-7 p.m. at Saint James’ Episcopal Church, 73 Culpeper St., Warrenton. For more information, visit facebook.com/ gobblegobblerunorwobble.

Gobble, Gobble Run or Wobble draws more than 200 runners, some of them dressed as turkeys. Appropriately, turkeys from Whiffletree Farm in Warrenton will be awarded to first-place male and female overall finishers. There also will be agegroup prizes.

Race organizers are asking for donations of new or gently used children’s books. There will be a dropoff bin at the race starting line.