celebrating over
50 years
in the community!
Our Mission
Our mission at DCCDC is to provide high-quality, affordable early education and care for any child of our community without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or socioeconomic status, and to embrace and foster diversity in a safe learning environment.
We are the only center in the North Mecklenburg area that offers 5-star, full-time, affordable early education and child care with scholarship support for children ages 6 weeks to Pre-K. About 40-50% of our children receive sliding-scale scholarship support, ranging from 35‒75% of the total tuition cost
At DCCDC, we believe the path to equal opportunity starts in preschool. Access to quality education early in life has a tremendous impact on young lives and in breaking the cycle of poverty for families in need. Mounting research demonstrates the enormous loss of human potential when we don’t invest in a child in the early years, particularly those at risk for academic, social, and economic failure. Without successful intervention, many children by age 5 are in danger of falling behind other children in their social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. Every additional child that we reach now through our early childhood education program is an investment in the future of our community.
Every $1 invested in early childhood education yields more than $8 dollars in future workforce productivity, increased career achievement, and public safety.
Our Story
DCCDC was founded in 1969 in response to a tragic fire that claimed the lives of 3 young African-American children. Their mother had no access to child care and left the children at home while she worked outside the home to support them. In response to this tragedy, a group of socially-conscious citizens set about to address the need for safe, affordable child care that would serve families of all income levels and backgrounds. Since then, the DCCDC has been a galvanizing force, bringing together members of our community from all races and economic backgrounds.
