Everything you need to know about becoming an NC Pre-K provider
Please join us for an online informational session on Wednesday, December 7th at either 9:30am or 3:30pm. Email Stacey Bailey, NC Pre-K Program Director for a link to the session that works best for your schedule: stacey@buncombepfc.org.
NC Pre-K has been available to children in Buncombe County since state funded preschool first rolled out in 2001. Over 441 children are served each year in over 45 NC Pre–K classrooms at 31 child care sites throughout our community. The Buncombe Partnership for Children is the NC Pre-K administrator for Buncombe County. The local NC Pre-K Advisory Committee oversees the process of reviewing provider applications, selecting new sites, and allocating slots. The Buncombe County Commissioners’ recent investments make NC Pre-K more financially viable for programs to operate. There is a need for more providers and we hope you will consider applying to be an NC Pre-K provider for the 2023-2024 school year!
To apply, providers must fill out the NC Pre-K Site Application and the Additional Local Indicators forms. Please download these to your computer to be able to fill out the pdfs and save your information. Deadline to apply is December 31, 2022.
NC Pre-K Reimbursements and benefits
- NC reimburses providers $728 per slot per month
- Buncombe County provides an ADDITIONAL per-slot supplement to reach $990/month
- Buncombe County provides an extra “teacher support payment” to ensure private centers can pay lead teachers on their teaching license and years of experience (on K-12 scale).
- The Brigance Screen III and the Creative Curriculum 6th edition are provided to new NC Pre-K sites if needed.
- Ongoing programmatic and classroom supports from Buncombe County’s NC Pre-K administration
To be eligible to provide NC Pre-K, Early Education Providers must
- Hold a 4- or 5-star child care license (or temporary license)
- Employ a director with (or actively pursuing) Admin 3 credentials
- Employ a lead teacher with (or actively pursuing) a NC Birth-Kindergarten license
- Employ a Teacher Assistant with (or actively pursuing) an Associate degree in ECE
- Offer NC Pre-K for 6.5 hours/day for 10 months (ideally mirroring public school calendar)
- Provide all daily meals
NC Pre-K Program Requirements
- Use an NC approved curriculum (preferably Creative Curriculum 6th ed.)
- Assess children’s progress at least twice per year using TS Gold
- Assess children’s development within 90 days of enrollment using Brigance Screen III
- Engage in NC Pre-K-specific professional development as stipulated by DCDEE
- Engage with the NC Pre-K Program Coach
- Submit children’s attendance monthly
- Provide other NC Pre-K program, budget, child data as requested
Current listing of all the early education providers participating in the NC Pre-K program
Asheville City Schools:
Asheville City High School
Hall Fletcher Elementary School
Ira B Jones Elementary School
Isaac Dickson Elementary School
Lucy S Herring Elementary School
Community Action Opportunities Head Start:
Avery Creek Elementary School/Head Start
Barnardsville Elementary School/Head Start
Black Mountain Elementary School/Head Start
Candler Elementary School/Head Start
Charles Bell Elementary School/Head Start
Glen Arden Elementary School/Head Start
Haw Creek Elementary School/Head Start
Hillcrest Head Start Center
Johnston Elementary School/Head Start
Leicester Elementary School/Head Start
Lonnie Burton Child Development Center
North Buncombe Elementary School/Head Start
Oakley Elementary School/Head Start
Pisgah View Head Start Center
Sandhill Elementary School/Head Start
WD Williams Elementary School/Head Start
WW Estes Elementary School/Head Start
Weaverville Elementary School/Head Start
Private Providers:
Childcare Network #177
Childcare Network #178
Christine Avery Learning Center
Eliada Child Development
Irene Wortham Child Development
Verner Center for Early Learning East
Verner Central
YWCA Early Learning Program