OUR IMPACT

20 Years of Accomplishments

Over the past 20 years, Buncombe Partnership for Children has been a strong supporter of children’s learning and early development. Our passion and work have helped the community prepare our children for lifelong success.

Here are just a few examples:

We piloted and administered the NC Pre-K Program (formerly More At Four, founded in 2002), increasing slots for children from 25 to 427.
We led the local First 2,000 Days campaign, and as a result, our community understands that the time between birth and kindergarten is critical for setting the foundation for children’s lifelong success.
We strengthened professional development opportunities for early educators by introducing a classroom coaching model and offering a wide range of training series and online courses.
We worked with the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Learning Collaborative to bring resiliency training to early educators.
We partnered with the Literacy Council of Buncombe County to bring more books into the homes of children through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
We expanded from 2 to 12 staff and continue to build new partnerships to fulfill our mission.

Our Next 20 Years

We are excited about what the future holds for the children of Buncombe County. The Partnership will:

Help lead the Asheville-Buncombe Preschool Planning Collaborative to expand access to high quality, affordable preschool.
Champion a culture of early literacy by giving a new book each month to every child in Buncombe County from birth to age five through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
Explore a permanent location for Asheville Adventure Play, offering children and families a place to experience outdoor, hands-on, child-directed play using imagination and recycled materials.
Advocate for improved reimbursement rates for programs offering subsidized care and for fair compensation for the early educator workforce.
Collaborate with key partners to simplify and streamline the application process for families seeking any type of subsidized child care.

“In Buncombe County, we’ve got about one in four kids living in poverty, and preschool is a very concrete way to break that cycle. It’s been tested and studied, and it helps kids, especially those from at-risk backgrounds. It helps them enter the educational system with stronger skills and helps with academic achievement over the years.”

Jasmine Beach-Ferrara Buncombe County Commissioner

Our Investments

Our Results

We believe in improving access to quality child care, so we invested $2.8 million in affordable child care.

652 children received access to high quality child care through subsidies (vouchers) and 457 children enrolled in the NC Pre-Kindergarten Program.

We believe access to high quality child care can change a child’s life, so we invested over $1 million in advancing child health and improving child care quality.

383 early educators in 55 programs received Child Care Health Consultation services to improve health and safety practices, including support of children with special health care needs.

125 staff from 26 child care programs received classroom coaching through the SUNSHINE Project, which reduces preschool expulsion.

66 child care programs received grants through the Sustaining Facility Quality Initiative, which helps providers uphold high quality care; 98% of programs successfully maintained their star rating.

49 child care facilities in WNC, 17 in Buncombe County, improved physical activity and nutrition practices through Shape NC.

We believe in providing tools for parents and encouraging early literacy, so we invested over $170,000 in supporting families.

100% of families who participated in The Incredible Years Parenting Education Program reported more confidence in their parenting abilities and stronger
relationships with their children.

16 Asheville Adventure Play Pop-ups – free, hands-on, child-directed play events — were held with over 1,600 children and adults participating.

400 children received a free book every month through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, supporting the creation of home libraries.

290 children attended Play & Learn Groups. 70% of parent participants reported their children were better able to participate in group activities and get along with others.

We believe young children deserve highly educated and well paid teachers, so we invested $400,000 in professional development.

618 educators attended 71 workshops through Child Care Resource & Referral; 100% reported learning new skills.

140 early educators earning less than $17 per hour and teaching 2,839 children received salary supplements through The WAGE$ Project.

“It really helps make ends meet. Without WAGE$, it would be very difficult to be able to work in child care. WAGE$ makes my life WAY easier. “

Early Educator