You are invited to an open house on December 1, 2018, from 1-3pm in our new NC-Pre-K Classrooms.

We hope you will join us as we enjoy speakers, music, refreshments, and children’s activities. Meet some of our amazing ELP teachers and learn more about the NC Pre-K program. And best of all,

THE FIRST FIFTY KIDS TO ARRIVE RECEIVE A PRIZE!

We are thrilled to announce that our Early Learning Program expansion is complete! Thanks to funding from Buncombe County, YWCA Asheville’s Early Learning Child Care Program renovated and expanded four classrooms this summer, giving us the capacity to serve an additional 42 children. Additionally, thanks to funding from the Community Foundation of WNC, we have also completed a much-needed kitchen renovation, allowing us to better serve healthy meals to our children, staff, and foster grandparents.

The next phase of the expansion is now underway: renovating the playground to incorporate more natural elements, and commissioning a mural honoring Thelma Caldwell, Executive Director of YWCA of Asheville from 1965-1975.As the number of licensed child care centers in Buncombe County continues to dwindle, many parents are left struggling to find qualified caregivers for their pre-school-age children so that they can go to work. This gap puts a particular strain on women, says YWCA of Asheville’s Chief Program Officer, Sala Menaya-Merritt. “Women, particularly women of color, tend to be the primary caregivers, and often breadwinners, for families with children. When women have access to high quality child care, our economic opportunities expand. We understand that providing high quality, accessible child care is a part of how we fulfill our mission to eliminate racism and empower women.”

As YWCA ELP parent Cari Barcas says, “I deeply value the work the YWCA is doing to advance equity through its childcare programs accepting both private pay and voucher families, and I am so grateful that my daughter is being raised in a setting that celebrates diversity. This is such a huge need in our community, and I'm delighted to be supporting such a conscientious organization through my child's tuition.”“We’re proud and excited to be able to offer this additional capacity for working families in Asheville,” says Denise Purcell, Early Learning Program Director, “and we want to make sure that the community knows that we have these openings in our Early Learning Program.” If you or someone you know is in need of high-quality child care for their 3-5 year old, please refer them to us! If they register their child, you AND they will receive a $50 gift card!

For more information or to register your child for Early Learning or NC Pre-K, call Denise Purcell, Director of Early Learning Program at 828-254-7206 x 106.