Agenda - 04-28-2014 - Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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15 EXHIBIT A Orange County Partnership for Young Children Robin Pulver, Executive Director Smart Start NC Pre K Information Smart Start 2014 -2015: • Maintain Smart Start funding or increase funding to prior year levels. • Continue the focus on developmentally appropriate early literacy and evidence based programs for early care, education, and services. • Increased funds 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 have decimated these programs. • Continue the waitlist reduction for child care subsidy in the upcoming year. • Enhance and maintain quality in early care and education in all settings (public and private) by supporting teacher quality; evidence based learning objectives; healthy life styles and community engagement. NC Pre K (MAF) 2014 -2015: • Support and increase funding to serve more children in quality early education. • NC Pre K should continue to be offered in a variety of settings, including child care, public schools, head start, etc. Maintaining this diversity allows the maximum of parent choice and funding. • Maintain the 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 5 private child care centers continue to work collaboratively to provide the highest quality Pre K services. The school districts have been 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 Mark Dorosin and Assistant County Manager Grier 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 Robin Pulver, OCPYC Executive Director at 919 -967- 9091 or rpulvergorangesmartstart.org if you need any additional information.