The North Carolina Child Care Corps: Building a Successful University and Community Partnership Through the Americorps National ServiceProgram

Abstract

In 1993 President Clinton signed into law the national service program, AmeriCorps. The AmeriCorps program, not unlike its predecessors, VISTA and the Civil Conservation Corps, was created to provide an opportunity for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to assist in solving problems that exist within American communities. AmeriCorps adopted a four part mission statement, consistent with the philosophy of encouraging and rewarding service in our country: 1) Getting things done in communities by working to meet their educational, public safety, and human and environmental needs; 2) encouraging responsibility in individuals for themselves, their families, and their communities; 3) strengthening communities by bringing individuals together to get things done; and 4) expanding opportunity by providing volunteers with specialized training, job experience, life skills, and an educational voucher. The AmeriCorps mission statement was at the forefront of formulating this university and community partnership designed to improve the quality of infant, toddler, and preschool child care in North Carolina.