Community Needs Assessment Results Released
Lack of child care and social-emotional/behavioral (mental health) issues are two main themes that emerged.

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Stokes Partnership for Children (SPC) recently requested input from the community to conduct an early childhood community needs assessment. The needs assessment was conducted in two phases in collaboration with an evaluation consultant, Justine A. Wayne, MSW, MSPH. Phase one involved collecting and analyzing various existing data from various sources. Phase two consisted of an online needs assessment survey. The primary target audience was parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with young children, however; high-quality feedback was requested from various community stakeholders. The survey results will be used as a tool to help identify the Smart Start funding priorities over three years (2025-28) for programs in Stokes County that support children from birth to age five, but not yet in kindergarten.

It is important to note that not all of the data directly relates to the mission of Stokes Partnership for Children or its funding sources such as Smart Start, therefore; SPC will focus mainly on the data that does directly relate to its core focus areas: early literacy, family support, health and early care and education. However, the data may be relevant and useful to other local agencies and the public. In summary, the following key needs were identified in the Needs Assessment:

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• Expanded access to child care and Pre-K, through increasing availability and reducing parent cost.

• Support for behavioral and social-emotional (mental health) needs of children, both in the child care setting & directly for parents.

• Increasing child care provider pay (a living wage), access to health insurance, paid sick time; promoting child care providers as professionals.

 

To see the full report and supporting documents click on each below:

Sincerely,
Cindy S. Tuttle, Executive Director

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