Each Child. Every Community.

Juneteenth became a federally recognized holiday in 2021. While the holiday may feel like a new holiday for many, there are so many Americans who have been celebrating Juneteenth throughout their whole lives—it is not just a day but a day that honors their history.

The North Carolina Partnership for Children recognized Juneteenth as a holiday before the holiday was federally recognized. By doing so, there was time and space to honor the memories, experiences, and history of Black people and African Americans.

While Black History Month and Juneteenth both lift up Black history, it is critical that we continue to embrace the lived experiences of Black people throughout the whole year. Additionally, it is critical that we embed equity, diversity, and inclusion into our societal systems—making racial equity a factor with policies, our fiscal system, and in so many other areas.

To live up to Smart Start’s mission of advancing a high quality, comprehensive, accountable early childhood system that benefits each child in North Carolina, we must consider racial equity and the lived experiences of young Black boys and girls when implementing programs for the early childhood system.

Part of ensuring children receive comprehensive support is also ensuring that we respect and support the identity of each child; value the diversity of children and their families; and lift up differences as sources of strength. NCPC strives to lead and model this responsibility by institutionalizing equitable policies and practices as a core of our mission.

At Smart Start, there are Racial Equity Teams at multiple levels—both at the Local Partnership Level and at The North Carolina Partnership for Children.  These teams work together to uphold the values that guide us in all we do.

The North Carolina Partnership for Children is committed to ensuring equity and diversity at all levels as evident by our diversity statement.

In Honor of Juneteenth,

resources have been collected and shared out throughout our Network. It is critical that we think through how to consider equity in the classroom, incorporate equity and diversity within our local partnership boards, implement programs that increase equity in communities and across the state, and review our data with an equity lens.

So many of us within the Smart Start Network are parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles to young ones. To truly create a space for each child in North Carolina to thrive, we must continue to think critically about equity, think consistently about equity, and to powerfully advocate for equity at all levels.

To honor the history of so many Black people and to look towards creating a better future, we have compiled a variety of equity resources for your use.

• What Can We Do to Help Prevent the Damage of Implicit Bias in Classrooms? (ZERO TO THREE, Policy Resource)
• Addressing Bias and Advancing Equity in State Policy (ZERO TO THREE, Professional Resource)
• Sesame Street in Communities – #ComingTogether Campaign