PARTNERSHIP

GET INVOLVED

By blending and leveraging existing resources and providing funding through Smart Start - the programs below are made possible to the young children of Burke County.

• Child Care Resource & Referral Services:  Child Care Connections, the local CCR&R service, provides referral services to families to assist them in locating available day care resources and choosing quality care within the community.  Contact: Helen Wilkie, Child Care Connections, 439-2328  

• Professional Development of Child Care Providers: The local Child Care Resource & Referral agency will coordinate training opportunities, including scholarship and professional development planning seminars, for family child care providers.  Contact:  Helen Wilkie, Child Care Connections, 439-2328. 

• Child Care Provider Insurance Benefit Package: In order to assist local child care providers in securing health insurance and ancillary benefits, the Partnership contracts with the local child care resource and referral agency to administer an insurance reimbursement program  at no cost to the provider.  Contact:  Gloria Smith, Child Care Connections, 439-2328

• Head Start Expansion: The Burke County Head Start program regularly operates 120 days per year.  The Partnership provides Smart Start funds to extend the Head Start program year to June 30, 2003 (an additional two and one-half months).  The children currently receiving Head Start funding will convert to the regular child care program at the end of the Head start year and Smart Start will pay the cost of four hours of child care for children who do not qualify for the regular subsidy reimbursement through DSS.  Contact:  Tina Kyes, Blue Ridge Community Action, 438-6255

• Mobile Preschool Classrooms:  Three Mobile Preschool Classrooms provide unique and exciting pre-school classroom experiences for children ages 3 to 5 years old who live in outlying areas of the county and are not enrolled in child care.  Contact:  Susan Wilson Pollpeter, Burke County Schools, 430-4100.

• Quality Bonus for Non-subsidized Children:  The local Child Care Resource & Referral agency provides a quality bonus incentive to Burke County child care programs (centers and homes) to assist them in maintaining quality four- and five-star programs and in reaching higher license levels and national accreditation.  Contact:  Gloria Smith, Child Care Connections, 439-2328.

• Quality Bonus for Subsidized Children:  The Burke County Department of Social Services provides bonus incentive paid to child care programs (centers and homes), which have achieved a four- or five-star license.  Also available are funds allocated for subsidy, which may only be used for eligible children in four- or five-star child care programs by subsidized (low income) families.  Contact:  Karen Rollins, DSS Subsidy, 439-2126.

• Program Evaluator/Contracts Coordinator:  A Burke County Smart Start employee assists in measuring, reporting and monitoring the progress of Smart Start programs and offers technical assistance to contracted providers county-wide.  Contact:  Al Smith, Burke County Smart Start, 439-2326.

• Educational Enhancement Instructional Professional Development:  This program provides instruction, advisement, and recruitment for child care providers who enter the Early Childhood Education Program to pursue an AAS Degree.  Contact:  Janet Fisher, Western Piedmont Community College, 433-4070.

• More At Four Pre-K Program:  This program provides quality educational experiences to enhance kindergarten readiness for four-year-olds who are at risk of school failure and to prepare them for success in school.  Contact:  Debbie McLellan, More at Four Office, 438-6290.

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