A-B Tech to assume operation of Child Care Center
October 20, 2010
A-B Tech and Buncombe County officials announced that effective Jan. 1, the operation of the A-B Tech Child Care Center will transition from Buncombe County to the College.
A-B Tech President Hank Dunn said the move will allow the College to develop a model child care site that capitalizes on the existing relationship between the Center and the College's Early Childhood Education program. The Center will serve as a learning lab for students in the two-year degree program, the short-term Early Childhood certificate program and the Infant/Toddler Care certificate program.
"We are confident this change will be beneficial not only to our Early Childhood students, but also to the Center's families and children, as well as its staff and facilities, " Dunn said. "For 23 years, Buncombe County has operated an outstanding child care center and this will make the transition to A-B Tech easy and provide a solid foundation for program enhancements."
Assistant Buncombe County Manager Mandy Stone said A-B Tech and Buncombe County officials are working together to ensure the transition is invisible to the children and to minimize the impact on the operation as much as possible. The Center will maintain its current hours from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. A-B Tech also intends to offer letters of employment to the current staff, contingent on the County's recommendation and the satisfactory completion of certain College requirements.
"Providing a seamless transition for the children is our primary consideration," Stone said.
The Center serves 45 children, from six-weeks to five-year-olds, and has been operated by Buncombe County since 1987.
Center Director Beth Westmoreland said the transition to A-B Tech makes sense, given the Center's location on the College's Asheville campus. "Physically, we've always been part of A-B Tech," she said. "With the College assuming operation of the Center, we're becoming A-B Tech employees, and we look forward to joining them."
If you have an A-B Tech-related news tip or if you are a member of the news media who needs information about A-B Tech, contact the Community Relations and Marketing Department at 398-7852.
Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.