Smart Start of Mecklenburg County FY21-22 Impact Report

2021 

2022 

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 

“No man is more important than The Team. No coach is more 

important than The Team. The Team, The Team, The Team, and if we 

think that way, all of us, everything that you do, you take into 

consideration what effect does it have on my Team?” 

Forty years ago legendary University of Michigan football coach, Bo Schembechler, 

espoused the importance of “the team” to his Wolverines. While many things change over 

time, one does not—the importance of The Team. 

At Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, we are enormously proud of the people we have 

selected to support children and families. However, the team does not solely reside within 

the walls of our offices. Our team is the direct service providers, the childcare workforce 

(a.k.a. the workforce behind the workforce), the elected officials supporting early care and 

education, and most importantly, our families. 

There would be no impact report without these people. There would be no Smart Start 

without these people. 

In order to ensure that all children turn five ready to thrive, we focus our efforts on three 

areas. First, we invest our human and financial resources in the early childhood 

community. Second, we collaborate and convene people and groups around data and 

research in order to drive solutions. Finally, we seek innovative ideas, solutions, and 

practices to advance opportunities for the youngest citizens in Mecklenburg County. 

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the impact our collective team had on 

the early childhood community this past year. 

Jake House 

CEO 

Joanette Freeman 

Board Chair

O U R T H R E E P I L L A R S 

H O W W E H E L P C H I L D R E N T U R N F I V E R E A D Y T O T H R I V E * 

INVEST 

Allocated funding for FY21-22, 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. 

Partnered with Diaper Bank of North Carolina to open a local facility and raised money to 

fund operations and staff for the first 18 months. 

Partnered with Wake County Smart Start, UNC Chapel Hill’s School of Social Work, and 

Charlotte’s Black Child Development Institute to support a local Family Research 

Coordinator for the statewide Preschool Exclusionary Disciplinary Study. 

Expanded our Guiding Parents to Services program in partnership with the Children’s 

Developmental Services Agency, and successfully advocated with CMS to temporarily 

increase the screening capacity of their special education services. 

COLLABORATE & CONVENE 

Hosted the second annual Partner Powered Conference for our funded partners and 

programs. 

Convened the first Early Childhood Solutions group after the 2021 publication of Taming 

the Octopus report. 

The Basics Mecklenburg and Atrium Health partnered to bring early education materials 

and resources to children and families. 

Published the Prenatal to Three landscape study to provide a comprehensive, baseline 

inventory of family services and supports in Mecklenburg County for families. 

Hosted a virtual Opportunity for Influence event to highlight the work done in our 

community in collaboration with our key partners. 

Co-chaired the Early Childhood Executive Committee with Mecklenburg County Manager, 

Dena Diorio. 

INNOVATE 

In partnership with Read Charlotte, we piloted the A2i platform in 10 MECK Pre-K 

classrooms. 

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

Launched our second round of Innovation Grants in the spring of ‘22. 

Secured ARPA funding to lead an equitable evaluation, growth, and expansion of Home 

Visiting services in Mecklenburg County. 

Expanded the capacity of the Smart Start team to over forty people. Our team 

consolidated our offices and moved into the same space within the CFSC building 

allowing us to further our goal of “One SSMC”. 

*Accomplishments reflect activity conducted between July 2021 - June 2022.

C O N T E N T S 

01 

02 

03 

04 

05 

06 

07 

08 

09 

10 

Financial Report 

Health Programs 

Invest Highlight: Funded Partners 

Family Support Programs 

Collaborate & Convene Highlight: Early Childhood Solutions Group 

Early Care & Education Programs 

Innovate Highlight: Innovation Grants 

Impact Highlight: Grant Success Outcomes 

Literacy Programs 

Community Engagement & Funders

F I N A N C I A L 

R E P O R T 


County distributes both public 

and private dollars to fund 

evidence-based & evidenceinformed 

programs that 

support children from birth to 

5 years old. All funded 

programs support our vision 

that children enter 

kindergarten healthy and 

ready to succeed. 

F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 2 0 - 2 1 

R E V E N U E 

State Awards and Contracts 

Federal Awards 

Local Awards 

Private Contributions 

Other Receipts 

Total Revenue 

$6,678,223 

$85,625 

$21,006,128 

$200,417 

$92,010 

$28,062,403 

 

AN ANNUAL REPORT IS A 

COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON A 

COMPANY'S ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT 

F I S C A L Y E A R 2 0 2 0 - 2 1 

F U N C T I O N A L E X P E N D I T U R E S 

THE PRECEDING YEAR. 

Health & Safety 

2.7% 

Family Support 

7% 

Administration & Fundraising 

4.6% 

 

 

Child Care Subsidy 

18.3% 

Early Care & Education 

67% 

P A G E 0 1

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 

Guiding Parents to Services – Smart 

Start of Mecklenburg County 

Sound Beginnings & APPLE A Day - 

Charlotte Speech & Hearing 

P A G E 0 2

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. In FY22, Smart 

Start of Mecklenburg County allocated $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 systems-level 

by identifying the gaps and barriers 

within our support networks and 

advocating for change and 

additional resources. 

Child Adult Relationship 

Enhancement – Safe Alliance 

Family Education Services - 

Thompson 

Nurse-Family Partnership – 

Care Ring 

Parents as Teachers – YMCA of 

Greater Charlotte 

Safe Journey – Communities In 

Schools 

The Basics Mecklenburg – 


County 

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 

E A R L Y C H I L D H O O D S O L U T I O N S G R O U P 

Since May 2021, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County has convened a 

group of educators, nonprofit administrators, healthcare providers, 

parents, and other professionals with expertise in care systems for 

children with special healthcare needs. The Early Childhood Solutions 

volunteers are collaborating with Smart Start staff to implement the 

strategies in Taming the Octopus. Much of their work over the last year 

has revolved around creating equity and inclusiveness in local systems 

serving children under age five with developmental disabilities. 

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 

Child Care Health Consultants - 

Mecklenburg County 

Child Care Consumer Education & 

Referral - Child Care Resources, Inc. 

Early Childhood Teacher Professional 

Development – Central Piedmont 

Community College 

MECK Pre-K – Smart Start of 


NC Pre-K – Charlotte Mecklenburg 

Schools 

Quality Every Day - Child Care 

Resources, Inc. 

The Learning Collaborative 

The Polliwog Project - Thompson 

WAGE$ - Child Care Services 

Association 

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 I O N G R A N T S 

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is known for allocating state, county, 

and private funds to local early childhood serving agencies. To increase 

impact and innovation, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County granted over 

$300K in one-time funding for innovative projects in FY22, which 

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

The grants focused on rapid cycle projects that will identify outcome 

disparities for vulnerable families. 

2022 GRANT RECIPIENTS 

Alliance Center for Education 

Beatties Ford Family Child Care Network 

Charlotte Bilingual Preschool 

Charlotte Community Health Clinic 

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library 

Davidson-Cornelius CDC 

Family Mankind 

Freedom Communities 

Promising Pages 

Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S 

Reach out and Read 

Hope Community Clinic 

Thompson 

WTVI-PBS Charlotte 

P A G E 0 7

I M P A C T 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 U C C E S S O U T C O M E S 

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. 

P A G E 0 8

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 

Resources, Inc. 

Ready4K – Smart Start of 


P A G E 0 9

C O M M U N I T Y 

E N G A G E M E N T 

2,884 FOLLOWERS 

8,449 SUBSCRIBERS 


50,858 VISITORS 


402 FOLLOWERS 

' 2 1 - 2 2 I N S T I T U T I O N A L F U N D E R S 

We are grateful for the continued support from our community partners*. 

*Represents contributions of $1,000 or more from corporate, foundation, and faith community donors. 

P A G E 1 0

Turn Five Ready to Thrive 


(704) 377-6588 

601 E. 5th Street, Suite 200 

Charlotte, NC 28202 

www.smartstartofmeck.org 

SmartStartMeck 



SmartStartMecklenburgCountyCharlotte 


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

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County FY21-22 Impact Report

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