About
The Guilford County Partnership for Children is a local non-profit strategically directing over $17M annually for young children and families in Guilford County. The majority of our funding comes from state and federal funding through contracts with the NC Partnership for Children, and the NC Division of Child Development and Early Education. Additional funding comes from local foundations, corporate and individual giving. GCPC is part of North Carolina’s nationally recognized, statewide Smart Start network. Our mission is to ensure that all Guilford County children prenatal to age five are emotionally, intellectually, and physically ready for success in school.
Strategic Plan Priority Areas
We are thrilled to publicly release data from our Early Childhood Community Needs Assessment which was recently completed as part of our strategic planning process. We were fortunate to have the expertise of Mary Beth Gilbert with Evaluation Innovations, LLC lead this work. The assessment report is available for those who want to dive in deeper to understand the needs of young children, their families and caregivers, and the early childhood education space. Data from the report helped guide our recently approved Strategic Plan. That plan, developed with the support of 1000 Feathers, will guide the work of GCPC over the next few years with a focus on two big goals.
Strategic Plan and Needs Assessment report was released in February 2025. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on additional news.
School readiness investments include equitable access to:
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High Quality Childcare
For vulnerable 4-year-old children. The NC Pre-K program funds over 2,000 high-quality preschool slots in programs with a quality level of 4 or higher.
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Professional Development for Early Childhood Teachers and Caregivers
In quality improvement, family engagement, inclusion, classroom management, and childhood obesity prevention. Training in trauma-informed teacher-child interactions is also offered to ensure emotionally responsive, age, and culturally appropriate learning environments. Childcare Health Consultants are also available to ensure adherence to health and safety standards. Peer coaching, community learning, and workforce retention support is also offered.
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Family Support Services
Including evidence-based home visiting programs such as Parents as Teachers, Healthy Start, and Guilford Family Connects. Some individualized mental health services are available for children participating in NC Pre-K. Pre-natal and neonatal intensive care support is also available.
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Early Literacy Programs
Reading Connections and Dolly Parton Imagination Library.
