About Smart Start
Experiences during early childhood literally shape the structure of the brain. Because today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders, parents and workers, everyone has a stake in making sure that all children have the experiences they need to thrive. Smart Start brings together all the people involved in a young child’s life—families, teachers, doctors, caregivers, social workers, and many others—to ensure every child has all they need for healthy growth and development.
What is Smart Start?
Smart Start was created in 1993 as an innovative solution to a problem: Children were coming to school unprepared to learn.
Policymakers recognized that progress would require tapping into the same innovative spirit that inspired private sector advances, and therefore, established Smart Start as a public/private partnership. Independent, private organizations work in all 100 North Carolina counties through The North Carolina Partnership for Children and 75 Local Partnerships.
The power of Smart Start is that it delivers outcomes by giving communities local control to determine the best approach to achieving them.
