Childcare, youth activities, kindergarten: The educational and enrichment options available to parents of young children can feel overwhelming. Buncombe Partnership for Children offers parents in Asheville guidance and a range of resources to help them make the best decisions for their family as they embark on their educational journey. Mosaic Community Lifestyle Realty is proud to help build up area families by supporting this invaluable initiative.
What is Buncombe Partnership for Children?
The group partners with local organizations to provide programs that improve the quality of early childhood education, increase access to affordable, high-quality early care, expand early literacy opportunities, and provide family support. The partnership’s vision is that every child in the Asheville community will reach his or her fullest potential and be prepared for lifelong success.
Asheville/ Buncombe County Childcare
Finding the right childcare program can be daunting; the partnership points parents in the direction of helpful resources, such as Mountain Child Care Connections, a regional call center providing families with free, confidential information about quality child care to meet their individual needs. Another resource is the Division of Child Development & Early Education, which offers guides and a database for parents to easily research area childcare centers. Buncombe Partnership also offers a map of childcare centers in the county so parents can gauge proximity to home or work.
Play & Learn groups
Buncombe Partnership also works with Kaleidoscope Play & Learn groups, which are free adult-child groups for families of children 3 months to 5 years old. Activities include singing songs, stories, art, outdoor play, puppet shows and crafts. Children must reside in Buncombe County and not be in enrolled in licensed childcare. Registration is ongoing, but is required before attending and begins immediately.
Pre-kindergarten
Buncombe Partnership for Children administers the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten Program (NC Pre-K) in Asheville. NC Pre-K is a state-funded, free, high-quality early care and education program that aims to enhance children’s school readiness. The program is offered for 6.5 hours a day for 10 months; programs are located in public schools, private childcare programs, and Head Start.
Reach Out and Read
Reach Out and Read program provides free books to children 6 months to 5 years at all well child doctor’s office visits. The medical practitioners have a chance to observe the child’s interest in and approach to the book, which helps them note development stages. Doctors also advise families on how best to introduce books and build a love of reading. Reach Out and Read’s partnership with Buncombe Partnership for Children has helped to bring the total number of area children served to 1,600 annually.
Asheville Adventure Play
The partnership has been working with community volunteers to provide untraditional play opportunities, hosting pop-up adventure playgrounds around Buncombe County. Its newest collaboration will bring pop-ups to Buncombe County Sports Park throughout the summer.
Kindergarten preparedness
To help your child get ready for making the transition to kindergarten, the partnership recommends you do a number of things before the first day. Talk with your child about their new school. What are they looking forward to? What are they wondering about? Find books at the library about getting ready for school to read to your child. Practice getting ready. Take a trip to their new school. Even seeing the school from the outside can help your child feel more prepared.
For more information on early education and enrichment in Asheville, visit https://buncombepfc.org.
To learn more about Asheville area Real Estate, contact Mosaic Realty owner/broker Mike Figura at Mike@MyMosaicRealty.com or call him anytime at 828-337-8190.
Search: Asheville Area Real Estate
Connect