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Wake County Office of Early Learning outlines outreach, home visits and preschool supports
Summary
The district’s Office of Early Learning reported family-school partnership days, more than 1,700 play-date participants, over 1,000 parent-educator home visits and 32 community events this school year, and described funding sources and programs that connect families with preschool services.
The Wake County Public School System Office of Early Learning presented an overview of family-engagement programs that connect families with preschool services and community partners.
Joan (Dawn) Dawson, senior director for early learning, told the board the office runs family-school partnership days, collaborates with Project Enlightenment, and coordinates transition-to-kindergarten sessions and community pre‑K application events in partnership with NC Pre-K and Telamon Head Start. Dawson reported that family “play dates” and related events drew more than 1,700 students and families in 2023–24 and that Project Enlightenment parent educators have completed over 1,000 home visits this school year.
Dawson described Project Enlightenment’s resources, including a parent-teacher resource center with a lending library and two model classrooms for guided observations, and the ready-to-learn centers located in five elementary schools where parents and caregivers participate in modeled early‑learning activities. She said Project Enlightenment offers 25–30 workshop topics, virtual and in-person, and that the office participates in community outreach — 32 community events so far this school year — and sends annual pediatrician packets that describe early‑development signs and available services.
On funding, staff said support comes from a mix of federal (Title I and special-education allocations), state and local funds and that Project Enlightenment is locally funded; staff warned that reductions in federal funding would affect these services and would increase reliance on local dollars.
Board members praised home visits and outreach and asked staff to keep presenting program data; district leaders said they would continue coordinating with community partners and measuring engagement through events and referrals.
