[Archived] City and Schools Select Creative Play School to Start Model Program

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

The City of Alexandria and the Alexandria City Public Schools have selected CPS II, Inc. (Creative Play School) to develop the City’s model before- and after-school program at Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School this fall.

The Alexandria company was selected from four vendors that submitted bids to design and operate a new child care program that will support the State Standards of Learning and provide exciting and creative recreational and learning opportunities for children.

A seven-member committee chose the firm based on a variety of criteria, including Creative Play School’s technical ability to provide child care services, evidence of past successes, program content, relevancy of curriculum to the State Standards of Learning, creativity, cost per child, references, educational qualifications and credentials of staff and organizational stability. Committee members also conducted extensive site visits, and vendors were required to provide oral presentations.

"Creative Play School has a track record of providing high quality child care programs in the City and the region," Alexandria Mayor Kerry J. Donley said. "Creative Play School presented a strong curriculum, emphasizing learning through play.

"As a local company, they are very familiar with the Alexandria community and are eager to work closely with the Tucker school community to encourage close partnerships with parents, teachers and children," Donley said. "I believe they can provide the strong foundation needed to begin this special program."

Stephen J. Kenealy, chairman of the Alexandria City School Board, said, "We look forward to developing a new relationship with Creative Play School, as they will have an extremely important role to play in nurturing the well-being of our students."

The next steps for Creative Play School include conducting a survey to determine the child care needs of Tucker Elementary School parents, and coordinating a series of public meetings for the Tucker school community. In addition, Creative Play School will work with the City and the schools to create an advisory board that is representative of the Tucker school community, to help define the model program’s goals and objectives. They also will develop an evaluation plan to ensure that the program meets the needs of the Tucker school community.

Creative Play School, the City and the schools are developing an income-based sliding fee scale to ensure that the program is affordable for parents.

"Our goal is to have a before- and after-school program that provides child care in a safe, nurturing, and fun environment by offering recreational and culturally enriching programs and activities that support the Standards of Learning," Alexandria City Manager Philip Sunderland said. "This program will help children to learn at the same time they are having fun."

Alexandria City Public Schools Superintendent Herbert M. Berg agreed, "Our entire school system’s focus is on meeting the State standards, so it only makes sense that we take advantage of the time we have with our boys and girls before and after school to build on and support their regular learning activities."

Creative Play School operates three child care centers in Alexandria and one in Fairfax County that are accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The company was founded in 1980 by Diane and Ralph Smalley. Before starting the school, Diane Smalley worked as an elementary school teacher in an inner-city school for seven years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in school administration. She has served as a member of the Alexandria Early Childhood Commission for 10 years.

Ralph Smalley holds a master’s degree in public administration and a doctoral degree in urban studies. Dr. Smalley’s professional career of 30 years includes substantial experience in urban policy analysis and in programs for community involvement in public affairs.

"We are very excited about this public/private partnership and the opportunity to work both in a program that has the joint sponsorship of the City and the schools," Ralph Smalley said. "I expect that we will know many of the children and their families at Tucker from their enrollment at our child care center in the West End."

"We think this situation offers very exciting possibilities for tracking and testing educational progress and some unique research opportunities to measure the effects of sound child care programming on development of children," Diane Smalley added.

The Tucker school model before- and after-school program will be directed by Karen Walz, who has 15 years of experience managing before- and after-school programs. Ms. Walz, who holds a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in public administration, is recognized for her work with Fairfax County’s School Age Child Care (SACC) program, which provides before- and after-school programs for elementary school age children in the school system.