FY 2023-2024 Highlights: Partnering with North Carolina Families

At Smart Start, we believe that every child deserves a strong foundation, and that foundation begins with families. This year, our work focused on partnering with North Carolina families to address challenges, foster resilience, and create opportunities for children to thrive. Here’s a closer look at the data, stories, and impact of our work in 2024. 

Partnering with Families: A Vital Mission

Families are at the heart of every child’s development, yet fewer than 25% of North Carolina’s children are enrolled in licensed child care.[1] This underscores the urgent need to support children at home. Many families face barriers such as poverty, limited resources, and concerns around maternal and infant health. The statewide child care shortage, coupled with economic uncertainty, exacerbates these challenges, placing enormous stress on families and children alike. 

Smart Start responds with comprehensive, family-focused programming designed to meet these needs. Through 74 Local Partnerships and 33 programs, Smart Start delivered parenting education, home visiting services, mutual support groups, and community connections in FY 2023-24. These efforts partnered families to build the knowledge, confidence, and access to resources they need to create nurturing environments for their children. 

Stories of Transformation 

Through a wide array of programs, Smart Start partners with families to access the resources they need, build local support systems and address unique community needs. This includes strengthening parent knowledge, confidence, and parenting skills.  

  • Anson County: A young mother new to the area found a lifeline at the Early Childhood Resource Center. Through weekly programs and connections to local resources, she and her son thrived, turning isolation into community and stability. 
  • Johnston County: A couple working through Child Protective Services found hope through the Triple P program. With stress management training and connections to college guidance, one parent enrolled in classes, marking a new beginning for their family. 
  • Wayne County: A military family gained parenting confidence and skills through the Parents as Teachers program, which filled the gap left by extended family during their transition to a new community. 

 

These stories reflect the power of Smart Start’s localized approach, meeting families where they are and tailoring solutions to their unique challenges. 

  • Parent Leadership in Action: In Johnston County, a parent’s journey from seeking support to becoming a local advocate exemplifies the transformative power of engagement. Similarly, in Columbus County, parent leaders collaborated on community projects like a healing garden, blending education and wellness. 

 

Building Leadership and Advocacy 

Smart Start partners with families to build leadership and advocacy skills by creating welcoming tables where  decisions affecting their communities are made. With the support of PDG B-5 funding, NCPC provided over 100 technical assistance opportunities, hosted monthly Community of Practice meetings, and supported Local Partnerships in expanding family engagement and leadership efforts.  

NCPC collaborated with MomsRising to create Starting Strong, a comprehensive set of tools to support agencies as they form cross-sector coalitions and amplify family voices.  Many parents who completed the Starting Strong training are now serving on local advisory boards, shaping the future of early childhood policies. Learn more about Starting Strong. 

One parent, Allison Boyd, shared her experience: “I am proud to continue the mission of strengthening families and raising capable kids. Thank you, Johnston County Partnership, for helping me become a happier, healthier mom who is empowered to bring positive change to my community.” 

 

Promoting Early Literacy 

Smart Start also plays a pivotal role in fostering early literacy skills, a critical component of school readiness. Programs like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Raising a Reader, and Motheread/Fatheread support families by promoting language-rich interactions and increasing reading frequency. 

  • Chatham County Partnership for Children successfully adapted the Raising a Reader program for Family Child Care Homes, providing literacy resources to children in underserved communities. 
  • One Place (Onslow) partnered with the local library to host story times, giving children and families easy access to books and library resources. 


Smart Start’s Impact on Families 

Through its family support services, Smart Start partners with families to build resilience, foster social connections, and improve children’s social-emotional development. By offering comprehensive support across multiple domains—parent education, community connections, leadership development—Smart Start continues to make a lasting impact on families in North Carolina. 

Smart Start is not just providing services but building authentic partnerships with families to ensure the well-being of every child. By working together, we can create stronger, healthier communities across North Carolina, where every child has the chance to thrive. Read more about Smart Start’s family support efforts here!  

  

 

[1] Ferrel, A. (2023, June 13). A stable system of birth-to-five child care and early learning. EdNC. https://www.ednc.org/brief-a-stable-system-of-birth-to-five-child-care-and-early-learning/ 

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