In response to expanding community outreach and programming opportunities, Partners in Learning plans to relocate its Catawba College location to a site that more effectively meets the growing needs of students, families and the community.

Over the coming year, the organization will research and solidify plans for a larger facility that will include classrooms, a sensory room, family resource spaces, a STEM lab, an indoor gross motor space and an outdoor natural learning environment.

A leader in the field of early care, intervention and education, Partners in Learning’s services include child care for 200 area children, early intervention for 150 children with special needs and their families in 11 surrounding counties, and parenting support for 200 adults each year.

The Catawba campus, one of two locations for the organization, also serves as a training site for more than 100 early-education specialists throughout Rowan County annually.

“We are incredibly thankful for our partnership with Catawba College,” said Partners in Learning Director Norma Honeycutt. “It is in part thanks to them that we have grown our community offerings to this point and are now in a position to have an even greater positive impact on families of our community.”

Partners in Learning employs 70 staff members with a mission of child development, early-childhood intervention and family support. A child’s earliest years — infant to 3 — are the most critical developmental years and account for 85 percent of a child’s brain development, Honeycutt said.

“Early education can change a child’s life and is critical to success in school and beyond,” said Cassie Karriker, early intervention director for Partners in Learning. “Our enriching programs help improve school readiness and prepare preschool children for success.”

The new space, Karriker said, will support the expansion of support services for families and children including case management, the in-demand Triple P Parenting class, counseling and developmental therapies.

The next steps in the planning for the new facility include engaging the community and securing funding, Honeycutt said.

“The next step in our journey is an exciting one,” said Honeycutt. “We’re eager to fill the critical and growing needs of our community’s children and their families.”