$43.4 million gift from Kathleen and David LaCross powers early childhood learning center, raising their gifts to university well over the $150 million mark

The University of Virginia announced a $43.4 million gift to the School of Education and Human Development, an investment that positions UVA to join local partners in bringing to fruition an early childhood learning center in Charlottesville.

The gift from UVA alumni Kathleen and David LaCross is the largest in the Education School’s history. It bolsters existing plans for an early learning center where Charlottesville children will receive leading-edge instructional and developmental care, while UVA students get practical career preparation and experience.

“This inspired gift from Kathy and David LaCross is a profound vote of confidence in UVA’s ability to lead, innovate, and serve the public good,” UVA President Scott Beardsley said. “The gift activates key components of the university’s mission—education, public service, and research—and enables us to connect academic excellence with local partnerships to deliver real-world impact and a strong start in life for Charlottesville children.”

Details about the community partnership and participating organizations will be announced later.

Kathy LaCross said the investment reflects the family’s desire to leverage the university’s expertise to make a difference for local children and families, especially those with challenging circumstances. She said the center will also create local jobs and potentially serve as a national model.

“Providing high-quality educational and developmental experiences at the youngest ages sets children up for success in school and in life,” she said. “David and I are proud to join with others to support an initiative that promises to positively impact children and their families, educators, the Charlottesville community, and the University of Virginia.”

The LaCrosses are significant supporters of their alma mater. Previous and recent record gifts to the Darden School of Business, where David LaCross earned his MBA in 1978, established the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business, supported The Forum Hotel and associated LaCross Botanical Gardens, and student housing currently under construction. Kathy LaCross earned a psychology degree from UVA in 1976 and has volunteered and taught at the elementary school level. David LaCross earned his undergraduate degree from UVA in quantitative methods in 1974.

The LaCrosses provided a separate $5 million gift to the Education School, establishing the LaCross University Professorship in Early Childhood Education. Combined with matching university funds, the professorship co-investment impact totals $10 million.

“Kathy and David LaCross have made an extraordinary investment in quality early childhood education in Charlottesville,” Stephanie Rowley, the Education School dean, said. “We are deeply grateful for their generosity and for our community partners whose ideas, expertise, and leadership have shaped this vision from the very beginning.”

Research shows the extraordinary benefits of educational preparation for children under 5 – a critical time for laying the foundation that enables students to thrive in K-12. Large gaps exist between students ready for kindergarten and those who are not. Those gaps often align with family income, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Locally, more than 35% of students in Charlottesville and Albemarle County began the 2021 school year below the expected level for kindergarten entry, according to research by the Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program.

“This gift, and the partnerships that it will strengthen, give me tremendous optimism for our community and for the children and families whose lives will be touched,” said Charlottesville Mayor Juandiego Wade. “Investments in early childhood learning are truly investments in future success.”

The learning center will also spark collaborations between the Education School and other UVA schools and institutes in areas such as clinical psychology, speech pathology, neuroscience, and classroom and technology design.

Plans for the center envision eventual enrollment of more than 100 children, up to age 5. Some children from low-income families will attend at no cost while others from higher-income families pay tuition.

Increasing the availability of high-quality early education opportunities aligns with recommendations from a UVA community working group established in 2019 to explore how UVA could partner with local organizations to strengthen the Charlottesville/Albemarle community.

In concert with an early childhood education working group, the President’s Council on UVA-Community Partnerships, which engages with local partners, identified several priority recommendations for strengthening local early childhood education, including the need for more pre-K slots and better support for teachers. An implementation group is now continuing the work to carry forward the working group’s recommendations.

Over the past decade, UVA alumni Kathleen and David LaCross have quietly built one of the university’s most consequential modern philanthropic portfolios, with cumulative commitments that easily top nine figures and are now well over $150 million by public estimates.

Their giving has reshaped the Darden School of Business—funding the LaCross Institute for Ethical Artificial Intelligence in Business, the dean’s chair, The Forum Hotel, LaCross Botanical Gardens, and new student housing—while a new $43.4 million gift to the School of Education and Human Development, paired with a separate $5 million endowed professorship in early childhood education and matching funds, extends their impact into early learning, community partnerships, and faculty leadership.

Taken together, the LaCrosses’ investments position them as cornerstone benefactors of UVA’s current campaign and as architects of a philanthropy strategy that links ethical business, innovation, and high-quality early childhood education under a single family vision.

“Through the continued generosity of the LaCross family, we are not just helping to establish a center; we are supporting a collaborative, sustainable model for early childhood education that will lift families, strengthen our regional workforce, and serve as a blueprint for communities across the nation,” Beardsley said. “I am so grateful for the LaCrosses’ friendship and impact on UVA and to Dean Stephanie Rowley for her leadership.”