Child Care Action Begins with Us.
Here at the Early Childhood Taskforce, we are a group of advocates working to bring more high-quality affordable child care options to Henderson County – options that fit families' and caregivers' schedules and budget.
Our team includes nonprofit leaders, educators, healthcare professionals, community leaders and parents.
As part of our work, we advocate with local policy and business leaders, so they understand how important affordable child care is to our community.
We use data, our own experiences, and feedback from parents and caregivers, businesses, and childcare providers to help make positive change happen in our community.
Who we are:
The Henderson County Early Childhood Taskforce is a group of advocates working to address urgent and systemic gaps in early childhood care and expand affordable, quality child care options in Henderson County, N.C.
Formed in January 2023 as a result of the childcare crisis that escalated after the pandemic, the Taskforce is a collaborative effort spearheaded by the Children & Family Resource Center, Smart Start Partnership for Children, and the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
Together, these three organizations actively engage with childcare providers, stakeholders, and the community.
But the Taskforce’s strength is in its collective network of nonprofit and community leaders, educators, parents, policy experts, and workforce development and industry professionals.
Why do we do the work we do? Because:
- Henderson County doesn’t have enough child care options. Period.
- While child care providers aren’t paid enough, the child care options we do have are often expensive – too expensive.
- Limited child care options impact parents' work days, home life, children's kindergarten readiness, and so much more.
- Our group simply wants what’s best for our kids and kids in our community – and we know you do, too.
That starts with expanding access to affordable, convenient, safe and quality child care.
"Safe and reliable child care enabled me to be fully present and productive again at work - confident that my children were well taken care of."
"In an economy which requires families to have two incomes, available and reliable early child care is essential."
"The availability, affordability, and quality of child care impacts every single human in our community, whether they realize it or not."
Did you know?
Goals & Priorities:
The Henderson County Early Childhood Taskforce has several priorities that all fall under 3 overarching goals. Here are some ways we want to make real impact:
- Increase Community Awareness & Advocacy
- Increase community awareness of barriers to high-quality child care and its impact to the local workforce
- Increase grassroots advocacy for systemic and impactful change to support local families, early childhood educators, and the economy
- Support regional advocacy efforts for a statewide child care subsidy reimbursement rate floor to improve child care providers’ ability to ensure equitable access to care
- Strengthen relationships with early childhood education center directors, providers, and teachers
- Stabilize the Early Childhood Workforce
- Strengthen the local talent pipeline of early childhood educators
- Increase high school student interest in Early Childhood Education as a career pathway in Henderson County
- Increase local support of workforce development programs that train highly qualified early childhood educators (e.g. CFRC, Blue Ridge Community College, Smart Start)
- Increase Revenue Streams for Child Care
- Expand employer and business investments to increase child care slots and reduce barriers for families
- Pilot the NC Tri-Share Program in Henderson County Employers
- Increase government, school system and private investments to expand Pre-K availability and access
Want to dig deeper?
Click these documents to learn more.
Get Involved.
Complete our interest form and get connected with opportunities to get involved, receive updates and advocacy alerts!
Donate directly to our work through our fund with the Community Foundation of Henderson County.
Do YOU have a childcare story to tell?
Whether you are a parent, childcare provider, business owner or community member, we’d love to hear from you.
Want to connect with the Taskforce?
For information on regional efforts working on childcare, visit
