By Faith Wu
Meet Peake Childhood Center, the 501(c)3 nonprofit, dedicated to providing children with quality and affordable early childhood care and education. Since 1971, Peake has been serving children ages 6 weeks to 5 years in Hampton. And now, a new location has opened in Newport News.
Peake is one of six centers in the Chesapeake Bay region accredited by the National Association of the Education for Young Children, representing the gold standard for early child learning. At the heart of Peake is Jennifer Parish, executive director of the center. Parish is passionate about fostering growth and teaching that learning is not just for the children — it’s for families too. She’s a firm believer that a good early childhood education is the key for success in school later on. “Peake’s mission is to do just that so it was a perfect fit for me,” she says.
Delivering quality education is one of the many services Peake prioritizes. Through research-based curriculum such as STREAMin³ and Kindermusik, children learn about science, math, technology, reading, music and the arts. “They’re really learning through play,” Parish says. “Our curriculum is not sitting at desks doing worksheets.”
At Peake, delivering care that’s accessible and affordable is just as important as the quality. “In our region, it costs more for four years of childcare than it does to get a BA degree from college,” says Parish. Our solution is offering three avenues of affordability for families: Virginia Childcare subsidies, mixed-delivery grants and a sliding-scale tuition — the only one of its kind in the area.
Children aren’t the only ones developing their knowledge and skills. One of the unique highlights of Peake is its Parent Partner Sessions. From teaching the parents about ways to help their child to equipping parents with life skills such as buying your first house, Peake seeks to extend its care to the whole family.
As a nonprofit, Peake has many partnerships helping to contribute to its mission. One of Peake’s first partners was Hampton University and its communications disorders department. For 50 years, the university has provided free speech and language therapy and assessments for children, right inside Peake’s centers. “It’s been a long time coming so we’re really excited about it,” says Parish with a smile. Another partnership is with Mariners’ Museum. Together, the museum make it possible for children to go on a field trip to the museum four times a year. “And it’s great because our kids are in families that might not have gone to the museum,” says Parish.
Most recently, Peake has partnered with the City of Newport News and Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC) for the opening of its new Newport News location. The City of Newport News constructed and furnished the new building, and VPCC uses the building to teach its early childhood educator courses. Additionally, Peake provides VPCC students with observations and internships through access to Peake’s classrooms and facilities. “It’s really a partnership among a nonprofit, a local government and a community college tackling what I think is a huge issue for society,” says Parish. “This partnership is going phenomenally well.”
Looking toward the future, Peake is hoping to increase compensation for its staff. “Our goal is to have our teachers receive at least 75 percent of parity to elementary school teachers and our local school divisions,” says Parish. “We need additional support to make this happen. Our teachers are devoted to teaching our children.” Parish is excited about the new center — bright and colorful and outfitted with fascinating learning tools to keep little ones engaged and eager to learn. Parish is hoping to reach the center’s full capacity of 200 children.
“Come for a visit and see both centers and take a “Milk and Cookies” tour, Parish says. There are virtual and in-person options, giving visitors an opportunity to see the children and what they are doing in the classrooms. “A phone call or an email is all it takes to set up a tour,” Parish says.
As seasons change and new and returning kids come and go, Peake’s mission always remains the same. “We just work to continue to improve what we do for kids and families with a goal of helping our little ones be successful in school to live successful lives,” Parish says. “That’s really our goal.”
TO THE POINT:
Peake Childhood Center
Address: 1500 Jefferson Ave., Newport News, VA 23607 and 1306 Thomas St., Hampton, VA 23669
Contact: Jennifer Parish, executive director
Phone: 757-825-6200
Email: jparish@peakecc.org
Website: peakecc.org
