Initiative

Charlotte Bilingual Preschool ParentChild+

Charlotte Bilingual Preschool prepares Spanish-speaking children for success in school and life by providing superior dual language, multi-cultural early childhood education. Our vision is that Charlotte-Mecklenburg is a place where differences in language and culture are mutually enriching, and all children have greater access to advantage and opportunity. Charlotte Bilingual Preschool provides a suite of two generation programs, including a four-year pilot of the national home visiting program ParentChild+. Early Learning Specialists hired and trained from our family community support quality parent-child interactions, connect families to resources, and equip them with skills to support kindergarten readiness at home over two years of twice-weekly visits while children are 2-4

Fast Facts

Relevant Actions
State or Local? Local
CountiesMecklenburg
Lead Agency Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
Type of Agency

Non-profit

Racial Equity Lens
  • ParentChild+ recognizes that racial equity is critically important to achieving the desired outcomes in the communities in which we work. We go beyond “closing the gap in education” as a goal to create benchmarks that lift up all populations, while amplifying voices from communities that have for too long been excluded because of systemic racism.
    • We hire and train Early Learning Specialists from the community we serve
    • We examine and co-create accessible training materials with our team members
    • We embed our design with approach in program implementation through surveys and community conversations.
Community Voice
  • Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have surveyed families on their needs, made referrals to existing community assistance programs, and coordinated resources for needs not already being met. In response to their feedback, we have provided families enrolled in ParentChild+ with technology to access the program virtually, basic need supplies, and culturally appropriate meals and groceries. We have also coordinated volunteers to provide one-on-one technology support.
Impact
  • In 2021, 19 families will graduate from Charlotte Bilingual Preschool’s ParentChild+ program having had 92 home visits over the course of two years.
  • Our successful shift to remote learning was highlighted as best practice at a ParentChild+ national conference.
Next Steps
  • From the 2019-20 school year to 2020-21, we doubled the size of our pilot to serve 53 families and their children. We are seeking funding to serve 13 additional families in 2021-22.
Primary Funders
  • GreenLight Fund
  • ParentChild+
  • Vanguard Charitable
  • Other philanthropic individuals and organizations
Contact Connie Barcelo

Active Counties