By Emily Granholm
PHOTO: Caroline Goins, left, and her team at the Anson County Partnership for Children.
This week Paw barista Emily Granhom met with Caroline Goins, the executive director of Anson County Partnership for Children, which has the mission of making Anson County a better place to be a child and to raise a child.
The partnership is a nonprofit public/private organization formed in 1996 in response to the North Carolina Smart Start initiative. Smart Start’s mission is to help ensure that all N.C. children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. The partnership uses funds from Smart Start and other sources to develop direct services for children and families; parenting education; child care provider training programs; health services; and other services which are needed to help young children and their families, such as the car seat program where they check, install and distribute car seats. The program focuses on early education and development centered around safety for children from birth to age 5.
The partnership’s Smart Start programs focus on five core areas, customized to meet Anson County’s unique needs: child care quality, child care accessibility, child care affordability, health care and family support.
Caroline has been working for the Anson County Partnership for Children for five years and manages five other team members. They run the resource center in downtown Wadesboro – which provides educational toys and books – plus they handle the car seat program, develop the literacy program, manage the N.C. pre-K and childcare program, and much more.
Caroline says her staff makes the difference: “They are the ones who make the partnership successful. These are the most dedicated, loyal and inspirational people and they together to make the community a better place for the children of Anson County.” Caroline says her favorite part of the job is working with children, because she loves children, and she “tolerates” adults. (It made barista Emily giggle.)
The Anson County Partnership for Children will have its annual fundraiser, Barn Blast, with a live and silent auction, food, dancing and more, from 5:30-11:30 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Lockhart-Taylor Center. Tickets are on sale now and cost $65 each, or $500 for a table sponsor (eight people). Anson County Partnership for Children is located on 117 S. Green St. in Wadesboro. Click here or call (704) 694-4036 for more information.