Blue Ridge Partnership For Children

Family support includes programs for play and learn, imagination library and community outreach. 136 parents/caregivers, along with 169 pre-school age children participated in weekly play and learn groups in yancey, mitchell and avery counties. Of 23 parents/caregivers surveyed, 83% reported increasing their knowledge regarding activities that foster their childs learning, 87% reported an increase in providing opportunities to learn and try new things with their child, and 83% reported an increase in sharing ideas about caring for children with other adults.the imagination library program distributed 21,088 books to 2,192 children. Community outreach staff convened 44 meetings and attended 126 meetings to improve the early childhood system of services. Additionally, 18,139 were reached through quarterly newsletters and other media outlets - social media (96 posts), print media (6 newspaper articles) and radio (3 psas). 82% (18/22) of agencies surveyed reported knowledge of transportation services being available for child care with 64% reporting making arrangements. 86% reported knowledge of child care referral services with 45% referring families. 95% reported knowledge of the community resource library with 73% reporting either using the library or referring the library. 91% reported knowledge of dolly parton's imagination library with 73% assisting with families signing up.

Health & safety - provided costs for contracted child care health consultant serving avery, mitchell, yancey, mcdowell and madison counties, supporting the health & safety of children and staff in child care centers across those five counties through october of 2023.

Child care and education affordability included preschool scholarship and transportation services. 8 children received assistance with preschool tuition at church street preschool.7 children received assistance with preschool tuition at children's garden. Of the 15 continuing in the program for the entire year, 87% demonstrated improvement/mastery on 75% of the school readiness indicators as evidenced by pre- and post- program evaluations.transportation services - 10 children received transportation services from yancey county transportation authority (ycta) to and from child care. Of the 22 health and human services agencies surveyed, 82% reported knowledge of smart start funded transportation services to child care and 91% reported knowledge of transportation services being available for health and human services agencies - 63% reported referring families to brpfc services or program. 5 children received transportation services from mitchell county transportation authority (mtca) to and from child care. Of the 22 of the 22 health and human services agencies surveyed, 82% reported knowledge of smart start funded transportation services to child care and 91% reported knowledge of transportation services being available for health and human service agencies - 63% reported referring families to a brpfc service or program.