Community Profile
Located on Interstate 95, Fayetteville is a metropolitan area of 170,000+ persons with a total population of 300,000 plus residents in Cumberland County. Cumberland County covers an area containing nine municipalities ( Fayetteville, Falcon, Fort Bragg, Godwin, Hope Mills, Linden, Spring Lake, Stedman, Wade). The Fayetteville area is the economic growth center of southeastern North Carolina. The adjacent five counties bring the area population to approximately 550,000 people. Presently Cumberland County ( Fayetteville) encompasses approximately 661 square miles. The area is known as the "Sandhills." Cumberland County has progressed from its beginnings as a riverfront distribution center to a highly commercialized area offering a variety of services to its citizens.
Cumberland County is the 5th largest county in North Carolina with the population of over 300,000 people. The largest component of the county population is the City of Fayetteville. Its population currently comprises over a third of the total population in the county. The military community of active duty, spouses, dependents and retirees comprise an estimated 160,000 people in southeastern North Carolina. Military retirees and family members residing in North Carolina are estimated at 98,000.
There are over 125,000 people employed in Cumberland County annually. Additionally, approximately 6,000 military men and women leave Fort Bragg each year. These people look for employment as well. The current unemployment rate in Cumberland County is 5.5%.
Demographics
Cumberland County is complicated by economic, demographic and other stressors that create significant risk conditions for vulnerable families. Families are often at high risk of limited or no social, familial or other supports given the moves required by military assignments, workers seeking higher paying jobs, or residential changes caused by disruptions due to divorce or other family disturbance. Many families don’t have a choice between staying home with their children and work. With over 87% of Cumberland County’s parents in the workforce, parents needs more options. Almost 54% of mothers with children under age six work outside the home. And almost 35% of children under age six live in homes where both parents are working.
More children are being raised in non-traditional family households.
66% (77,600) of the 116,253 households in Cumberland County have children under the age of 18 years old. Of those,
- 18% (13,601) are headed by a female with children under 18 years old.
- 2% (1,925) are headed by a male with children under 18 years old.
There were 3,489 marriages and 2,195 divorces in 2005 (NC Vital Stats 2005)
Research shows that greater involvement by fathers in routine activities with their children (eating meals together, helping with homework, etc) is associated with fewer behavior problems, greater sociability and better school performance by children and adolescents. 3,433 grandparents are responsible for their grandchildren under 18.
As a community Cumberland County is nearly six years younger than the average for our state which puts pressure on providing early childhood, family support and health services for young children and their families. The median age is 30.84 with 67% of the population being 20 years old and over.
8.9% (27,444) of Cumberland County's population is 5 years old and younger. This population makes up 3.8% (714,954) of the total state 0-5 population. (NC State Demographics July 2006)
Minority families face ongoing challenges in securing health care, child care, adequate/ affordable housing, and other family support services: language barriers, cultural differences and difficulties finding and qualifying for services are all impediments to them. The county’s Hispanic/Latino population has grown to 17,491, 6.2% of the total population. In 2000, Hispanics comprised 6.9% of the population. (American Community Survey, 2005)
Cumberland County has a high number of people who could be broadly classified as the “working poor.” The adults in these families often work two or more low-wage jobs in order to make ends meet, and find it difficult to afford to send their children to day care and other programs. At the same time, these families may not be classified as needy enough to be eligible for federal- and state-level assistance programs such as TANF, Food Stamps and child care subsidies. CC’s median family income is $39,126 compared to NC at $40,729 and the US at $46,242. (American Community Survey, 2005)
More residents of the Cape Fear region are poor on average than people in North Carolina or the United States as a whole, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Of the population, 16 years and older who are in the labor force, CC has a 10% unemployment rate, compared to NC at 7.1%.
Transience is the greatest enemy of family stability, school dropouts, and a major predictor of high crimes. One in four residents have lived here for five or fewer years. Newcomers replace 4,700 households annually, and on average, 13 families move in while 11 families move out daily.
Early Care and Education Profile
- As of January 2007 there were 449 licensed child care programs in the county. 63% are 3,4, and 5-Star facilities (5-Star being the highest rated quality)
- 23, 5-Star facilities (5%)
- 125, 4-Star facilities (28%)
- 134, 3-Star facilities (30%)
Div. of Child Develop. Star Rating Report (Jan 2007)
- 88% of children are enrolled in 3, 4 and 5 star care facilities.
- 1 out of 3 children are enrolled in 4 and 5 star care.
- The Early Head Start & Head Start is operated by Cumberland Community Action Program and serves ____ children.
- More At Four program serves 969 at-risk 4-year-olds within 83 classrooms throughout 49 partner sites.
Community Resources
The community has a rich array of services, offered by both governmental organizations and non-profit organizations, including (but not limited to) the following:
- The existence of community-based and private resource infrastructure and organizations as well as the considerable support provided to low-income residents by federal programs such as Medicaid and the Women, Infants & Children (WIC) nutrition program
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- An effective Child Care Resource and Referral Agency, with excellent relationships with the military community.
- PFC has received the Air Force Quality Family Care Grant to help Air Force families get child care when slots on Pope Air Force Base are full. Cumberland County is the only community in North Carolina and one of 13 communities in the United States to receive such a grant.
- PFC has received the Army Quality Child Care Grant to help Army families get child care when slots on Fort Bragg are full. Cumberland County is the only community in North Carolina and one of 10 communities in the United States to receive such a grant.
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- A reading initiative for children is part of the 2005 campaign for the United Way of Cumberland County. Cumberland County joined 400 other communities nationwide in adopting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Parton’s program provides children with one free book every month until their fifth birthday. The books will be age appropriate, beginning with the “Little Engine That Could,” for example, and ending with “Kindergarten, Here I Come.” Sprint, Target and the Kiwanis Club are sponsoring the reading program.
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- PFC has produced the System Map to serve as the “playbook” for direct service providers, our volunteers, their communities, and other organizations to refocus our powerful and diverse resources on preparing children for school readiness. This framework will allow us to make thoughtful decisions in a coordinated and systematic manner, rather than expend scarce resources on programs and services without consideration to their collective impact.
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- PFC introduced a new feature, the Early Childhood System Report Card, to our Annual Report. The Report Card is intended to help board members and the community to think strategically about decisions that produce the legacy of results we want for young children and their families.
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- Fayetteville State University (FSU) and Fayetteville Technical Community College (FTCC) signed dual enrollment agreements for the Birth through Kindergarten Program on October 24. The dual enrollment agreement allows a student to transfer a greater number of credit hours to FSU, therefore being able to complete both the associate's degree and the bachelor's degree in just four years. The dual enrollment agreement allows the student to be admitted to both institutions simultaneously.
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