Alexandria Nonprofit Urges City Council to Put Childcare Back on the Agenda

Alexandria, VA — Hopkins House, a nonprofit with deep roots in Alexandria, is pressing city leaders to put childcare and support for childcare workers back at the forefront of the city’s 2026 legislative package for the Virginia General Assembly. In a recent letter to city council members, the organization argued that removing these priorities undermines the city’s efforts to maintain economic stability, especially as families face job losses and uncertainty tied to federal workforce reductions.

“Childcare is not a peripheral issue — it is essential economic infrastructure,” said J. Glenn Hopkins, President & CEO of Hopkins House. “Working parents cannot remain in or reenter the workforce without access to safe, affordable, high-quality childcare. At a time when families are navigating job losses, reduced benefits, and instability, childcare support becomes more critical, not less,” Hopkins said in a statement.

The letter also highlights ongoing critical challenges for Alexandria’s childcare workforce, noting that early childhood educators remain among the lowest-paid workers in Virginia, despite Alexandria’s high cost of living. Several local childcare providers have shut their doors in the past year due to financial pressures, further limiting options for families and threatening overall workforce participation.

Hopkins House is urging the City Council to advocate for legislative measures, including increased state funding for competitive wages and benefits for childcare workers, expanded support for early childhood education programs, emergency stabilization funds for providers affected by federal workforce disruptions, pathways for displaced federal employees to enter early childhood education careers, and family-friendly workplace policies such as paid leave.

“Alexandria’s economic vitality depends on supporting the families and educators who make this city work,” stressed Julie N. Jakopic, Chair of the Hopkins House Public Policy & Advocacy Committee. “Restoring childcare priorities to the City’s legislative agenda is an investment in workforce stability, child development, and the long-term strength of our community.”

Hopkins House is a nonprofit learning center for children, youth, and families, named in memory of Dr. J. Milton Hopkins, an African American physician who practiced in Alexandria, Virginia until his death at the age of 52 in 1927. The center was founded in 1939.

Hopkins House provides educational programs and learning opportunities to children, youth, and their families, regardless of income.