NORTH CAROLINA PARTNERSHIP FOR

Networkwide projects to support primary content areas of early care and education, family support, and child and family health in an effort to live into the legislative vision of smart start as a public-private partnership that innovates to strengthen the state's early childhood system, ncpc, in partnership with state agencies, philanthropic and other early childhood organizations, has played a leading role in other projects and initiatives, such as these programs in 2023-2024 (see 2023-24 smart start impact report for more details):--smart start supports child care quality: smart start's infrastructure provides essential support to enhance child care quality. Smart start partners with early care programs to enhance teacher recruitment and retention, promote child health and well-being, and strengthen family engagement. Ncpc collaborates with partners across the state to ensure the latest research and evidence-based programs are available for local partnerships to use as needed across the state. Partnerships then work directly with early learning programs, ensuring teachers have the resources, training, and technical assistance needed to provide high-quality care. 23.7% (1,262) of north carolina's child care programs worked to improved quality of care in fy 2023-2024 by increasing teacher knowledge and enhancing effective teacher-child interactions--building family engagement and leadership capacity: smart start empowers families by involving them in decisions that affect their communities. With the support of preschool development grant birth-to-five (pdg b-5) funding, ncpc provided over 100 technical assistance opportunities, hosted monthly community of practice meetings, and supported local partnerships in expanding family engagement and leadership efforts. Ncpc also continued partnering with counterpart consulting to provide training and coaching on racial equity.--teacher compensation: many early childhood teachers are not paid a living wage. In fact, according to the 2019 nc child care workforce study, the median average salary for child care teachers in 2023 was $12.00 per hour far below the living wage of $29.32 for an adult living with one child in north carolina.4 smart start plays a key role in addressing this issue through smart start's investment of the child care wage$ program, which offers financial incentives to teachers. Beyond wage$, some local partnerships offer scholarships and other compensation to support the early care and education workforce. In 2023-2024, over 4,300 teachers received salary supplements through these programs and other compensation supports. Of this amount, over 82% remained in their positions for a full year. This helps stabilize the workforce and retain skilled teachers.--subsidy funding and scholarships: in fy 23-24, smart start managed over $65.3 million in local subsidy funds, helping families afford child care and remain in the workforce. Smart start also shares best practices for subsidy management, ensuring families receive consistent and effective support. Smart start operates a dual subsidy model that includes both state and federal funding sources, allowing for broader reach and flexibility in addressing family needs. This dual approach helps mitigate funding gaps and ensures that families across north carolina have access to quality early childhood education. Many local partnerships tailor their use of these funds to address specific acute needs within their communities, such as families with limited financial resources, children with special needs, or families in underserved rural areas. Using data-driven approaches, they identify critical gaps in child care access and affordability and allocate resources accordingly. This targeted approach helps ensure that the most vulnerable populations receive the support they need to thrive.--advancing child, family, and community health: smart start connects families with vital resources to support the whole health of the child which includes maternal, perinatal, and postpartum health. Through these connections, the network addresses key social drivers of healthsuch as education and access to nutritious food that profoundly impact family well-being. Additionally, smart start equips families with essential tools to foster healthy behaviors. This includes nutrition education, wellness programs, and the encouragement of physical activity in both child care settings and homes. The network plays a crucial role in supporting screening for developmental delays. Early intervention connects families with needed resources before children enter school, fostering stronger developmental outcomes. Smart start connects families with vital resources to support the whole health of each child. This begins with maternal health, including prenatal and postpartum health.--technical assistance smart start technical assistance can support child care program quality, children's physical health and safety, children's mental and behavioral health, and provider professional development. Smart start leveraged its infrastructure to enhance the capacity of early care providers across the state as part of a project called coaching for technical assistants. Through professional development, resources, and peer support to these essential professionals, this work plays a critical role in improving quality of care. A ta community of practice was built with 140 technical assistants regularly collaborating, sharing resources, and providing feedback. Professional development continued at the 2024 smart start conference where 83 tas received support and training.