For the last four years, countless individuals have worked together to create Peake Childhood Center’s second center in Newport News. From the first conversations that were held in the fall of 2020 to now, every aspect of the new facility was planned in partnership with the City of Newport News and Virginia Peninsula Community College (VPCC). The vision of the facility resembling a set of building blocks put together by children drove the design and construction process. In addition to paying for the design and construction of the facility, furnishings and equipment were also provided by the City. Everything about the facility looks just as it should for Peake’s young children. With all the work complete, the new center opened on June 4, 2025.
Peake opened with six classrooms and plans to add nine more in the coming months, serving a total of 200 children. Prior to opening, Peake’s partnership with VPCC had already begun. VPCC students who were taking classes in the new facility were hired and professors provided professional development for the new teachers. This partnership between a nonprofit, local government, and community college is a model that can be replicated and shows what a community can do to support working families and their children.
In addition to the primary partnership and in order to support the expansion to Newport News, fifteen philanthropic businesses, foundations, and individuals made the commitment to become Peake Partners, with significant financial contributions that support our ability to run two campuses. These partners as well as others supporting our children and families through their work have helped to ensure the success of both the Hampton and Newport News centers.
Click HERE to see a video of our school coming to life.
