New demographic analysis highlights the organization’s diverse service population and plans for a second Alexandria campus serving the Samuel Madden Homes community
ALEXANDRIA, VA — Hopkins House has released a three-year analysis of the children, families, and early childhood educators served through its preschool academies and workforce-development programs. The findings underscore the organization’s longstanding commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and the importance of ensuring that high-quality early education remains accessible to families across income levels, racial and ethnic backgrounds, languages, and communities.
The analysis, presented to its Programs & Assessment Committee which is charged by the Hopkins House Trustees with overseeing the organization’s programs and services, found that between program years 2024 and 2026, Black and Hispanic participants together increased from 75% to 79% of all people served by Hopkins House. The analysis also found that government-subsidized participants increased from 77% to 81%, while the percentage of full-paying participants declined from 20% to 16%.
“These findings remind us that diversity is not simply a value we state; it is reflected in the children, teens, families, and educators we serve every day,” said Elizabeth Partoyan, Chair of the Programs & Assessment Committee. “Equity requires more than opening our doors. It means intentionally removing financial, geographic, cultural, and linguistic barriers so that every child and family has a meaningful opportunity to participate and succeed.”
The analysis found a significant geographic shift in Hopkins House’s service population. Fairfax County residents increased from 17% of participants in 2024 to 48% in 2026, reflecting the organization’s growing presence in the county. Alexandria residents accounted for 38% of participants in 2026, compared with 70% in 2024.
Hopkins House expects to strengthen its Alexandria presence with the planned opening of a second city campus in 2029. Developed in partnership with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority, or ARHA, the new preschool will be located in the historic Samuel Madden Homes community and is expected to have capacity for as many as 124 children. A significant number of the children served are expected to come from families living in public housing.
The new Alexandria campus represents both an expansion of preschool capacity and an equity strategy designed to bring early education closer to families who may face economic and transportation barriers. At the midpoint of Hopkins House’s opening-year projection, Alexandria residents would account for approximately 44% of all participants served by the organization in 2029, compared with an estimated 32% without the new campus.
Depending on how quickly the new preschool reaches capacity, Hopkins House projects serving approximately 492 to 554 children and adults in 2029, with a working estimate of 523. Young children between six weeks and five years of age are expected to represent approximately 74% of participants that year.
The analysis also points to the importance of culturally and linguistically responsive services. Nearly one-third of Alexandria residents and almost two-fifths of Fairfax County residents age five and older speak a language other than English at home. Foreign-born residents represent approximately one-quarter of Alexandria’s population and nearly one-third of Fairfax County’s population.
In response, Hopkins House is working to strengthen multilingual outreach, translate frequently used family materials, track preferred languages during enrollment, and expand culturally responsive family navigation and program practices. The organization will also work with ARHA and community partners to build an enrollment and referral network for families living in and around the Samuel Madden Homes community.
Economic inclusion remains a central concern. With approximately four out of every five Hopkins House participants receiving government assistance, the organization expects the need for tuition assistance, scholarships, enrollment support, and family-stabilization services to remain high. In partnership with other groups, the Hopkins House Trustees will continue advocating for increased public childcare assistance and more flexible eligibility requirements while expanding philanthropic support for its Scholarship Fund.
Hopkins House will also establish measures to track enrollment, public-housing residency, subsidy participation, retention, language access, and other indicators at the Samuel Madden campus. These measures will help ensure that the expansion produces genuine new access rather than simply shifting enrollment among existing locations.
“Our objective is not only to serve more children,” Partoyan added. “It is to make certain that growth advances fairness — reaching families who have historically faced the greatest barriers to affordable, high-quality early learning while maintaining the excellence every child deserves.”
Founded in 1939, Hopkins House is a nonprofit organization serving children, families, and early childhood educators in the City of Alexandria and Fairfax County. Through its preschool academies, family-support initiatives, scholarships, and Early Childhood Learning Institute, Hopkins House works to advance educational opportunity, family stability, and economic mobility.
