Governor Cooper Proclaims September Smart Start Month !
Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children Celebrates
Smart Start Month
Governor Roy Cooper proclaims September as Smart Start Month. This proclamation acknowledges the Smart Start Network’s commitment for over thirty years to ensuring all North Carolina’s young children enter school healthy and prepared for success. Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is a proud member of the Smart Start Network.
Investments in high-quality early childhood initiatives like Smart Start can yield substantial long-term benefits for children, families, and society through increased educational attainment, higher earnings, reduced crime, and better health outcomes. Smart Start is a Network of 75 local nonprofit partnerships serving all 100 North Carolina counties to create better outcomes for children birth-to-five. The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) guides and facilitates the Smart Start Network, supporting the work of Local Partnerships and connecting them to the statewide early childhood system. Smart Start Local Partnerships work to 1) increase access to and enhance quality of early care and education; 2) collaborate with families to reach their goals through family support and education, engagement, and referrals; and 3) improve child health and development for children birth-to-five.
Smart Start Local Partnerships have the flexibility and the data to determine how to improve the health, well-being, and development of children in each community based on local needs and resources. In Martin and Pitt Counties, The Martin and Pitt Partnership for Children provides needed services and supports for the community such as early literacy programs, technical assistance for child care facilities, professional development, child care referrals, lending library, and health support for new moms. The first five years of life are a critical window of development, shaping a child’s brain architecture and building the foundation for future cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral, and health outcomes. Through Smart Start’s comprehensive approach, our state’s youngest and those that care for them can receive the support they need to thrive.
“At Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children, we know that raising a child is a big job. But parents and caregivers are not alone. We have adapted to the ever-changing world and have continued to offer programs that will help families every step of the way — from pregnancy until the time their child enters kindergarten.” ~Sharon Cooper, Executive Director.
Smart Start helps to provide critical infrastructure for North Carolina’s early childhood system through collaboration and partnerships with state and federal agencies and other nonprofits, bridging service gaps and providing needed administration to statewide programs. This includes the administration of state, federal, local, and private programs and services such as NC Pre-K, child care subsidy, Head Start, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and more, serving as North Carolina’s infrastructure for promoting childhood development, learning, and health.
“We are honored that the State of North Carolina is recognizing Smart Start in September,” said Amy Cubbage, President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), the nonprofit leading the Smart Start Network. “This recognition underscores the vital importance of investing in a comprehensive approach to supporting our youngest children and their families that is both statewide and locally designed. By working together with families, educators, and communities, we can build a brighter future for our children and our state.”
Smart Start fosters collaboration among local partners, engages community stakeholders, and advocates for policies that support early childhood learning, health and family engagement. This comprehensive approach ensures that children and families receive the support they need from a network of community resources.
Investments in high-quality early childhood initiatives like Smart Start can yield substantial long-term benefits for children, families, and society through increased educational attainment, higher earnings, reduced crime, and better health outcomes.
“Smart Start is a proven example of a public-private partnership and the impact that sound investments, leveraging public and private dollars, can have on the development of our state’s youngest,” continued Cubbage.
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The Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is a non-profit agency located in Eastern North Carolina that funds programs in quality early childcare and education, assistance finding childcare, parent and family support, healthcare, childcare provider trainings, and early literacy initiatives during the first 2,000 days of a child’s life. Founded in 1998, the Partnership’s mission is “to make meaningful and measurable investments in young children to enable them to achieve their fullest potential.” Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children is one of 75 Smart Start partnerships in our state. Our agency works to support parents, childcare facilities, and educators through collaborative programs, all aimed at doing everything possible to ensure that the children in our community arrive for kindergarten ready for a life of success. Ninety percent of brain development occurs before a child reaches kindergarten. The experiences our children have during their first five years build the foundation for their future. Our goal is to ensure that every child in Martin and Pitt Counties can experience a quality early childhood education.
About Smart Start
The Smart Start Network is a nationally recognized public-private initiative in North Carolina dedicated to ensuring that all children enter school healthy and prepared for success. Established in 1993, it is led by the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) and consists of 75 Local Partnerships that serve all 100 counties in the state through evidence-based and informed solutions. Partnerships support children and their families through innovation, flexibility, and collaboration, leveraging state support and local resources to support communities.
The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC)
NCPC ensures fiscal and programmatic accountability and coordinates the statewide Network to create better outcomes for children and families. NCPC works to ensure Smart Start is sustainable and a trusted and valued early childhood system for children and families across the state. NCPC’s responsibilities include governance, facilitating organizational support, convening early childhood leaders statewide, and collecting critical early childhood data. For more information, please visit https://www.smartstart.org/
Media Contact: Jessica Carter, jcarter@smartstart.org, 919.221.1614
