Quality Child Care

In Wake County, as of January 2009, over 25% of our birth to 5 population attended regulated child care. Because a child’s experiences in his first five years are of such critical nature, Wake County works to ensure that quality child care is both accessible and available to families who need it. To that end, Wake County SmartStart invests in community partners who:

  • provide subsidy payments for children in regulated day care,
  • work with licensed child care centers to maintain or improve their star ratings,
  • provide opportunities for child care professionals to increase their skills, and
  • foster opportunities for child care teachers to further their education.

 

Search:

During the 2008-2009 fiscal year, 428 child care providers reported an increase in knowledge as a result of technical assistance and educational opportunities available to them.

By offering professional development, educational opportunities and technical assistance to more than 83% of Wake County’s child care teachers, Wake County SmartStart positively impacted the quality of child care by increasing the skill of child care professionals.

In FY 2008-2009, Wake County SmartStart funded services and activities through which almost 70% of child care facilities in Wake County received consultation and training, resulting in more highly-trained child care workers, which is critical to the quality of care a child receives.