New Dominion Women’s Club Awards $1,200 Literacy Grant

New Dominion Women’s Club awarded a $1,200 grant to the Falls Church-McLean Children's Center in a special, one-time disbursement on Dec. 1, Giving Tuesday. NDWC had applied for and received funds to promote early childhood literacy through the Express Lanes Community Grant Program by Transurban in spring 2020.

"New Dominion Women's Club is pleased to help FCMLCC upgrade their materials for pre-K and kindergarten students," said Kim Marinus, President of NDWC. "The center's commitment to providing a safe space for children to learn and play during this difficult time is truly admirable."

The NDWC has been a long-time supporter of the center's Reading is Fundamental program and other initiatives.

The Center plans to use the funds for technology and software upgrades, including Bluetooth speakers to help children better hear music when they are spread out throughout the classroom. Other materials were chosen to help students build early literacy skills, such as rhyming, identifying letter sounds and spelling simple words.

"This grant is particularly well-timed for this very unusual school year," said Lucy Pelletier, Interim Executive Director at FCMLCC. "Many of our books and puzzles have faded due to frequent sanitizing. The new materials were chosen for their durability and will better stand up to frequent cleanings."

Falls Church-McLean Children’s Center provides a comprehensive, high-quality, early childhood program designed to give all young children, regardless of their family’s economic resources, a strong foundation on which to build the rest of their lives.

Transurban is one of the world's largest toll road operators and developers with US offices in Alexandria, VA. Locally, they operate the Express Lanes on I-95, 395 and 495.

NDWC is a civic organization based in McLean, VA, committed to the civic, cultural, educational and environmental welfare of the community through volunteerism; the club was founded in 1968. For more information, see NDWC.org.

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