Smart Start of Mecklenburg County - Second Annual Innovation Grant Outcome Report

2022
Innovation Grants
Second Annual Outcomes Report

Table of Contents
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
A Message from our CEO
Introduction
Background
Focus Areas
Organizations Funded
Outcome Highlights
What's Next?
Acknowledgements
SECOND ANNUAL
I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T O U T C O M E S R E P O R T

A Message From
Our CEO
We are thrilled to present our 2nd
annual Innovation Grant Outcomes
Report.
There are so many things that happen
in a child’s life in the first five years.
At Smart Start we seek to help all
children turn five ready to thrive. We
do this in a number of ways, but our
approach can be encapsulated in
three ways. First, we invest our
human and financial resources into
"We look to drive
innovation in early
childhood."
the early childhood community. Much
of our work gets done with and
through great organizations and
Jake House, CEO
people supporting children and
families. Second, we seek to bring
people and groups together to help address complex issues and challenges. We
publish research, analyze data, and convene stakeholders to address the needs in the
community. Finally, we look to drive innovation in early childhood.
Trying and failing is much better than not trying at all. We want to work with
organizations who are willing to push the envelope of what’s possible and to dream
big. While the challenges are tremendous, there are also so many great things going
on in Mecklenburg County. I hope you enjoy this report, and are motivated by the
work of our wonderful grantees.
Thank you for your support of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and all children
and families.

Introduction
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. Everything we do is based on our three
foundational pillars:
INVEST
COLLABORATE &
CONVENE
INNOVATE
SECOND ANNUAL
I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T O U T C O M E S R E P O R T

Background
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is known for allocating state, county,
and private funds to local early childhood serving agencies. It is committed
to standing as a reliable source of support for our county's families.
Therefore, during FY20-21, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County launched its
inaugural round of Innovation Grants to increase impact and innovation.
In the first year, we allocated ~$119k
across five organizations within the
County. We were so encouraged by
the results that we decided to return
for year two. In the second year, we
doubled our investment, increasing
funding to ~$300k. This allowed us to
cast a wider net to reach more
organizations bringing our total for the
year up to 14.
Year 1
Year 2
PROGRAMS FUNDED
$313,023
$118,904
0 5 10 15
The grants focused on rapid cycle projects that will identify outcome disparities
for vulnerable families. One-time funding was granted for innovative projects,
which addressed gaps in services for families and children ages birth to five.
Second-year learnings uncovered exciting outcomes while revealing obstacles. We
were expecting both because this is precisely what innovation should do.
Continue reading to learn more about our second annual Innovation Grant
outcomes and what you can look forward to in the coming year.
SECOND ANNUAL
I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T O U T C O M E S R E P O R T

Focus Areas
Teacher Education Level
Support early childhood teachers while they improve their education
levels.
Shared Reading Time
Develop and promote emergent literacy skills of children by
encouraging family book sharing and other reading strategies.
Family Support
Assist families in supporting their children’s development, health, and
learning and to improve parent and child interactions.
Early Intervention
Accessing services for families and their children who have identified
emotional, behavioral, or other special needs or who may be at risk for
delays.
Healthy Weight
Improving the knowledge, practices, and policies of nutrition for child
care providers, children, and parents.
Kindergarten Readiness
Transition strategies and activities to support learning continuity
between early childhood programs and kindergarten.
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I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T O U T C O M E S R E P O R T

Organizations Funded
$313,000+
granted in one-time funding for
innovative projects, which addressed
gaps in services for families and
children ages birth to five.
PARTNER
AWARD
$19,149
$23,630
$10,510
$30,000
$15,300
$10,000
$20,000

Organizations Funded
...continued
PARTNER
AWARD
$28,160
$25,000
$29,926
$30,000
$30,000
$12,628
$28,720

Outcome Highlights
The second annual Innovation Grant yielded strong results from several
recipients. Continue reading below for more information regarding some of
these outcomes.
Alliance Center for Education saw success with
Cognitive ToyBox, an early childhood assessment
platform that assesses key developmental
domains, including early math, language and
literacy, and social-emotional learning. It is
research-based, aligned to state standards, and
provides actionable reports for administrators.
Charlotte Bilingual Preschool focused on Career
Navigation & Recruitment of Bilingual Early
Childhood Educators. During the allotted
timeframe, 30 Spanish-speaking future childcare
providers enrolled for the first time at CPCC,
supported by the Career Navigator. Additionally,
the Career Navigator helped 134 Spanishspeaking
prospective childcare providers.
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library provided Early
Literacy DEI lesson plans and teacher training
impacting 106 children, 19 teachers, and nine
classrooms. As a result, teachers saw an 83%
increase in DEI books in classrooms and usage of
100%.
PBS funding supported Creative Coders, which
helps engage preschoolers in design while
teaching foundational computational thinking
skills for later academic success. Outcomes
showed that 96% (49 of 51) of preschoolers
demonstrated improved foundational math skills
and enhanced coding literacy.

What's Next?
By combining the power of public and private funders, we launched
our first round of Innovation Grants in the spring of 2021.
Consequently, Smart Start’s Innovation Grants have evolved from an
idea to a mainstay of innovation in the Mecklenburg County early
childhood space. Our third annual Innovation Grants cycle includes
the following highlights:
Highlight 1
Narrow the focus and provide greater
funding to fewer organiztions
Highlight 2
Prioritize equity with a focus on:
Parent / caregiver engagement
Fostering social / emotional skills
These funds will develop innovative projects to help us come closer to
our vision that every child in our county enters kindergarten healthy
and ready to succeed.
SECOND ANNUAL
I N N O V A T I O N G R A N T O U T C O M E S R E P O R T

Acknowledgements
Our thanks to the Community Investment Committee, whose goal is to research,
discuss, analyze and recommend programs and activities that promote the early
care & education and physical/mental health of children birth to five and provide
the necessary support to their families, with the objective of all children entering
school healthy and ready to learn.
We also thank the Review Team, whose goal is to review and score innovation
grant applications and make a recommendation to the Community Investment
Committee for funding.
Our thanks to the following organizations who supported Smart Start of
Mecklenburg County during the second annual Innovation Grants cycle,
helping children turn five ready to thrive.
To support our mission, please click here or scan the QR code:
Please direct questions about Smart Start Innovation Grants to:
Mike Blackwelder
Chief Administrative
Officer
mblackwelder@smartstartofmeck.org
Office: 704.943.9592
www.smartstartofmeck.org