Our History
Milestones that shaped Early Years
Our Beginnings (1974)
Early Years began in 1974 as two independent organizations: the Durham Day Care Council in Durham County and Day Care Services Association in Orange County. Each organization was created in affiliation with its local United Way as an ongoing vehicle to meet community child care needs.
Pioneering Child Care Innovation
As the first child care resource and referral agency in North Carolina, the Durham Day Care Council created successful community programs including on-site technical assistance and training opportunities for child care providers. Meanwhile, Day Care Services Association (DCSA) focused on providing child care scholarships to low-income families and operating a meal delivery service for child care centers and homes. In addition to its direct services, DCSA collaborated with other organizations to conduct the first county and statewide early childhood workforce study.
Flagship Programs
TEACH Early Childhood® Project
In 1990, DCSA created the TEACH Early Childhood® Project, a program that provided scholarships to Triangle early childhood professionals that wished to pursue higher education and/or certification in the early childhood field. The program later went statewide; in 1995, TEACH licensed its first program outside of North Carolina.
Child Care WAGE$® Program
DCSA also created the Child Care WAGE$® Program, which provides salary supplements to early childhood educators to increase retention rates and improve the quality of early childhood education.
A New Chapter: The 1999 Merger
In 1999, after recognizing the need for coordinated and consolidated efforts, the Durham Day Care Council and Day Care Services Association merged to become Early Years. Since then, Early Years and its programs have seen unprecedented growth and improved service delivery.
Headquartered in the Triangle with offices in Durham and Orange counties, Early Years has become a leader and advocate in child care services on the local, state and national levels. We collaborate with many partners, businesses and stakeholders to address needs within the child care system.
A Hub for Families & Educators (2007)
In 2007, Early Years opened the Jim and Carolyn Hunt Child Care Resource Center in Durham. This building houses Early Years’ Child Care Resource and Referral division, Durham’s Partnership for Children (Smart Start, NC Pre-K and Early Head Start), and Durham’s Alliance for Child Care Access, which provides child care subsidies to low-income working families. By co-locating the three agencies, families and child care providers now have a one-stop resource center for all of their child care needs. Early Years is only a part of the broader community’s commitment to create systemic changes affecting everyone. As we grow, we come closer to the day when all children—and their teachers—have the tools they need for success.
