Mission

To ensure every child in Durham enters school ready to succeed, we lead community strategies for children birth to 5 and their families, which promote healthy development and learning and enhance access to high quality care.

Category

Children and Youth

Additional Information

We administer the Smart Start initiative, NC Pre-K and Early Head Start, as well as community-based programs that promote healthy development and learning and enhance access to high quality care; identify emerging and emergency needs, and mobilize partners to support comprehensive approaches to serving all 23,000 young children in Durham. Current Programs and Services: Smart Start: Administer the North Carolina Smart Start grant in Durham County, investing more than $5MM in 10 programs at six agencies in the areas of Early Care and Education, Health and Family Support, and Program Evaluation. Durham Early Head Start: Serve pregnant women, 108 children (birth to 3) and their families. Program elements include high quality child care, Parents as Teachers® bilingual home visiting, promotion of self-sufficiency, health monitoring, and services for children with disabilities. NC Pre-K: Provide early educational experiences in 4- and 5-star licensed classrooms for at-risk 4-year-olds. Transition to Kindergarten (TTK): Implement activities which prepare parents and children for the significant milestone of moving from home or pre-school into the formal school environment. Touchpoints Collaborative: Administer the evidence-based program which educates service providers in a relational and developmental approach to parent engagement. We know that our investment is having a dramatic impact on the lives of individual children and parents. We also know it is the best investment we can make for our community as a whole. Research indicates that every dollar spent now on early childhood services saves $7-10 down the road in remedial education, welfare, prisons and crime. Investing in young children and families is an investment in our future. Strong families build strong communities.