FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Alexandria, VA – At their June quarterly meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a $3.8 million budget for Hopkins House, effective July 1 with the start of the organization’s 2025–2026 fiscal year. The adopted budget reflects a 13% increase in overall spending — driven primarily by payroll — in response to rising supply and labor costs fueled by tariff-related inflation and intense competition for highly qualified staff, as well as anticipated significant reductions in crucial federal funding for childcare and workforce development programs. Despite a challenging economic forecast, the spending plan reaffirms the organization’s strong commitment to educational excellence, family affordability, and investment in its dedicated workforce.
To support faculty and staff amid ongoing inflation and labor shortages, the FY26 budget includes a 2.0% automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and an increase in the organization’s monthly contribution toward employee health benefits to preserve free health coverage for eligible faculty and staff. The spending plan also includes an updated “Schedule of Salaries & Wages” to offer more competitive compensation and benefits for highly trained and experienced professionals.
To help offset these inflationary pressures, the Trustees were obliged to approve a significant tuition increase — $15–$20 per week at the James L & Juliette McNeil Preschool Academy and $25 per week at the Helen Day Preschool Academy — effective with the start of the new preschool year on September 1.
“As this budget demonstrates, the Trustees are keenly aware that the cost of safe, high-quality childcare in the U.S. continues to rise at an alarming rate and is nearing the point of becoming unaffordable for working families,” said Hopkins House Treasurer Jesse O’Connell. “We’re doing everything we can to contain costs while ensuring our faculty and staff receive a livable wage.”
Recognizing the potential impact of the higher-than-usual tuition increase on family budgets, the Trustees committed to raising at least $600,000 in philanthropic support over the next twelve months to help offset rising costs and maintain affordability. They also allocated $30,000 in preschool tuition assistance for financially distressed working families, $7,500 to support afterschool and summer youth employment opportunities at Hopkins House, and $5,000 for college scholarships benefiting Hopkins House alumni. Additionally, they preserved funding in the budget for a dedicated staff member to help families identify and access available government and private financial resources for food, housing, health access, and childcare.
“The year ahead presents significant challenges, but thanks to the foresight and collective wisdom of our Trustees, this budget positions Hopkins House to continue providing high-quality and effective community-based educational and workforce development programs for children, youth, and families — just as we have for the past 86 years,” said Hopkins House President J. Glenn Hopkins.
