SSMC FY20-21 Impact Report

2020 

2021 

IMPACT REPORT

J O I N O U R 

M I S S I O N 

A B O U T S M A R T S T A R T 

O F M E C K L E N B U R G 

C O U N T Y 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg 

County mobilizes resources, 

forges partnerships, and 

supports families to improve 

early childhood health, 

education and development 

and ensure children are 

prepared for kindergarten. 

Our four areas of focus are 

early care and education 

quality and accessibility, 

family support, health, and 

early literacy for children 

birth to five. Smart Start of 

Mecklenburg County is 

committed to standing as a 

reliable source of support for 

our county's families. We 

thank you for helping children 

turn five ready to thrive. 

Education is the foundation for all we do in life, it 

shapes who we are and what we aspire to be. 

Creativity fuels innovation, and it's what all states 

should strive to instill in the next generations. 

- Governor Jim Hunt 

Founder of Smart Start

O U R Y E A R 

I N R E V I E W 

It would be easy for the beginning, middle, and end of this letter to address the 

pervasive and lingering effect of COVID on our community. It is there. It is 

obvious. Yet, unlike last year, it is a piece of the narrative and not the whole 

story. 

As science broke through and vaccines emerged, we saw the hope of a return to 

normal. Due to many reasons, we are not at the end of the saga that is our 

pandemic-laden world. Yet, we are optimistic. We are hopeful because we see 

what is possible with our very own eyes. 

At Smart Start, we are approaching our work with the optimism inherent in the 

young children we serve. We do our work, not in isolation but with and through 

our partners in the community. To ensure that all children turn five ready to 

thrive, we focus our efforts on three areas: 

1. We invest our human and financial resources in the early childhood 

community. 

2. We collaborate and convene people and groups around data and research 

to drive solutions. 

3. We seek innovative ideas, solutions, and practices to advance opportunities 

for the youngest citizens in Mecklenburg County. 

Here are just a few examples of our impact within our three pillars: 

INVEST 

Allocated funding for FY20-21, which includes $33 million in state, county, and 

private funds to 18 local agencies providing 26 activities to families and 

children ages birth to five. 

Provided free training opportunities for the evidence-based Parent-Child 

Interactive Therapy for local clinicians. 

Fully funded the local WAGE$ program, improving the quality of early care 

and education for young children.

COLLABORATE & CONVENE 

Hosted the inaugural Partner Powered Conference for our funded partners 

and programs. 

Published our study of children with special healthcare needs, titled Taming 

The Octopus. 

Establishing our first Early Childhood Solutions group. 

INNOVATE 

In partnership with Read Charlotte, launched the Ready4K platform in 

Mecklenburg County. 

Hired our first Chief Early Education Officer as a crucial step in moving 

towards universal pre-k. 

Saw continued growth in the MECK Pre-K program, with 105 classrooms 

currently in operation. 

Launched our first round of Innovation Grants in the spring of ‘21. 

Jake House 

CEO 

MaryBeth Simon 

Board Chair 

*FY21 accomplishments reflect activity conducted between July 2020 - June 2021

C O N T E N T S 

T U R N F I V E R E A D Y T O T H R I V E 

01 

02 

03 

04 

05 

06 

07 

08 

09 

12 

Financial Report 

Health Programs 

Invest Highlight: Funded Partners 

Family Support Programs 

Collaborate & Convene Highlight: Taming the Octopus 

Early Care & Education Programs 

Innovate Highlight: Innovation Grants 

Literacy Programs 

Impact Highlight: Grant Success Outcomes 

Community Engagement & Funders

H E A L T H P R O G R A M S 

All children deserve access to 

high-quality physical and mental 

health care, early identification 

of developmental delays and the 

intervention services necessary 

to catch them up, and healthy 

models for good habit 

formation. Therefore, Smart 

Start partners with programs 

that empower parents with 

information related to brain 

development and developmental 

milestones, promote the 

adoption of innovative, 

evidence-based therapies by 

Charlotte providers, and expand 

access to services and 

treatments children need to turn 

five ready to thrive. 

P R O G R A M S 

Sound Beginnings - Charlotte 

Speech & Hearing 

Child Care Health Consultants – 

Mecklenburg County 

Guiding Parents to Services – Smart 

Start of Mecklenburg County 

Early Childhood Intervention - 

Novant Health Presbyterian 

Medical Center 

Polliwog Project – Thompson 

P A G E 0 2

P R I S M A I N C . 

I N V E S T H I G H L I G H T 

F U N D E D P A R T N E R S 

For over 27 years Smart Start of Mecklenburg County has worked as a network 

of agencies across North Carolina allocating funding for programs that positively 

influence early childhood development and adult opportunity. Today, Smart 

Start of Mecklenburg County allocates $33 million in state, county and private 

funds to 18 local agencies providing 26 activities to families and children ages 

birth to five. Our four-tiered strategy includes the following points: 

01 

02 

03 

04 

Positively impact policy, practice, and investments 

for all children birth to five and their families. 

Supportive home environment and communities for 

children ages birth to five. 

Children are healthy and developmentally ready for 

kindergarten. 

Children have access to high quality, nurturing early 

learning environments. 

P A G E 0 3


F A M I L Y S U P P O R T 



We recognize that the 

responsibility for a family’s 

success does not rest solely with 

the family; it is shared with the 

systems within the community 

and culture that either help or 

hinder a family’s ability to 

succeed. Therefore, Smart Start 

invests strategically at all levels. 

This includes our partnerships 

with local agencies and early 

childhood experts, our 

convening work within the 

community, and on a systemslevel 

by identifying the gaps and 

barriers within our support 

networks and advocating for 

change and additional 

resources. 

Nurse-Family Partnership – 

Care Ring 

Child Adult Relationship 

Enhancement – Safe Alliance 

Safe Journey – Communities In 

Schools 

The Basics Mecklenburg – 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg 

County 

Parents as Teachers – YMCA of 

Greater Charlotte 

Family Education & Support - 

Thompson 

Early Childhood Prevention & 

Early Intervention – 


P A G E 0 4


C O L L A B O R A T E & 

C O N V E N E H I G H L I G H T 

T A M I N G T H E O C T O P U S 

Taming the Octopus: 

An Overview of the 

Systems of Care for 

Children Under Age 5 with 

Special Health Care Needs 

in Mecklenburg County 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County published our study of children with 

special healthcare needs, titled Taming The Octopus. In Mecklenburg 

County, an estimated 7,000 to 12,000 children under the age of 5 are at 

increased risk for a chronic, physical, developmental, behavioral, or 

emotional condition that requires care or services beyond that generally 

required by children. The organizations and systems in place to meet 

those needs are various, complex, and sometimes expensive, which 

unintentionally leaves caregivers and children falling through the cracks. 

In the fall of 2020, the board of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County 

commissioned a study to outline the complex systems of care for 

children with special health care needs (CSHCN). As a result, Taming the 

Octopus: An Overview of the Systems of Care for Children Under Age 5 with 

Special Health Care Needs in Mecklenburg County, was published. The study 

identified gaps in services, barriers to access, and suggestions for ways in 

which Smart Start of Mecklenburg County can improve the system of care 

for CSHCN. 

. 

P A G E 0 5


E A R L Y C A R E & 

E D U C A T I O N P R O G R A M S 


Smart Start recognizes the high 

cost of poor childcare and 

invests 80% of its funds 

accordingly. These funds are 

used to educate families on how 

to locate good childcare and 

increase access to high-quality 

childcare for low-income 

families through subsidies and 

accessible, high-quality preschool. 

Funds are also used to 

offer teacher training and bonus 

payments for teachers intent on 

attaining higher education levels 

and supporting childcare 

centers' licensure and safety 

with technical assistance. 

Charlotte Bilingual Preschool 

NC Pre-K – Charlotte Mecklenburg 

Schools 

Early Childhood Teacher Education – 

Central Piedmont Community College 

Lakewood Preschool Cooperative 

MECK-Pre K – Smart Start of 


Quality Every Day – Child Care 

Resources, Inc. 

Resource and Referral – Child Care 

Resource, Inc. 

The Learning Collaborative 

WAGE$ - Child Care Services 

Association 

Directors Leadership Academy – Child 

Care Resources, Inc. 

Child Care Subsidy – Mecklenburg 

County 

P A G E 0 6


I N N O V A T E H I G H L I G H T 

I N N O V A T E H I G H L I G H T 

I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T S 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is known for its allocation of state, 

county, and private funds to local early childhood serving agencies. In 

order to increase impact and innovation, Smart Start of Mecklenburg 

County granted over $115,000 in one-time funding for innovative projects 

addressing gaps in services for families and children ages birth to five. 

The grants focused on rapid cycle, evidence-based or evidence-informed 

projects that will lead to the identification of outcome disparities for 

vulnerable families and the fall-out of pandemic response on preschoolaged 

children. The 2021 grant recipients include: 

Atrium Health Foundation 

Bridging Healthcare and Community Settings for Infant Health 

Charlotte Bilingual Preschool 

Reading Bridge 

Myers Park Pediatrics 

At-risk Newborn Intervention 

National Black Child Development Institute 

Addressing Exclusionary Practices in Early Childhood Education 

Using a Systems Change Approach 

P A G E 0 7


L I T E R A C Y P R O G R A M S 

Children need daily access to 

high-quality picture books and a 

loving adult to share them with. 

Therefore, Smart Start provides 

access to engaging children’s 

books, with practical 

suggestions for parents, so that 

caregivers can share them in 

loving, everyday interactions 

that expand a child’s 

understanding of the world. 


Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County 

Raising A Reader – Child Care 

Resource, Inc. 

Ready4K – Smart Start of 


P A G E 0 8

G R A N T S U C C E S S O U T C O M E S 


I M P A C T H I G H L I G H T 

P A G E 0 9

P A G E 1 0

P A G E 1 1

C O M M U N I T Y 

E N G A G E M E N T 

3,059 FOLLOWERS 



330 FOLLOWERS 

F U N D E R S ' 2 0 - 2 1 

We are grateful for the continued support from our lead institutional funders. 

P A G E 1 2

Turn Five Ready to Thrive 


(704) 377-6588 

601 E. 5th Street, Suite 500 

Charlotte, NC 28202 

www.smartstartofmeck.org 

SmartStartMeck 



SmartStartMecklenburgCountyCharlotte 


Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

SSMC FY20-21 Impact Report

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