ABOUT OUR PROGRAMS Our Philosophy Our Teachers Special Needs & Mental Health
Providing high-quality, early childhood education.
Our Philosophy
Child-paced learning: when they are able, when they are ready…we are too.
A child’s early years provide a foundation for his or her emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development. As children grow, they go through a series of developmental stages, and each child learns and progresses at his or her own rate.
At MSCDC, we believe that to help children develop to their fullest potential, their environment should encourage curiosity and provide opportunities to think creatively, make choices, and solve problems.
We also believe that a positive self-image – enhanced by adults – gives children the confidence to meet life’s challenges and enables them to succeed.
Our Teachers
Our teachers foster inclusion and acceptance in the classroom and beyond.
Each Main Street class features a teaching team of a lead teacher and 2 assistant teachers. This better-than-average 1:6 teacher-student ratio means more attention per child, increased learning opportunities, and enhanced relationships.
Our teaching teams have the requisite early childhood education, including college degrees, Child Development Associates degrees, or are in the process of completing their certificates. We value and support our teams as they continue their education and hone their expertise. Teachers complete over 40 hours of professional development each year, in specific content areas such as social-emotional development as well as training on diversity and inclusion, health and safety procedures, and more. All Main Street teachers are members of the National and the Northern Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC and NVAEYC).
Support for Special Needs & Mental Health
Main Street ensures that all children are provided with the best chance to succeed.
Main Street is one of few early childhood centers with an on-site mental health specialist that assists with social-emotional development. By working with children, families, and staff, our mental health specialist helps address behavioral or learning challenges that often (but not always) go hand in hand with mental health issues. Through targeted activities, our specialist ensures children transition to kindergarten with developmentally appropriate skills and/or support services to address their needs and prepare them for success. Through a close relationship with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS), Main Street has an on-site special educator that works directly with many children in need of services.
When there are more significant challenges, Main Street also partners with the FCPS special education preschool program and assists with transitions to and from the program. For school-age children, Main Street works directly with the school to ensure all of the child’s needs are met and that plans are being seamlessly implemented in both locations. Main Street works directly with families to ensure all the needs of each child are properly supported.
Join our commitment.
Main Street Child Development Center is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide high quality, comprehensive early childhood education to children, ages 2 through 5, in our preschool program. We also provide an out-of-school-time program for elementary school-age children.
We commit to providing these services to children and their families regardless of financial circumstances.