Smart Start of Mecklenburg County - FY 24 Annual Impact Report

FISCAL YEAR 2024 ANNUAL REPORT
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Welcome Letter
Our Mission and 3 Pillars
Financials
Programs
Innovation Grants
Partner-Powered Conference
Outreach
Sponsors
Get Involved
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2
3
4
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14
15
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WELCOME LETTER
The Smart Start of Mecklenburg County (SSMC) team is thrilled to share another year of our
impactful work in our community. As we continue to improve the lives of children and families ages
prenatal-to-five in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, we remain dedicated to our three core pillars:
Investing, Collaborating and Convening, and Innovating.
Investing
Investing in high-quality programs allows us to support a multitude of early childhood needs, from
operating internal programs to assisting over twenty external partners. As you’ll see throughout this
report, our investments yield strong results in early care and education, family support, health, and
literacy.
Collaborating and Convening
As the lead collaborator and convener in Mecklenburg’s early childhood sector, we forge partnerships
and engage in meaningful dialogues that benefit the families we serve. Our annual Partner-Powered
conference, community roundtables, and other initiatives provide a platform for diverse voices.
Innovating
Innovation is essential to driving lasting change in the lives of young children. Our innovation grants,
community systems-building work, and the universal pre-K design of our MECK Pre-K program are
transforming our early childhood landscape to meet the evolving needs of our community in realtime.
Our work is a collaborative effort, and we are grateful for the support of our many partners, sponsors,
donors, and every individual who is instrumental in helping us achieve our mission: ensuring that all
children in Mecklenburg County turn five ready to thrive.
With sincere appreciation,
Mike Blackwelder, CEO
Amanda Nitto, Board Chair
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OUR MISSION
We mobilize resources, forge
partnerships, and support
families to improve early
childhood health, education and
development, and ensure children
are prepared for kindergarten.
OUR VISION
All children in Charlotte and
Mecklenburg County enter
kindergarten healthy and ready
to succeed.
OUR THREE PILLARS
In our efforts to help every child turn five ready to thrive, we use three guiding pillars. As you go through
this report, you’ll notice these keys, representing our three pillars and how they apply to different programs:
COLLABORATE & CONVENE
people and groups around
data and research to drive
solutions.
INNOVATE
ideas, solutions, and practices
to advance opportunities for
our youngest citizens.
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INVEST
our human and financial
resources in the early
childhood community.
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FINANCIALS
Functional Expenditures
Fiscal Year 2023-24 Revenue
State Awards and Contracts
Federal Awards
Local Awards
Private Contributions
Other Receipts
Total Revenue
$14,265,489*
$87,625
$24,367,770
$248,112
$188,450
$39,157,446
*Includes Subsidy & WAGE$
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PROGRAMS
Charlotte Bilingual Preschool
Early Care & Education
A five-star program that provides high-quality, tuitionfree
preschool education to low-income, at-risk Hispanic/
Latino children. They prepare students for a successful
transition to kindergarten and offer parent training and
engagement.
When Arthur entered Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, he was non-verbal and had difficulty self-regulating.
After many months of working with the parents, collaborating with speech therapists, and the dedication
of the teachers, Arthur successfully met the risk factors in initiative, self-regulation, and attachment. This is
what his mother said when asked how she felt about her family experience at the preschool this year:
“Charlotte Bilingual Preschool has been a blessing for Arthur and our family. When the school year was
about to start, we thought Arthur would have difficulty adapting, but it was quite the opposite. He loves
being at school. I believe that feeling comfortable with his teachers and noticing that, as soon as he entered
the school, every person working there and even those who were no longer there would greet him with
smiles and hugs made him feel at ease very quickly.
One of the first phrases Arthur started to say was, ‘School
makes me happy,’ and it truly does.
I love the inclusion at Charlotte Bilingual Preschool because that was one of my biggest fears. But as I
mentioned earlier, the school and everyone who is a part of it are a blessing to us, and we are infinitely
grateful. Thank you very much for all your work, effort, and help, which you provide to the students and
every parent.”
Arthur and his family designed the outfit below for him to wear at the celebration at the end of their unit on
clothes.
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Child Care Health Consultants
Early Care & Education, Health
The Mecklenburg County Health Department
employs highly-trained nurses and health
educators to work with child care facilities to
ensure the health and safety of all children in
their care. These professionals provide training,
ongoing coaching and technical assistance on a
wide variety of topics related to health and safety,
including safe sleeping, sound nutrition, disease
prevention, supporting a child with special health
care needs, and much more.
221
Trainings Administered to
802
Early Child Care Education
Staff Members throughout
Mecklenburg County
The Learning Collaborative
Early Care & Education
Serves preschool children from at-risk families
through a five-star, tuition-free program
with literacy-rich activities that address their
educational and social needs. A Family Support
Specialist builds and nurtures relationships
with parents to lay the foundation for ongoing
involvement in their child’s education.
From Family Success Navigator Chastity
Richey:
“We work best when we work together! In
partnership with Smart Start, The Learning
Collaborative offered an art therapy-inspired
workshop for 15 parents that allowed each
participant to create their own bowl, receive
the children’s book Thank You, Omu! and
discuss the power of reading at home.
Smart Start also provided an interpreter, who
connected beautifully with a grandmother
participating in the workshop.
The icing on top was a high school volunteer
collected money to purchase crock pots,
supplies, and a gift card for each participating
family. The layers of connectivity were
incredible.
We are hearing families talk
about how they are using
their crock pot, recipes AND
their bowl for healthy meals
at home!”
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Dolly Parton’s
Imagination Library
Literacy
30,802
Children Receiving
Books Monthly
Provides books, free of charge, to children living in
Mecklenburg County until their 5th birthday. Enrolled
children receive one age-appropriate book in the mail
each month until their fifth birthday.
Parents As Teachers
Family Support
Across three programs - Communities in Schools, the YMCA, and Care Ring’s Nurse-Family Partnership -
the evidence-based Parents As Teachers model provides one-on-one home visits, monthly group meetings,
developmental screenings, and a resource network for families.
328
Total Home Visits Across 3 Programs
91
Home Visits By
Communities
In Schools
137
Home Visits By
the YMCA
100
Home Visits By
Care Ring
“I liked the tips she gave me. I felt
like I became a better mom.” -
Marissa, Care Ring’s Nurse-Family
Partnership Graduate
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Moms Moving Forward
Family Support
Freedom Communities’ Moms Moving
Forward Program uses the evidencebased
EmPath model to take a holistic and
community-based approach to drive upward
mobility and family stability for single mothers
and their children in the 28208 zip code.
During the 12-month paid program, mothers
build a network of support with other program
participants and make connections to
resources to address their area(s) of need, as
identified on the Bridge to Self-Sufficiency.
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45
Graduates
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MECK Pre-K
Early Care & Education
46
Early Childhood
Development Sites
1,890+
Children Enrolled
MECK Pre-K is a Mecklenburg County-funded program that
offers a high-quality Pre-K experience to ensure children are
academically and developmentally prepared for kindergarten.
Classrooms are located in 4- and 5-star child care centers and
children attend a 6.5-hour school day program.
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Guiding Parents to Services
Health, Family Support
Supporting children and their families as they navigate the
evaluation process for a potential developmental delay. Families
get connected to GPS via referral, empowering families to
get the early intervention services their child needs. Services
include education, referrals, navigation, and emotional support
during this pivotal time. GPS also supports community child
care and preschool teachers through targeted presentations
and trainings, aimed at increasing professional capacity in
supporting children with challenging developmental issues.
The Basics Mecklenburg
Family Support
116
Children + Families Supported
through the Eligibility Process
351
Early Childhood Professionals
Trained on Possible Signs for
Concern
A public education campaign built on five evidence-based
parenting and caregiving principles important for healthy
brain development for children from birth to age three. Eighty
percent of the brain growth happens in the first three years of
life and every child from every background can benefit from
routinely engaging in these fun, simple and powerful learning
experiences. The Basics brain development campaign is working
through a variety of local partners to ensure that every parent
and caregiver is fully supported by family, friends, and the
community to use The Basics’ practices in
everyday life.
322
Children Impacted through
Workshops + Bag Giveaways
Raising A Reader
Literacy
Promotes literacy between parents and children
by sending home weekly, rotating bags of highquality
books to children enrolled in targeted child
care centers and by offering onsite early literacy
workshops to enhance the shared reading skills of
parents and teachers.
588
Children served weekly
with rotating bags
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Child Care Resources, Inc.
Early Care & Education
Two of our Programs are administered through Child Care Resources, Inc -Social-Emotional Teacher Coaching
(SETC) and Quality Everyday.
Young children are learning how to deal with strong emotions in themselves and others and often need help
in learning regulation skills; and yet preschoolers are expelled at three times the rate of K-12 students. SETC
recognizes thsi as a gap in early care providers’ capacity to meet this need and strives to 1) improve child care
professionals’ knowledge and skills to provide consistent pro-social environments that foster children’s socialemotional
development, and 2) nurture teacher practices that constructively address children’s behaviors and
maintain their child care placements.
Quality Everyday helps directors and teachers improve each child’s experience in the classroom through supportive
adult-child interactions and high-quality learning environments. Specialists deliver in-depth training on vairous
topics and provide on-site coaching to help achieve identified goals.
“I am so glad to be working with teachers with a positive
outlook on the coaching process and can’t wait to see the
children in their classroom benefit from their growth!”
North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten
Early Care & Education
Offers a high-quality pre-K option for at-risk children
and prepares them for success in school. Children
attend a 6.5-hour school day program following the
CMS schedule. Classrooms are located in 4- and 5-star
child care centers and Head Start programs.
ParentPowered
Literacy
183,082
Texts Sent to the Families of
2,020
Children
WAGE$ NC
Early Care & Education
Provides education-based salary supplements to
qualifying teachers, directors and family child care
providers working with children between the ages
of birth to five. The program is designed to provide
preschool children more stable relationships with
better-educated teachers by rewarding teacher
education and continuity of care.
Early Educator Workforce Development
Early Care & Education
24
Graduates in the 2023 Educator
ESL Course with a Goal of
Increased Enrollment to Further
Workforce Opportunities
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Charlotte Speech & Hearing Center
Health, Literacy
Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center provides no-cost
screenings for over 2,000 young children in Mecklenburg
County, and connection to evaluation services for those
who need further assessment. Additionally, CSHC delivers
evidence-based, early language intervention services for
high risk preschool-enrolled children, that builds their skills
in early communication, emerging receptive and expressive
language - skills critical for early literacy success.
Amanda was evaluated at her preschool, at her mom’s request, when she was 3 years old. She received
services at her school twice a week from the Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center.
According to Amanda’s mom, “When [she] was a 3-year old, she spent a summer with family and her
grandma could not understand her. I knew that I understood her, but a lot of people around her were asking
her to repeat herself. People didn’t understand her and that was really frustrating, because you’re trying to
communicate and no one understands you.”
When her family moved to Charlotte from California, CSHC was onsite at her school. “It was just a
wonderful experience, and she absolutely loved it. She had so much fun and she looked forward to it. And
the fact that it was so playful made it really joyful. It was a really easy way to learn because it was fun. Also,
the exercises that came home with us were fun.”
“You could tell everyone she worked with was championing her. They were all so warm, friendly, and
genuinely happy. She was empowered because of the approach that
was taken, the care and consideration, and how wonderful
everybody was. It was a super positive experience for us. She was so proud of the progress...and
her frustration about being heard and understood is gone. It is just night and day.”
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INNOVATION GRANTS
As the innovative hub, community convener, and leading organization regarding prenatal-to-five issues and
initiatives in Mecklenburg County, we do our work not in isolation, but with and through our partners in the
community.
We value change centered on community, collaboration, and collective action as integral to shifting
entrenched power structures. Our Innovation Grants support efforts to champion equitable access and
opportunities for all in early childhood. Smart Start-funded projects engage community voices, particularly
communities of color, to build equitable solutions.
Through our partnerships, we can develop innovative projects to help us come closer to our vision that every
child in Mecklenburg County turns five ready to thrive.
Learn more about our grant recipients:
Black Child Development Institute
Funding to help fully implement The Family
Empowerment Program (FEP), a holistic approach
to build the capacity of families through education
on brain development, toxic stress, Adverse
Childhood Experiences, and the importance of
building resiliency and developing positive factors.
FEP is culturally releveant and responsive, traumainformed,
and evidence-based.
BYE Foundation
Funding to increase family engagement by
establishing a Family Leadership and Engagement
Coalition (FLEC), where parents/caregivers work
alongside early childhood education providers as
equal partners to shift from agency-centered to
family-centered policies.
Educational Equity Institute
Funding provided a 12-month Family Advocacy
Academy, a community organizing approach, to
build power and advocacy skills within traditionally
marginalized neighborhoods. Participants learned
about power, what early childhood education is,
why it is important, how programs get funded,
and key advocacy skills. The Academy addressed
the root causes of white supremacy, entrenched
mindsets about race and power, and scarcity
mindsets.
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Family Childcare & Center Enrichment Foundation
Funding to help build the capacity of this new
organization to meet the needs of area family
child care providers and the families they serve. A
consultant will be hired to facilitate focus groups
with families to support the strategic focus and goal
setting.
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SAFE Alliance
Funding to engage families, survivors of violence and direct service providers to inform the creation of a
model, trauma-informed early care and education program capable of fostering the social and emotional
wellbeing of children exposed to violence. The model program is housed at the new Umbrella Center, formerly
named the Family Justice Center.
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PARTNER-POWERED CONFERENCE
Our annual conference that convenes early
childhood professionals and advocates for
an opportunity to focus on Mecklenburg
County’s youngest citizens and their
families.
122
Early Childhood Professionals
and Advocates Registered to
Attend in 2024
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OUTREACH
38,000
Active Website Users
105+
Community Events &
Presentations
8,889
Social Media Followers
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PRESENTING SPONSOR
TRANSFORMATION ADVOCATES
RELATIONSHIP BUILDERS
CONNECTION CATALYSTS
BUILDING BLOCKS
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
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GET INVOLVED
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SmartStartOfMeck.org
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