Do you have a child turning four on or before August 31, 2012? If so, your child may be eligible for the North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K) program. NC Pre-K is a program designed to prepare at-risk four-year-olds for kindergarten. In order to apply, you must come to the Lee County Partnership for Children's (LCPFC) office at 143 Chatham Street, Sanford, NC 27330 to fill out an application.

Please bring with you:

• child's birth certificate
• proof of income for an entire month of all members working in the household
• proof of residency (example: phone bill, electric bill) 
• If your child has an IEP or chronic health condition, please bring proof from your doctor. 
• If you are currently receiving DSS, please bring a copy of your voucher or the latest Action Notice.

Eligibility includes:

• Child's age
• Family gross income
• Military dependents
• Limited english proficiency
• Identified disability
• Chronic  health condition
• Developmental/Educational need

Applications will continue to be accepted throughout the school year. LCPFC is also accepting applications for children that will be entering kindergarten in the fall for the NC Pre-K summer program. The application process is the same as the NC Pre-K school year program.

If you have questions, contact Barb Ballachino or Dolores Ibarra at 919-774-9496.

LCPFC started accepting applications for the NC Pre-K program on March 19, 2012.

article is re-posted from the Smart Start blog:

Yesterday, Governor Bev Perdue called on the General Assembly to restore the three-quarters of the one-cent sales tax that was eliminated during the last legislative session and dedicate those funds to education.

In response, Dr. Olson Huff, Chair of the Board of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc., released the following statement:

“North Carolina is known for investing in its people and recognizing that economic development begins with early childhood development. Our state’s early childhood work has produced enormous education, health, and economic results for the state. We see it in higher third grade reading and math scores, decreased special education placements, and lower dropout rates. We see it as a factor when businesses decide to move here and when magazines name our region as one of the best places to live.

With renewed investment, we can make children, families, communities and economies stronger. This is critical in today’s environment, where there are more children birth to five, more of those children are living in poverty, and far fewer resources are available than a decade ago. Since 1990, there has been an 85% increase in the number of children living in poverty. At the same time, funds have declined— most significantly during the last legislative session when early childhood education taking a disproportionate cut, meaning today far fewer children and communities are benefitting from needed early childhood services.

Any new public resources must be invested wisely. In the words of Dr. Andrew Meltzoff of University of Washington Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, ‘There are only 2,000 days between the newborn baby and when that child will show up in kindergarten. . . Our children can’t wait.’

Together, we can provide the early education, health and developmental resources parents need to raise capable children and successful adults. In doing so, North Carolina will attract businesses, grow jobs and guarantee prosperity.”

We are proud to announce our top three places for the Central Carolina ‘Delightful Darlings’ fundraiser! Winners are as follows: 1st place, Mason Coldren, son of Patricia and Michael Coldren; 2^nd place, Mandi Schlitz, daughter of Annette and Brad Schlitz; and a first time ever tie for 3^rd place, Cora Stumpf, daughter of Bianka and Ty Stumpf and Reese Gaines, daughter of Rebecca and Adam Gaines.

The four-week fundraiser earned $3,100, of which 100% will go towards the purchase of books for Lee County children enrolled in the Lee County Imagination Library program. The funds raised will purchase 1,100 books, which will be given free of cost to preschool children in Lee County.

Our 'Delightful Darlings' winners received a trophy, small cash prize and had the opportunity to ride in the Sanford Christmas parade. Mason and Mandi rode in the parade together with their families and had a blast. One of the families created a float for them to ride on together. Everyone had a blast, and they lucked out with a nice warm winter night!

Our first place winner, Mason, and his family put together this wonderful float for all the 'Delightful Darlings' to ride on! 

Mandi, our second place, and her parents joined in on all the fun!

We want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all of our contestants that participated (and their families) and all those that donated to the Delightful Darlings fundraiser. This is the primary fundraiser for Imagination Library. We wouldn't be able to provide books for children in Lee County without the  support you all have given! Thank you! 

The Lee County Partnership for Children (LCPFC) presented its annual report for the 2010-2011 fiscal year at the Board of Directors meeting on December 1, 2011. The annual report presentation was made by Dr. Pam VanDyk, LCPFC program evaluator, and Mikael Basinger, LCPFC board chair.

The annual report is available online (click here) and at the LCPFC office, 143 Chatham Street. The annual report provides a snapshot of the numerous services supporting young children and families in Lee County and can provide an illustration of the impact services have on their well-being.

For more information or to receive a copy of the annual report by mail, please contact Celeste Hurtig at 919.774.9496 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .