Agenda - 02-19-2013 - 6c - Laserfiche WebLink

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EXHIBIT A Orange County Partnership for Young Children Margaret Samuels, Executive Director Smart Start NC Pre K Information Smart Start 2013-2014: Maintain Smart Start funding or increase funding to prior year levels. Continue the focus on developmentally appropriate early literacyand evidence based programs for early care, education and services. Increasedfunds will allow OCPYC to fund necessary programs in our community and expand funding to Early Intervention/Health and Family Support projects. Continued cuts to Smart Start funding over the years has decimated these programs. Continue the waitlist reduction in the upcoming year. In 2012, the County waitlist for child care subsidy was significantly reduced from a high of 650 children. This is the first time in several years that hundreds of children have not been waiting for child care subsidy in Orange County. Enhance and maintain quality in early care and education in all setting (public and private) by supporting teacher quality; evidence based learning objectives; healthy life styles and community engagement. NC Pre K (MAF) 2013-2014: Support and increase funding to serve more children in quality early education. NC Pre K should continue to be offered in a variety of setting including child care, public schools, head start, etc. Maintaining thisdiversity allows the maximum of parent choice and funding. Maintain the current definition of “at-risk”. At a time when more children are living in poverty, more NC Pre K slots need to be available for children. OCPYC in conjunction with school districts, CHTOP Head Start and 5private child care centers continue to work collaboratively to provide some of the best quality Pre K services in the state. Both Chapel Hill Carrboro City School and Orange County School Districts are aware of state issues and concernsand their impact on local implementation. The school district hasbeen supportive of OCPYC and its administration and implementation of NC Pre K in Orange County. Conclusion: I want to thank the Orange County Board of County Commissioners for the opportunity to give an update on the status of Smart Start and NC Pre K funding. We know that quality early childhood programs help to alleviate the achievement gap, reduce the need for costly services including special education, and reduce overall societal cost by increasing graduation rates. I also want to thank Commissioner Pelissier, County Manager Clifton and Assistant Manager Harvey for their service to the OCPYC Board as well as thanking the County Department Directors who serve on our Board and provide guidance and assistance to early childhood services in Orange County. Please do not hesitate to contact Margaret Samuels, OCPYC Executive Director at 919- 967-9091 or msamuels@orangesmartstart.org if you need any additional information.