Smart Start Develops Online Catalog of Effective Solutions to Support NC's Children 0-5

The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) and the Smart Start Network developed Smart Solutions: Effective Prenatal-to-Five Investments, a virtual catalog of effective programs, interventions, and strategies. This catalog outlines over seventy options to support children prenatal-through- five as well as teachers, caregivers, and communities.

Smart Start is a network of 75 Local Partnerships that supports children, families, and teachers in every county in North Carolina. Each Local Partnership uses state funds allocated to the Network, as well as private funds, to support children and families. Smart Solutions is a catalog of all the options the Network uses to create better outcomes for children, teachers, families, and communities across the state using state funding.

Through funding from BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina Foundation, NCPC has expanded Smart Solutions. Options include a comprehensive array of support for children, families, and teachers that focus on early care and education, family support, literacy, child and family health, and system building.

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We Are a Family Forward NC Certified Employer!

The Cabarrus County Partnership for Children has been named a Family Forward NC Certified Employer by the North Carolina Foundation's Family Forward NC initiative.

Launched in 2018, Family Forward NC is an innovative initiative to improve children’s health and well-being and keep North Carolina’s businesses competitive. It is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices — big and small — that improve workplace productivity, recruitment and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development. To date, Family Forward NC has engaged with more than 6,900 employers across North Carolina.

A Family Forward NC Employer Certification designates employers that offer policies and practices that support the health and well-being of working families and children. To achieve certification, we look at employer benefits in the the following policy and practice categories:

• paid leave and wages,
• accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers,
• child care supports,
• health and wellness benefits,
• and scheduling practices.

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Waynett Taylor Recognized for Exceptional Contributions to Early Education

Waynett Taylor, Executive Director and Inclusion Specialist at P.U.R.E. Excellence, has been honored with the Karen W. Ponder 2023 Leadership Award by the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC). This statewide award recognizes Taylor for her exceptional contributions to early childhood education in Cabarrus County.

Taylor was nominated for the award because of her long-term dedication to developing community partners and for her persistent advocacy for child care programs that benefit Cabarrus County’s youngest children, their parents, and their teachers.

Upon her arrival in Cabarrus County, Taylor began to ask questions, listen, and respond to the needs of our youngest children in the community and their child care providers. Since then, Taylor and the professional leadership of the Cabarrus County Partnership for Children (CCPC) have continuously identified, developed, and evaluated the programs considered to be the most critical for young children in Cabarrus County.

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