Dogs and their owners are invited to a Pup Social tomorrow at Hyatt Park in Reston Town Center (1800 Presidents Street). In this on-leash dog event, dogs and their owners can socialize with their neighbors from 2-4 p.m.

Attendees will also get the chance to get a professional portrait of owners and their dog. Attendees can also enter a raffle for a $100 RTC gift card. Refreshments will be provided by EagleBank. The event is hosted by Public Art Reston.

Tomorrow (April 27)

• Woofie’s Grand Opening (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) — The business, which offers pet sitting, dog walking and a mobile pet spa, will host a grand opening event at Jimmys Old Town Tavern (697 Spring Street).
• Community Yard Sale (9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) — Eighty families will sell a variety of items in this event hosted by Reston Association at 1900 Campus Commons Drive.
• Spring Carnival (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) — The spring carnival by Reston Children’s Center includes food, carnival games, fire truck visits, a treasure hunt and more. Entrance is free but game tickets cost 50 cents per ticket. The carnival will take place at Reston Children’s Center (11825 Old Crafts Drive).
• Opening Reception of Things That Don’t Have Names (5-7 p.m.) — Join the Greater Reston Arts Center (12001 Market Street) for the opening reception of  this exhibit by DC-based artist Stephanie Williams. The exhibit of objects apparently doesn’t have names.
• Annie (8 p.m.) — Reston Community Players kicks of a performance about the comic strip heroine, Little Orphan Annie. Additional performances are planned through May 18.

Sunday (April 28)

• Bird Walk (7:30-10:30 a.m.) — Beginners and experts will search for birds across a variety of sites starting from Glade Stream Valley Trail. The event is for adults only and registration is not required.
• Healthy Kids Day (9 a.m. to 12 p.m.) — Kids can awaken their imagination by exploring new activities and healthy habits with activities like swimming in a pool and a petting zoo. The event takes place at the YMCA in Reston (12196 Sunset Hills Road).
• Bike Drive for Kids and Bike Maintenance Check (12-4 p.m.) — Athletes competing in the Reston Sprint Triathlon and the BeAMYazing Reston Youth Triathlon can get free bike safety checks at The Bike Lane (1150 Sunset Hills Road). Event organizers will also accept like-new or gently-used bikes for low-income kids.

This is a sponsored post from Reston Children’s Center, which has been providing quality childcare, preschool and kindergarten in Reston for 50 years.

By Buzz McClain

With the 2016-2017 school year underway, Reston Children’s Center (RCC) is marking its 50th anniversary offering professional care for children in a loving and nurturing atmosphere in the Reston community. As one of the first businesses established in Reston — an internationally renowned planned community that was founded in 1964 — RCC is celebrating the occasion with numerous events throughout 2017.

The nonprofit, parent-owned cooperative is committed to serving local children and their families by providing infant and toddler care, preschool education, private kindergarten, before- and after-school enrichment programs for children in kindergarten through sixth grade, transportation to and from local public schools, and summer and winter camps for school-age children.

“This year marks a significant milestone in the history of our center, the Reston Children’s Center community, and the lives of those who were and are privileged to be part of this remarkable community,” said Executive Director Fahemeh Pirzadeh, who recently celebrated her own 30-year anniversary with RCC. “This year gives us a chance to celebrate our founding, reflect on our success, revel in the sense of community we’ve built over five decades, and imagine our next 50 years.”

RCC began operations in 1967 with a $1,000 donation from the Reston Foundation and just 30 children from preschool to school age meeting in the United Christian Parish building on North Shore Drive. In 1980, RCC broke ground at its current home at 11825 Olde Crafts Drive. Today RCC serves more than 250 children. With parents composing the elected board of directors, the center is committed to ensuring that children and their families come first by creating an unparalleled teacher/parent partnership dedicated to the education and development of children.

Class sizes at RCC are limited and staff turnover is remarkably low, with more than half of its seasoned staff members serving 10 years or more. After 50 years in operation, the center also boasts many second-generation families, including adult graduates who now serve as teachers and children of RCC alumni who are taught by some of the same teachers who cared for their parents.

To commemorate Reston Children’s Center’s 50th year, the center hosted a picnic celebration for former and current families in October and has planned additional celebrations throughout the year, including the upcoming 50th Anniversary Gala and Silent Auction on Saturday, March 11 at the Hyatt at the Reston Town Center.

The program includes infant and toddler care, preschool education, full-day kindergarten, before- and after-school enrichment, and summer camp. The RCC corporation seeks to promote innovative learning opportunities and individual creativity while maintaining high standards of care and fostering equal opportunity in learning and education for all children regardless of race, creed, sex, religion, national origin, disability or economic status.

Over its 50-year history, RCC has maintained its 501(c)(3) status. The award-winning child care center has been accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) since 1988 and the National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA) since 2001, and the center has been featured as a national model for child care and coops in numerous local and national television segments, articles, and even a book.

For information, contact Fahemeh Pirzadeh at [email protected] or 703-476-8150.

This is a sponsored post from Reston Children’s Center, which has been providing quality childcare, preschool and kindergarten in Reston for 50 years.

By Buzz McClain

In 1967, a $1,000 donation by the Reston Foundation was enough to open the Reston Children’s Center, a preschool-through-school-age children (up to 12-years-old) institution that was badly needed by the burgeoning planned community. Thirty children attended the school in the United Christian Parish building on North Shore Drive.

That was 50 years ago. Now the RCC has its own building, an annual budget of $3.5 million, 70 teachers, administrators and support personnel and more than 250 children under their care.

To celebrate the half-century, Reston Children’s Center is starting the party early, with a kickoff picnic Saturday, Oct. 1 at Lake Fairfax Park.

The festivities, open to current and former families, students, teachers and staff are from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., with fun and games in between. Refreshments will be provided, of course.

“It has been very rewarding to serve Reston for so long,” said Fahemeh Pirzadeh, the RCC’s executive director who herself has been with center for 30 of its 50 years. “This is our way of thanking the community while bringing together old friends and new friends to celebrate our — and their — achievements.”

Reston Children’s Center is at 11825 Olde Crafts Drive in Reston. Call 703-476-8150 or email at [email protected]. See the website here. For information about the celebration at Lake Fairfax and to share your memories of RCC, see RCC’s Facebook page here.