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Smart Start

A Good Idea

Description

Smart Start is a comprehensive public-private community-based initiative to help all North Carolina children enter school ready to succeed. Created in 1993, the primary focus of Smart Start is to provide families with access to high-quality childcare. The program is predicated on the notions that (1) the first six years of life are the most critical; (2) better quality childcare programs can increase a child's ability at school entry; and (3) a child's ability at school entry can often predict later academic success.

Goal / Mission

The goal of this program is to help all North Carolina children enter school ready to succeed.

Results / Accomplishments

Currently, 81 local partnerships, encompassing all of North Carolina's 100 counties, have begun implementation of Smart Start to assure that children in their communities begin school healthy and ready to succeed.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
The NC Partnership for Children
Primary Contact
Marie Butts
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center
105 Smith Level Road
CB#8180
UNC Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8180
(919) 966-4295
smartstart@unc.edu
Topics
Education / Childcare & Early Childhood Education
Education / Student Performance K-12
Organization(s)
The NC Partnership for Children
Source
Promising Practices Network
Date of publication
Apr 2005
Date of implementation
1993
Location
North Carolina
For more details
http://www.promisingpractices.net/program.asp?prog...
Target Audience
Children

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A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.