Like the Reston Children's Center itself, the aim of its annual spring carnival is to create a family-friendly feel.
"It's a lot of fun," said Jill Worth, chair of the carnival's game committee.
The annual carnival acts as a fund-raiser for the nonprofit center and will also include a food drive for Reston Interfaith. The family event is scheduled for Saturday, May 3, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the center. It will include plenty of games, food, entertainment and prizes for all age groups.
"The carnival is an end-of-the-year celebration," said Linda Selb, the center's executive director. "It's a community thing. Our friends in the neighborhood come out and have a good time."
THIS YEAR'S proceeds will be dedicated to the school's long-range plans, which include creating a facility where the infants and toddlers program can be on the same grounds as the rest of the center. Currently, students in prekindergarten through sixth grade attend programs at the center, located on Olde Crafts Drive. The infants and toddlers program is housed in a building on South Lakes Drive. In all, the facility offers infant care, preschool education and before- and after-school enrichment for children in kindergarten through sixth grade on a year-round basis. The center has a capacity of 120 students at a time and is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The center was created in 1967 as a nonprofit, parent-owned cooperative. It's original home was in a church. It moved to what was at one time the home of the mayor of Herndon, then to its current location in 1981.
"We're located in this beautiful community, on these beautiful grounds," Selb said. "We're part of the community."
The center does charge tuition, but is part of the United Way, provides scholarships and receives a subsidy from the county. It has about 230 to 240 parents in the cooperative at any given time. The center's 14-member board of directors is made up entirely of parents who set the facilities' policies. In addition, the center requires all parents to devote at least 24 hours of volunteer service to the facility per year.
"Nothing would be possible without dedicated parents," Selb said. "That's very important for child-day care."
"IT'S A NICE homey atmosphere. It's like a small-town," said Fahemeh Pirzadeh, the center's deputy director. "It's like a family."
In fact, Selb, a 25-year veteran, said of the center's 60-member staff, a majority have been with the center for at least 15 years. Alumni, consisting of high-school and college students, often come back as summer staff.
Worth's daughter, Madelina Worth, 3, has been with the center since she was 3 months old.
"It's been great. It's different because it gets the parents involved," Worth said. "She was at another day care for about three weeks and didn't like it. We were thrilled when she was able to get in here."
After researching other centers, Worth credited the long-time teachers and the center's accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National School Age Care Alliance for making a difference.
"I felt comfortable leaving her here for eight hours," Worth said.