Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: YWCA of Asheville and WNC
Legal Name (if Different): YWCA of Asheville & Western North Carolina, Inc.
Also Known As:
Mailing Address: 185 S French Broad Ave
City: Asheville
State: NC
Postal Code: 28801
Main Phone: 8282547206
Main Fax:
Organization Website: ywcaofasheville.org
Employer ID Number: 560547476
Organization Tax Status: 501c3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: 02/27/2025
Requested Amount: 10,000

Project Title: Early Childhood Education
Project Description:

YWCA of Asheville has two high-quality childcare programs:

Empowerment Child Care (ECC) was designed to serve as a free/reduced-cost, short-term solution for families seeking to find employment, pursue education goals, and access social services. Our Early Learning Program (ELP) is a 5-star, licensed childcare provider in a more traditional Pre-K model. Child care is an essential need for low- to middle-income families, and this need is even more critical now, as our local economy slowly recovers from the damaging effects of Hurricane Helene. We also partner with Asheville Buncombe Technical and Community College and the Family Justice Center to serve parents enrolled in their educational programs and who may be seeking much-needed social services, including crucial disaster relief services.

However, quality child care is expensive to provide and to access. The cost of infant care ($12,000) exceeds the cost of in-state college tuition ($10,033 including books at UNC). Currently, 55% of ELP kids pay with vouchers. However, for each voucher, our reimbursement rate does not cover the full cost of care. We treat the difference like a scholarship and do not charge families the extra, using self-pay student income to cover the loss. This funding will support us, as we support families.

Finally, a stable and fairly compensated staff is essential to our ability to provide quality childcare. Childcare workers are among the lowest-paid professionals throughout North Carolina. We need to recruit, support, and retain our childcare workers to ensure continuity of care, and to build a long-term, sustainable workforce. Therefore, a portion of the funding would support staff salaries to ensure we can offer them the same quality of life and care that they provide our program participants.

Total Project Budget: 3488333

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Buncombe County (committed), Trinity Episcopal Church (committed), First Horizon Foundation (committed)

Project Duration: Ongoing
Geographical Area Served: Asheville, Buncombe County
Age Group To Be Served: 0-5

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Rebecca
Contact Last Name: Boyd
Contact Title: Grants Manager
Contact Phone: 8282547206
Contact Email: rebecca.boyd@ywcaofasheville.org