Overview The First Steps Program Coordinator at the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) provides leadership and administrative support for First Steps: the NRV’s Early Childhood Education and Development Network. This position will focus on managing a four-year project funded with a $1.15 million grant from the Town of Blacksburg to stabilize and expand the early childhood education…

Throughout November, the Community Foundation’s First Steps initiative worked with partners across the region to hold Book Walks featuring three classic children’s books: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Give a Moose a Muffin. Imagine our delight when we heard from the author, Laura Numeroff, that she was excited…

First Steps, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, is holding “Book Walks” throughout the month of November to engage families and share resources about early education and childcare. First Steps is a network of early childhood professionals and advocates who want to help young children and families thrive. Placed at several locations around the New…

Above: 2022 Early Childhood Champion awardees (left to right): Bonnie Graham, Chelsea Naughton Sharlow, Shannon Marshall Mury, Judy Shelor, and Bonnie Caldwell, who is holding a red bandana in honor of her teammate and co-honoree, Ben Rowan. Christiansburg, Virginia; October 5, 2021: First Steps, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV), is celebrating 19 early…

A $1.15 million project to stabilize and grow the childcare workforce led by First Steps, an initiative of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV), is among the eleven community projects funded by the Town of Blacksburg with its allocation of funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Established in 2016, First Steps is a network of…

Christiansburg, Virginia, June 8, 2022 – First Steps: The New River Valley’s Early Childhood Education and Development Network is teaming up with ChildCare Aware of Virginia and the Community Foundation of the New River Valley (CFNRV) to host a childcare job fair on Tuesday, June 14th, from 5pm-7pm at Wonder Universe (in the former NRV Mall, 782 New River Road,…

First Steps Helps Caregivers and Families Navigate COVID-19 In July 2020, Senator Tim Kaine visited the New River Valley to hear from early educators, healthcare workers, and parents about the desperate need for childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CFNRV provides leadership for First Steps, a network of individuals and organizations supporting young children and families.With this in mind, Senator…

First Steps: The New River Valley’s Early Childhood Education and Development Network announced its first ever Early Childhood Champion Awards at a virtual celebration on July 15th, honoring five individuals who work tirelessly to meet the needs of the New River Valley’s young children and their families.  Created in 2016, First Steps is an initiative of the Community Foundation of…

The Community Foundation of the New River Valley’s collaborative network, First Steps, hosted a Meet Yourself session focused on supporting kids during the COVID-19 pandemic, on February 24th. First Steps is a network of agencies and individuals working to support young children and families in the New River Valley. One of the goals of the network is to increase knowledge…

During the last several months of the COVID-19 pandemic, education and childcare has drastically changed with many children and families navigating hybrid and remote learning for the first time. Recently, the Community Foundation of the New River Valley’s (CFNRV) First Steps initiative brought together a panel of regional education leaders to discuss this topic. First Steps is a network of…

Accessing affordable, high-quality childcare in the New River Valley has long been a challenge for parents. That is why of one of the priorities of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley’s (CFNRV) Fund of the NRV is investing in early childhood education and development through the First Steps initiative.  The NRV has lower rates of kindergarten readiness and…