History
Radford Child Development, Inc. (RCD) is a grassroots, community-led, non-profit organization established in 2012 to develop a quality, certified child care facility in Radford. It is run by a diverse board of directors who devote their time, expertise, and personal funds to support an organizational mission that is critical to the Radford community. Based on an extensive needs assessment conducted last year, at least 9 out of 10 children in the City of Radford do not have access to state-licensed child care. Working parents are struggling to find child care that even meets minimum state licensing standards. There is no option for quality certified child care in the community. Lack of access to child development facilities has a long-lasting negative impact on our community. According to research, providing quality early childhood education is an effective strategy for moving people out of poverty. Bringing a quality, education-based facility to Radford is a long term investment that will:
Enable Radford families to have access to the essential educational foundation of quality childcare.
Provide necessary community facilities and infrastructure for working parents in order to improve their own lives and make contributions to our community.
Bring fundamental and lasting change to the entire Radford community and our low-wealth community members. It also strengthens the community by supporting economic growth and making our area more attractive for new businesses and housing.
Mission
Our Mission is to develop and/or support excellent, nationally accredited child development program(s) in Radford that embodies the best practices of early childhood care and education. One of our fundamental goals is to make this accessible to all income levels in our community. We believe that providing low-wealth families with access to a high level educational environment for their children will not only improve kid’s chances to succeed academically and move out of poverty, but will also have an immediate impact on the family finances by providing parents with time to work, knowing that children are in a safe and stimulating environment.
Radford Early Learning Center is the only nationally accredited child development program in Radford. Ensuring its mission of delivering quality child care in Radford.
