Fast-Growing Community Need
Founded in 1999, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool has been providing high-quality, two-generation solutions for Spanish-speaking children for 20 years. As one of the fastest emerging Latinx markets in the country, the Charlotte region has experienced significant change over the last two decades. Latinx individuals now make up nearly 15% of the Charlotte population, and that number continues to climb. New immigrants to the Charlotte region encounter a number of obstacles to success as new Charlotteans. This is particularly true for children entering the public school system.
Currently, the preschool is meeting less than 5% of community need through its headquarters facility on Charlotte’s east side. Focused on the potential to increase impact, the Preschool recently embarked on an ambitious effort to create a larger community footprint and expand their critical service offerings to more families. They engaged Next Stage to work with a task force made up of staff and board members that would propel Charlotte Bilingual Preschool into its next phase of expansion.
The Big Idea
With such great need for services, the task force knew an ambitious plan would be required to dramatically increase its impact. After a series of whiteboard design sessions, the group unanimously agreed to “reduce by 50% the annual number of economically-marginalized, Spanish-speaking learners entering kindergarten without experiencing dual-language early education” over the next ten years. In practical terms, this means serving approximately 1,500 additional children each year across Mecklenburg County.
Next Stage helped the team ideate and affirm four core strategies that would enable this time-limited vision and expand access to dual language preschool programs across the County. These core strategies addressed both program expansion and the resource development needed to make the vision possible. Next Stage worked with the team to construct a comprehensive roadmap that would guide them through the changes.
Where They Are Now
With their strategic planning process complete, Charlotte Bilingual Preschool is moving into the implementation phase. They have secured several large gifts to launch the project and are making plans to begin expansion of their programming in the 2020-2021 school year.
