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The University of North Carolina at Asheville and the Orelena Hawks Puckett Institute today announced an official partnership that will provide university-based care and learning for young children. The Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Education (CEECE Inc.) is a non-profit organization that is a result of a collaborative and historic effort between UNCA and Puckett, and will independently provide asset-based child care services primarily to UNCA students. The Early Learning Center will be based at UNCA and run by CEECE Inc., and will open in August 2002.

"Today’s announcement is historic in so many ways," said UNCA Chancellor James H. Mullen Jr. "At long last, the students and potential students of UNCA have options with their education and their lives. But more importantly, CEECE Inc., is offering a new era in early learning -- the best quality child care based on decades of research -- and we are changing the way our youngest children are cared for, taught, and treated."

UNCA is pleased to be partnering with the Puckett Institute, one of the nation's most innovative non-profit early childhood institutes. Puckett, headquartered in Asheville, is engaged in a more than two dozen projects and studies across the nation that focus on building the capacities and strengths of children and their families. Among its local efforts are collaborative preschool and kindergarten projects and a parent resource center in Burke County, and child care quality enhancement projects in Buncombe and Madison counties.

"The Center for Excellence is a highly innovative collaborative that meets the needs of young children and their parents, and provides opportunities to advance our understanding of best practices in early childhood education and family support," said Carl Dunst, Puckett Institute president. "Combining research, training and best practices raises the bar in what makes a difference in the lives of young children and families."

The Early Learning Center, which will serve infants through five-year-olds and their families, is scheduled to open August 5 on UNCA's Vivian Street property, near campus. CEECE Inc. is renting a new modular building for the center, which will be sited next to the former Children's Grammar School, according to Maggie Smith, UNCA director of Child and Family Services.

The center will have 35 full-day spaces, which should translate into a mix of 50 half-day and full-day spaces, Smith said. Openings go first to children of UNCA students, which sounds like a good idea to Erin Bronson, a junior environmental studies major at UNCA who is expecting her first child in the next few days.

"Getting my degree is important to me and my future family," said Bronson. "Day care is very difficult to find in Asheville. The Early Learning Center definitely gives me the opportunity to stay is school." UNCA will hold a series of informational meetings for students, faculty and staff this week and is conducting an online survey of those who intend to enroll their children.

Start-up costs for the Early Learning Center were met through a $50,000 private sector grant from Bank of America, First Union and the Wachovia Foundation and through a subcontract to CEECE Inc. by Puckett Institute.

In addition to The Early Learning Center, CEECE Inc. will provide a family resource center for parents of children enrolled in The Early Learning Center and advanced research and training for early childhood educators, Smith said.

The first training program for working child care providers is already under way. Funded by a $50,000 grant from Smart Start of Buncombe County, CEECE Inc. provides a certified instructor who travels to the child care centers and teaches providers both early childhood education theory and how to translate it into daily practice, Smith said. Participants receive UNCA college credit. There is already a waiting list for the second program.

For more information on CEECE Inc. and The Early Learning Center, contact Maggie Smith at 828/251-6906, or visit the Web site at www.ceecenc.org. For more information on the Puckett Institute, call 828/255-0470, or visit the Web site at www.puckett.org.

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Please note: CEECE is pronounced "cease."

Media Contacts:

• Maggie Smith, UNCA Director of Child and Family Services, 828/251-6906
• Merianne Epstein, UNCA Public Information Director, 828/251-6676