FINDING CHILD CARE

We know finding the right child care program is important to families and caregivers and
can seem overwhelming. Here are a couple of helpful resources.

Looking for child care for a child 0-5 years old?

Mountain Child Care Connections is a great place to start:

Mountain Child Care Connections provides free, confidential information about quality child care to meet your needs:

Child Care center contact information
Types of care available
Quality indicators and star licenses
Cost of care
Referrals to other agencies
Call 877-752-5955
Email childcareinfo@swdcinc.org
Search online here

The Division of Child Development & Early Education

DCDEE is another great resource to find child care. They have a guide on choosing quality child care and a search feature that allows families to find centers based on name, location, and other criteria like age.

DCDEE’s search database.

Looking for assistance paying for child care?

Child Care Subsidy (Vouchers) may significantly lower your costs!

You will need to contact the Child Care Subsidy Unit at Buncombe County Health and Human Services for more information and to apply – (828) 250-5500.

Head Start. Early Head Start, and NC Pre-K are publicly funded, high quality programs- free for eligible families.

Head Start is a free program for children 3-5 years old whose families meet the income guidelines. Head Start typically runs from August through May, 6.5 hours a day. Community Action Opportunities runs Head Start in Buncombe County. Call 828-252-2495 for more information.

Early Head Start is a free program for infants and toddlers under 3 years of age. Care is offered daily for 6 hours, with limited extended care possibilities. Families needing help with child care for the rest of the day should apply for child care voucher or pay a parent fee. Families must meet income guidelines to be eligible. The Verner Center for Early Learning runs Early Head Start. Call (828) 298-0808 or email enrollment@verneremail.org for more information.

NC Pre-K is a free program for children who turn 4 by August 31 whose families meet the income guidelines. NC Pre-K typically runs from August through May, 6.5 hours a day. Programs are located at public schools, private child care programs, and Head Start centers. Limited options for wrap-around care are available

Families with 4-year-olds can apply to BOTH Head Start AND NC Pre-K with one application. Learn more and start an application at our Buncombe Pre-K Page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Buncombe Partnership for Children’s role in child care?

We do not provide child care directly. We manage the NC Pre-K program in our community and provide various supports to child care providers, but we do not directly provide child care on site. Child care providers can contact us for technical assistance, professional development, and workforce development.

Does Buncombe Partnership for Children provide referrals?

The referral agency for Western North Carolina is Mountain Child Care Connections (see description above).

We are a member of the Smart Start network, North Carolina’s nationally-recognized initiative to ensure that every child reaches his or her potential and is prepared to succeed in a global community. Smart Start helps working parents pay for child care, improves the quality of child care and provides health and family support services in every North Carolina county. Buncombe Partnership for Children is the local Smart Start agency. Although the names sound similar, Head Start and Smart Start are not related.