About Us

Our Mission

The mission of Barrett Early Learning Center is to promote and foster growth and development in children, ages 2-5 years old, by providing a high-quality early learning/child care environment that offers a variety of sensory, language, cognitive and social experiences designed to generate a love for learning and prepare children for a successful future in education and life.

Janie Porter Barrett Nursery School
Founded in 1935 in Vinegar Hill

Barrett Early Learning Center, the oldest childcare center in the Commonwealth, opened in 1935 as the Janie Porter Barrett Nursery School under FDR’s Works Progress Administration program (WPA) for “colored” woman working in WPA service centers. When WPA ended in 1941 along with its funding, African American leaders in the Starr Hill community rallied to keep the Barrett Day Nursery open recognizing the invaluable role it played for working women with low paying jobs and few employment opportunities.

It was a struggle until a chapter of the Community Chest (now United Way) organized in Charlottesville in 1944 and chose to sponsor Barrett as one of ten “Red Feather agencies.” United Way has been an invaluable partner ever since, most notably in 1958, when they gifted the house at 410 Ridge St. to the Barrett Day Care Center.

In the summer of 2003, the Center underwent significant changes. The Board of Directors elected to change the name of the Center to Barrett Early Learning Center, to reflect its emphasis on teaching and learning, with regard to all aspects of child development: social, emotional, intellectual and physical. This effort has taken on a renewed significance with the recent focus on the importance of preschool education for school readiness.

With enthusiasm and commitment, Barrett Early Learning Center is preparing its children and families to live in the 21st century. While preserving its legacy, we are creating enriching opportunities for Charlottesville's youngest residents and meeting the developmental needs of each individual child.

All are welcome to Barrett.

Watch our 80th anniversary video of Barrett’s fascinating and significant history!

Learn more about our namesake Janie Porter Barrett.

Vice-President

Brenda Castañeda

Barrett Early Learning Center
is an Equal Opportunity Provider

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.

The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:   U.S. Department of Agriculture

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

fax:    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

email: Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.