A Unique Position with Big Impact
Davie County is home to a rare and powerful educational role—a preschool coach—who serves as a critical bridge between early childhood educators. This innovative, shared position between Smart Start of Davie County and Davie County Schools supports public school pre-K classrooms, licensed childcare centers, and faith-based preschools alike.
For the past eight years, Stephanie Nelson has provided hands-on support, professional development, and the latest educational insights to early childhood educators across Davie County. Through her work with Smart Start of Davie County (SSDC), she supports all teachers serving children from birth to age five, offering guidance tailored to both individual classroom needs and the broader goals of early childhood education. With a focus on building strong foundations well before kindergarten, she’s helping prepare the next generation for long-term academic success.
Tailored Support in Every Setting
Whether visiting a public school site, a licensed childcare center, or a faith-based preschool, the preschool coach customizes her support to fit each unique setting. Her strength-based approach highlights what educators are already doing well and helps them build on that foundation.
“Teachers don’t always hear what they’re doing well,” Nelson says. “Especially in environments with limited adult interaction, that kind of encouragement can be huge.”
She’s also a trusted resource. Teachers frequently text, call, or email with questions about behavior strategies, classroom management, or curriculum alignment. Nelson makes herself available outside of school hours, knowing that many educators only have time to reflect and reach out in the evenings or on weekends.
“Teachers have shared how beneficial it is to have a person in their corner who is there to support them as they support their students,” said Gena Taylor, executive director of Smart Start of Davie County.
Continuing the Work of DavieLEADS
Launched in 2017 with funding from the Mebane Charitable Foundation, the DavieLEADS (Literacy Empowers All in Davie to Succeed) initiative created a coaching position to support NC Pre-K classrooms in both private centers and public schools. The initiative was part of a five-year, $2.5 million effort to increase kindergarten readiness to 90% and third-grade reading proficiency to 80% by 2022.
Since its founding in 1997, Smart Start of Davie County has provided support for childcare centers, their teachers, and childcare directors through free trainings, curriculum enhancements, and licensed rating support. Davie County Schools was providing similar support internally to its preschool team. In 2021, as DavieLEADS funding was coming to an end, they had the creative idea to merge their coaching support into one full-time shared role. This strategic move ensured continuity of support across all early childhood settings and fulfilled the Mebane Foundation’s original vision of giving all children entering kindergarten access to the same high-quality foundation. Today, the position remains partially funded by the Foundation through a grant to Smart Start, and its impact endures through the work of Nelson.
Key components, such as Letterland and Heggerty phonemic awareness instruction—introduced during DavieLEADS—are still supported today. Nelson ensures new teachers are trained and veteran teachers continue to use these tools effectively.
“If the Mebane Foundation hadn’t provided the initial funding for this position, I wonder how many preschool programs would have even learned about the value of Letterland and Heggerty as tools in preschool,” she reflected. “Once private program directors heard how successful these tools were in public school, they were eager to use them too.”
“Letterland and Heggerty continue to be foundational to our literacy efforts,” she says. “Even in half-day programs, I help teachers adapt these strategies so they fit into their unique schedules.”
Professional Development Rooted in Relationships
Smart Start of Davie County continues to host monthly childcare director meetings, free or low-cost trainings, and an annual Early Educators conference. Nelson and SSDC staff work with directors to offer additional support for licensed and faith-based centers. Additionally, Nelson hosts monthly Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings and organizes hands-on training sessions for early childhood educators. She also follows up with teachers after each training to ensure strategies are successfully implemented.
These efforts are rooted in relationship-building, something both Smart Start and the school system see as fundamental. “Preschool coaching is built on relationships,” says Taylor. “Having a person dedicated to that allows the coach to know how to serve each individual teacher and center while making sure all children and teachers are equitably supported.”
“Most counties do not have the luxury of a preschool coach position, and we are very much aware how lucky we are to have Stephanie serving in Davie County Schools,” added Mackenzie Ratledge, director of Preschool Programs for Davie County Schools. “She is the connecting piece between all the different agencies in the Early Education community in Davie County. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, which provides consistency and increases quality across all settings in Davie County.”
Bridging Preschool and Kindergarten
One of her most impactful contributions is serving as a liaison between preschool and kindergarten. She shares vital information from the school system with preschools across the county—like details about kindergarten registration, screenings, and transition events. She also facilitates alignment between grade levels.
For example, when an elementary instructional coach raised concerns about numeral recognition in young kindergarteners, Nelson initiated a conversation with all NC Pre-K teachers—both public and private—during a PLC meeting. The result was a meaningful discussion about numeral formation, which led to better alignment between preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
“Our preschool and kindergarten teachers don’t always have time to collaborate,” Nelson explains. “I help bridge that gap to ensure continuity for our kids.”
Real Stories, Real Results
Nelson’s work isn’t just theoretical—it changes lives. After attending a session on using music in the classroom at Smart Start of Davie County’s annual Early Educators Conference, one teacher was inspired to revive a military cadence-style cleanup song she had created years earlier. It was a hit with her students—and quickly spread to other classrooms in the center.
In another case, Nelson helped a first-year teacher struggling to get her students’ attention during transitions. “I suggested she turn off the lights and speak softly instead of trying to talk over the children,” Nelson recalls. “She was skeptical, but it worked. Sometimes a simple tip can make all the difference.”
These kinds of real-time, real-world solutions are what make preschool coaching so powerful.
Meeting Emotional and Behavioral Needs
Another key focus for Nelson is social-emotional learning and classroom management. These were priorities during DavieLEADS and remain essential today. “If the classroom isn’t running smoothly, and there are many interruptions because of children’s behaviors, it’s hard to get to literacy and other academic skills,” she explained.
A Critical Link for Families
In addition to supporting teachers, Nelson helps identify developmental delays and connect families with services. When she observes concerns in a classroom, she works with teachers and directors to guide families through the next steps, such as many programs that Smart Start of Davie County staff offer including positive parenting programs, literacy programs, SSDC’s free lending library and free educational supports, Childcare Subsidy tuition assistance program, and WAGE$ preschool teacher salary supplement program, and more. That early intervention can make a significant difference in a child’s school readiness and overall well-being.
A Champion for Quality and Consistency
Another of her primary responsibilities as the preschool coach is supporting programs as they maintain and improve their quality ratings—commonly known as star ratings—through the Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). This task is more vital than ever, as North Carolina transitions this fall to a redesigned Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). Smart Start of Davie County recently offered Infant/Toddler and Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ITERS & ECERS) training for local childcare teachers and will continue to offer these free classes, supporting the state-mandated changes coming from DCDEE.
“Everything I do with licensed programs and the school system revolves around helping programs maintain their licenses,” Nelson explains. Starting this fall, every licensed program will have new decisions to make and new information to learn. My job is to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”
Nelson stays ahead of statewide changes, interprets new requirements, and ensures that all early learning programs in the county—regardless of their type or size—are fully informed and equipped to succeed.
One Job, Many Hats—And a Huge Impact
Nelson’s responsibilities are as diverse as the needs of the educators and children she serves. She’s a trainer, a mentor, a curriculum consultant, a behavior coach, a literacy champion, a liaison, and—often—a lifeline.
Nelson summarizes it best: “You really are on an island when you’re a preschool teacher unless someone can come in and observe alongside you. Directors do their best, but they’re busy with the day-to-day operations. My job is to be that person who shows up, listens, and helps.”
A Model for the State
According to Taylor, this unique collaborative position could serve as a model for small rural communities throughout North Carolina. “We frequently share with colleagues the remarkable partnership we’ve developed between Smart Start of Davie County and Davie County Schools. The shared preschool coach role has become an invaluable resource for all educators working with children from birth to age five. The support provided through this role is truly making a difference, helping ensure that every child in these structured classrooms receives a strong foundation for kindergarten success.”
A Bright Future, Built on Strong Foundations
Thanks to the availability of a preschool coach, Davie County’s early childhood educators are empowered, connected, and equipped to deliver high-quality instruction and care. The benefits are clear: better support for teachers, smoother transitions for students, improved instructional quality, and stronger alignment between early education and K–12.
“I believe we would not have the unprecedented teacher retention rates in our preschool department without the consistent support provided by this position and the funding from the Mebane Foundation. Throughout the COVID years, the early education workforce in many communities experienced a significant decline. However, we have not experienced drastic early education teacher turnover in Davie County thanks to the collaboration across public and private settings,” shared Ratledge.
Now that this position exists, Nelson says it would be difficult for teachers to lose it. “Everyone has become reliant on it. I’m grateful every day to the Mebane Foundation, Smart Start of Davie County, and Davie County Schools for creating this job. It really is a unique unicorn position in this industry.”
And thanks to her—and the visionary partners who made the position possible—preschoolers across Davie County are getting the best possible start.
