2. This past year, Smart Start board members, community partners, parents of young children, staff
and advocates swung into motion with our first Teddy Bear Breakfast that was attended by 250
children and families. While families were shopping at the silent auction, children were immersed
in the “world” of bears. They listened to a story about Corduroy, marched to a teddy bear parade,
sang and danced to music led by Dr. Thomas Moore, renowned child advocate. Of course, our little
bears ate breakfast along with their families and viewed the Charlotte School of Ballet’s colorful
dance performance.
This event and other fundraising initiatives were in response to four consecutive years of drastic
budget cuts. In addition to fundraising, Mecklenburg constituents rallied behind Smart Start as
Robert Furr, Current Board Chair
advocacy efforts increased by contacting and educating our local legislators on the importance of
early care and education, writing letters, emails, and making phone calls and a coordinated Social
Media Campaign was utilized through Facebook and Twitter.
Due to these efforts, Smart Start was able to continue funding effective programs that enhance
the lives of Mecklenburg County’s children and their families, by offering family support to at-risk
children, making sure children are healthy, providing high quality child care, and convening leaders
in the community to develop strategies and determine gaps in services.
We are grateful to both our funders and our community partners who helped us achieve the Smart
Start mission of serving young children and families in making sure they enter school healthy and
ready to succeed. Please take a few moments to review the annual report and learn of our achieve-
ments. Together, let’s stay in Motion on behalf of young children in our county.
Sincerely,
Jane Meyer, Executive Director
Robert B. Furr Jane W. Meyer
Smart Start Board Chair Executive Director
1
3. Barbara Rein,
Program Evaluator
Catherine Etters,
Chief Financial Officer
Dianne Alexander,
GPS Coordinator
Eunice Murray,
Staff Accountant
Jennifer Taylor,
Public Education Manager
Lee Henderson,
Senior Program Manager
Rahel Gashaw,
Senior Accountant
Rosemary Bernauer,
Accountant/Program
Assistant
Sheryl White,
Partnership Coordinator
10
4. 100%
many families lack the necessary resources to optimally raise their of YMCA
Parents as
young children. Adolescents, adults with limited English, first-time
Teachers families
parents and former childhood foster parents often need support and
who participated in
information to better prepare their children for school success.
75% of their personal
visits reported that the
program helped them be
right Start…Parent for Life works with parents with a childhood their child’s best first
teacher.
history of foster care services. 95% of participating parents main-
tained stable housing with no periods of homelessness.
86%
of families
participating in
safe Journey, a school-based teen parent education program, Raising a Reader
reported 85% of active participants demonstrated an increase toward for the first time report
a more supportive, nurturing family relationship. increasing the number of
times they read with
their child.
smart Start Healthy Families Mecklenburg, a child abuse prevention
program, stated that 98% of mothers with children enrolled for at least 6
months show positive parent-child interaction.
2
5. Smart Start of Mecklenburg County’s Board conflicts. The Board voted to reduce mem- Kilkka, Elizabeth Peterson-Vita, Peter Safir,
of Directors voted to redesign their Board bers from 30 to 20. We want to thank our Allison Schweizer, Kelley Smith, David Snider,
structure. The alternate structure meets members that are rotating off the Board for and Phelps Sprinkle.
NCPC’s guidelines which mandate a Board their dedication, support and service:
of no less than 15, with representation from We want to welcome new members:
government, services, and the business com- Nathan Clark, Timika Shafeek-Horton, Glen-
munity. The new structure allows Partner- da Bernhardt, Pastor Jonathan Coppedge- Barbara Cantisano, Bess Caughran, Chelsea
ships to choose members that best represent Henley, Nancy Crown, Randall Darnell, Paul Heath, Sherry Hinton, Pearlynn Houck, and
their local area with the least amount of Garafola, Hilda Gurdian, Mike Harrell, Lois Dawn Peebles
FY11-12 Board Officers
Jonathan Coppedge-Henley, First Paul Koehnke, Central Piedmont Community
Robert Furr, Chair, NC United Methodist Church College
Cooperative Extension Service Nancy Crown, Bank of America Wynn Mabry, Mecklenburg County Health
Nathan Clark, Vice-Chair Darrell Cunningham, Dept. of Social Department
Glenda Woolf, Treasurer, Woolf Tax Services LaWana Mayfield, City of Charlotte
Kelly Stewart, Secretary, The Federal Randall Darnell, NC Employment Secu- Elizabeth Peterson-Vita,
Reserve Bank rity Commission Mecklenburg Area Mental Health
Timika Shafeek-Horton, Past Chair, Paul Garafola, Parent Rep. Janice Price, First United Methodist CDC
Duke Energy Corp. Hilda Gurdian, La Noticia Jennifer Roberts, Mecklenburg County Com-
Mike Harrell, Beacon Partners missioner
Glenda Bernhardt, Junior League Angela Jones, Levine Children’s Hos- Peter Safir, Mecklenburg County Govern-
Stephanie Civers, Stephanie’s pital ment
Sheltering Arms Day Care Jared Keaton, Head Start Allison Schweizer, Parent Rep.
Ann Clark, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Lois Kilkka, Charlotte Mecklenburg Kelley Smith, Parent Rep.
Schools Library David Snider, Foundation for the Carolinas
Phelps Sprinkle, Topics Education
9
6. PCC
95% of dents at C
children 92% of stu d
ntextualize
enrolled
at Cent w ho took co
ral l courses
Avenue
Bilingu de velopmenta
haC
Presch al passed wit
ool
exhibite or better.
d
progres
s
toward
school
readine
ss.
Over
Nearly 70% of 780 c
child hildre
preschool-age care n rec
mont subsi eived
h, en dies e
children and abling ach
enrol them
babies in l in 4 to
care and 5
and e star e
Mecklenburg progr duca arly
ams. tion
County live in
families where all care givers work outside the home.
Therefore, over 79% of Smart Start’s funding is invested in
Early Care & Education, including subsidy.
3
7. • Bank of America • First United Methodist CDC
• Black Forest Books & Toys • Foundation for the Carolinas
• Cardinal Lane Book Fairs • Starbucks Coffee
• Children & Family Services Center • SunTrust Bank
• Civic Plus • Thompson Child & Family Focus
Please Note: Private donors are not listed.
8
8. Infant-
tin g in the
articipa custom
ized
class rooms p ceived
96% of e re ram
Initiativ se prog
Quality em t o increa ts.
Toddler wing th essmen
t ion allo re-P ost Ass
interven ed by P ild care
y as measur mily ch
qualit nters an
d fa Initiativ
e
care ce Main tenance eiv-
f child Quality fter rec
100% o Guard: r rating a
in Star their sta sistanc
e,
homes a intained nical as
ed or m ech
increas mized t
rainin g, custo ework.
ing group t lleg e cours ip
t and co eadersh
/eq uipmen Dire ctors’ L
aterials ating in
clas sroom m s particip ion plan
.
min istrator om t heir act t
care ad goals fr nsultan
98% of child t lea st four He alth Co
ieved a ild Care . Partici-
cade my ach ed w ith a Ch ssionals
A ork rofe ent
s that w d care p provem
re facilitie ot her chil s cr eated im
child ca gram to e home l materia
ls
99% of end the pro yc hild car du cationa
ecomm nd famil n and e
would r enters a nsultatio ograms
.
g child
care c ing, co their pr
patin n-s ite train s in
eived o change
goals and rec g positive
in makin
to ass ist them
4
9. FAMILY SUPPORT
Nurse-Family Partnership
Raising a Reader
Resource and Referral
Right Start-Parent for Life EARLY CARE & EDUCATION
Safe Journey’s Parents as Teachers Central Avenue Bilingual Preschool
Smart Start Healthy Families Mecklenburg Child Care Health Consultants
Support for Homeless Families with Preschool Children Child Care Subsidy
The Incredible Years Director’s Leadership Academy
YMCA Parents as Teachers Early Childhood Teacher Education
Easter Seals UCP Children’s Center
Healthy Futures Starting in the Kitchen
Infant Toddler Quality Initiative
Lakewood Preschool Cooperative
HEALTH
North Carolina Pre-Kindergarten (NC Pre-K)
Polliwog Project
Reach for the Stars
Presbyterian Hospital Early Childhood Intervention
Smart Start Education Award & Textbook Support
Smart Start Rewarding Excellence
Smart Start Success @ Online Learning
Star Guard: Quality Maintenance Initiative
OTHER
The Learning Collaborative
Parent and Community Education
Thompson Child Development Center
Program Evaluation/Management
7
10. P
Poor health can hinder a young child’s growth, educa-
ti and development, thereby preventing them from
tion
a
achieving their full potential when they enter school.
S
Smart Start funds programs to reduce health risks,
id
identify children with unmet health concerns, and help
y
young children obtain the services they need to be
s
successful.
91% of children enrolled in the Polliwog Project who
received behavioral support, including a DECA-C
Assessment, shared an increase in protective factors
and a decrease in behavioral concerns.
303 infants and children were referred to Children’s Developmental
Services or the Health Department from Presbyterian Hospital’s Early
Intervention Specialist.
5
11. Fiscal Year 2011-2012
Other
Expenditures
$374,320 (2.9%)
Child Care Subsidy
$5,278,069 (40.5%)
Family Support
$1,491,732 (11.4%)
Health
& Safety
$552,688 (4.2%)
Administration
$531,772 (4.1%)
Non-Traditional
Child Care Subsidy
$1,048,782 (8.0%)
Early Care &
Education
$3,770,280 (28.9%)
6