From our Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the background and training of your teachers and staff?

Fun & Friends takes great pride in the professionals on staff who dedicate themselves to the development of children. Our directors have advanced degrees in the field of Early Childhood Education and have been at our center for over a combined thirty years! Under their leadership, the center provides professional development opportunities that not only meet or exceed licensing requirements, but are also geared to enhance the pedagogy and instructional practices of our staff. Most recently Fun and Friends have provided the means for our staff to acquire their CDA credentials, improve their English language skills (ESL), and attend special training in the area of literacy. Fun and Friends often partners with George Mason University, Foundations for Families and most recently Catholic Charities in an ongoing effort to support the growth and development of its staff.

Our staff are qualified professionals who enjoy working with children!

Our staff are qualified professionals and child development specialists, who receive up to 40 hours of annual training in child development, early childhood education, health and safety issues. They are selected not only for their early childhood education skills, but also for their ability to interact lovingly with children. Led by a highly experienced administrative team, Fun & Friends staff members share warm, supportive relationships with the children, enabling them to learn, grow, and create positive self image. Program Director Inell Ellis has a BS in Child Development and has been at our center since 1990. Elizabeth Garcia, our Director of Operations, has an MS in Educational Administration and Supervision and has been employed by Fun & Friends since 1998. Both directors provide on-going support and supervision to the lead teachers and assistants in the areas of curriculum development, professional development, observation and evaluation, as well as the day to day operations of our highly appraised childcare center.

Fun & Friends contracts with the Foundations for Families (www.foundationsforfamilies.com) to bring on site professional development opportunities for the staff and workshops for our parents and staff. Over the past two years, Child Development Associate (CDA) training has been brought to our site. Initially ten members of our staff committed over 120 contact hours after school and on weekends. They completed their portfolios and received their credentials. In Year Two, ten more staff members have made this same commitment. Topics of study include: Establishing the Environment, Child Growth and Development (Cognitive, Physical, Social and Emotional), and Introduction to the Early Childhood Profession: Families, Program Management and Professionalism. We are very proud of our staff for undertaking this professional development opportunity as it will continue to strengthen our program and educational environment for the children and their families. Fun and Friends also contracts with Catholic Charities (www.ccda.net) to provide ESL classes to staff members wishing to improve their English language skills. By doing so, our very dedicated teachers will be better positioned to share with our parents the wonderful developmental progress that the children make on a day to day basis. In addition, their teaching and their teamwork will be greatly enhanced. The staff at Fun and Friends dedicate themselves on a continual basis to the improvement of their skills, which only reinforces our mission that we offer "child development, not just childcare."