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 Site Application Additional Local Indicators Form

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