About Us
Introducing Learning Starts Early
The origins of Learning Starts Early can be traced back to early 2013 when a committee was formed by the Rev. Benjamin Maas, Rector, and parishioners of St. James’ Episcopal Church, Warrenton, to investigate the needs of the community and the resources of the parish to determine how the church could begin an outreach program to meet the perceived needs. The committee discovered that one in five children in Fauquier County could not meet basic kindergarten readiness standards.
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In 2015, as the committee was expanding its work in preschool education, it decided to change its name from “Ready for Kindergarten and Beyond,” to “Learning Starts Early” (LSE). LSE created its signature fundraising event, a pre-Thanksgiving race through Warrenton known as the Gobble, Gobble, Run or Wobble 5K. Generous private donations along with the successful race allowed LSE to establish a charitable fund with the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation in Warrenton.
Funds raised have been used to provide educational materials for our local Head Start program, summer programs for preschoolers in conjunction with Fauquier FRESH, and tuition assistance for at-risk children.
In the spring of 2019, Learning Starts Early, Inc., became a full-fledged nonprofit corporation with 501(c)(3) status, increasing its capacity to reach a broader audience in the county and to touch more children’s lives. Our main focus continues to be providing tuition assistance for eligible prekindergarten children to attend high quality private preschools throughout Fauquier County. Our tax-exempt status allows LSE to apply for grants from other local or regional charitable foundations, such as Northern Piedmont Community Foundation and the PATH Foundation.
Since 2016, our Reading Buddies program has provided volunteer readers for Head Start classrooms at Central, Mary Walter Elementary School, and H. M. Pearson Elementary School. LSE has provided supplies for the county’s Virginia Preschool Initiative Program (VPI) and books and activity kits for preschoolers in conjunction with the Fauquier FRESH summer programs.