Buncombe Partnership for Children Helps Local Families Find the Early Education Program that Fits Them
Photo Credit: Ben Fehsenfeld
By Meg Hale Brunton
Finding the preschool that’s right for your child can seem impossible. Finding the government assistance that your child needs to get into that school can feel even more unachievable. Thankfully, there are initiatives like Buncombe Pre-K that give you the tools to start your child’s education on the right foot, and agencies like Buncombe Partnership for Children (BPFC) to help you take advantage of those initiatives.
BPFC is a non-profit organization, founded in 1993 with the goal of improving the quality of early childhood education in the area and assisting families in accessing educational opportunities. Part of the North Carolina Smart Start network, BPFC operates a website through which families with kids (ages 0-5) can access information about preschools, pre-Kindergarten programs, after school care, play and learn groups, parenting classes, and support programs like NC Head Start. On the site, families can also access the Buncombe Pre-K application portal.
Launched in February 2022, the Buncombe Pre-K portal was designed with the goal of helping families navigate the confusing federal and state pre-k programs, and get help in figuring out if they are eligible. One of the many selling points of the portal is that it comes with its own full-time, preschool Outreach and Enrollment Coordinator, Cindy Knox. “We really wanted to create a system that was eliminating barriers for families,” says Cindy. She goes on to say that it really comes in handy in her line of work that she is bilingual. “Being able to have somebody who speaks the language and is able to help them with documents, that has been such a great help for a lot of families. Really, just making it easy and accessible to most families is a huge plus for us.”
Families can also directly upload documents and request application assistance through the portal. By grouping all the resources and applications in one location, BPFC hopes it is easier to direct families to where they need to be. “I review every single application that comes through and make sure that they are selecting a program that is going to have their needs met,” Cindy explains of her role, adding that she is happy to personally assist customers with any issues they have with the site. “Previously, families had to go to the different offices to do applications for the different programs. Now with this role and this portal, it condenses it to one application, one person to talk to, and clear answers to what documents you need.”
While placement and eligibility are not officially determined through the site, it does give families all the information to determine what to request to accommodate their individual needs, and allows access to all the necessary forms. To connect the child with the program, the portal application process takes into account any emotional or mental needs of the child, as well as proximity to the family’s home or work, whether or not the parent needs transportation for the child or extended-hour care, what support options the family is eligible for, and the parent’s top three favorites schools.
A preschool teacher for eleven years (six as an Early Head Start teacher), Cindy knows the difference that early education can make in a child’s life. “I think it’s been super beneficial being in the classroom, then starting in this role,” she says of her current position. “I feel that it’s so important for kids to get that care experience in a childcare/classroom setting because before they go to Kindergarten, they’re able to build a routine, make connections with other adults outside their home, and have that experience with other children their age.”
BPFC Pre-K Expansion Director Deanna LaMotte says one of the big challenges their organization faces on a daily basis is helping people with limited resources figure out what programs best serve their child’s needs, what support options they are eligible for, and how to apply for those. “What is frustrating about publicly-funded programs like Head Start and NC-Pre K is that they are asking the most vulnerable families in our community to do three times as much to get their children into these programs,” she explains. “We just really wanted our community to have a little more support for those families, to help them persevere when it feels really hard.”
Deanna cites that 90% of human brain development happens within the first 2,000 days of life (between birth and kindergarten), and that children who have access to high quality early education are more likely to graduate high school, go to college, and earn a higher income than those who don’t. “All those things go back to early childhood,” Deanna explains, who’s Master’s degree is in public health. “The more we can set up those children in the first five years, the more we can support them and give them what they need to be full, curious, healthy humans, the less we will have to do for the next eighty years of their life. And that is public health.”
Deanna also points out that preschool catches learning disabilities and developmental delays so they can be addressed prior to starting elementary school. “A lot of parents think Kindergarten readiness is basic academic stuff,” she says, stating that teachers know how to teach numbers and letters, but don’t have the resources or training to teach a child how to regulate their emotions. “Those are the things that a pre-K class really helps children with.” Deanna says that, in Pre-K programs, children are able to learn those social-emotional skills in a play-based format.
In the end, Deanna advises parents to keep trying to find placement with an early education program. “Yes, searching for childcare and preschool can be frustrating and is more time-consuming than any parent of a four-year-old should have,” she acknowledges. “It is a huge benefit for families and children.” She and Cindy hope that their work with BPFC and Buncombe Pre-K makes that path to early education a little easier for all children in their community.
To learn more about Buncombe Partnership for Children, or to learn about early educational opportunities for your child, visit their website: https://buncombepfc.org/