The Partnership for Children of Lincoln and Gaston Counties is the local Smart Start initiative that works to improve access to quality childcare, health services, and family support in the two counties. Smart Start funds early childhood programs and the Partnership convenes local stakeholders to ensure children's healthy development. Investing in early childhood education generates lifelong returns by providing a strong foundation for learning and skill acquisition.

1. Investing in Lincoln and Gaston Counties’ Youngest Citizens and Future Employees

2. The Partnership for Children of Lincoln and Gaston Counties is… Your local Smart Start Initiative The lead agency for More at Four in Lincoln County The Child Care Resource and Referral Agency (CCR&R) for families in Lincoln and Gaston Co.’s The technical assistance and training agency for improving child care in Lincoln and Gaston Co.’s Your resource for information about young children and families in the counties you represent.

3. PFCLG is Your Local Smart Start Initiative. What is Smart Start? North Carolina's nationally recognized and award-winning early childhood initiative. Smart Start is a public-private initiative that provides early care and education funding to all of NC’s 100 counties. Smart Start funds are used to improve the quality of child care , make child care more affordable and accessible, provide access to health services and offer family support . Smart Start funds are administered by local nonprofit organizations called Local Partnerships.

4. What does the Partnership for Children and Smart Start do for Lincoln and Gaston Counties? We are the local system that brings together all the people involved in a young child’s life - families, teachers, doctors, caregivers, social workers, and many others - to ensure every child has what they need for healthy growth and development. The Partnership for Children is the convener .

5. How is PFCLG Funded? North Carolina General Assembly Division of Child Development (DCD) North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) Partnership for Children of Lincoln and Gaston Counties Local, State and Federal Grants In-House Activities Direct Service Providers Smart Start Funding Process

6. The Science Behind Our Investment

7. Putting the Investment in Perspective 85% of a child’s brain development occurs in the first five years of life. “ If a child enters the child care setting at six weeks of age and continues through age five, he/she will spend more time in those five years of child care than they ever spend in school during the next 12 years.” Judsen Culbreth Editor-in-Chief Scholastic Parent Publishing

8. The Return of Investing in Young Children Investing in early childhood learning generates a lifetime of returns as it provides both the traction and foundation for future learning and the acquistion of skills.

9. The Return of Investing in Young Children The earliest years of childhood are critical. Experiences during this time literally shape the structure of the brain. “ All aspects of adult human capital, from work force skills to cooperative and lawful behavior, build on capacities that are developed during childhood, beginning at birth.” - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University and the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007)

10. Why Smart Start in North Carolina? Business owners, employees, and job seekers rely on Smart Start for high quality, reliable child care. The average working parent misses five to nine days of work per year because of child care problems, costing U.S. businesses $3 billion a year in lost productivity. Smart Start is an incredibly effective and efficient public/private partnership. Ninety-two cents of every dollar goes directly to ensuring that children and families have the experiences they need to thrive. Our future workforce are today’s babies. Building a strong and productive labor force depends largely on how we invest in children today. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Report: “Early childhood education has a tremendous impact on the national security and the viability of the American dream.”

11. Cost of Child Care for North Carolina’s Labor Force If a child enters child care in North Carolina at 6 weeks of age and stays until he enters kindergarten, the parent will pay the equivalent of tuition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill….. TWICE

12. Results of Investment in Early Care and Education Number of Child Care Centers by Stars 2001 - 2009

13. How does PFCLG invest it’s Smart Start Funds? Healthy Child Care Health Consultant – Gaston Child Care Health Consultant – Lincoln Early Intervention Services Family Support Adolescent Parenting Program Family Resource Center VIP – Parenting Program Ready Individual Professional Development Program Parent Resource and Referral Quality Enhancement Quality Sustainability WAGE$ Subsidy – Lincoln and Gaston

14. Responding to Trends to Improve the lives of Children Currently, 26% of US 2-5 year old children are classified as either overweight or obese. This is astounding knowing the possible health risks facing them, not only as they become adults, but also as children .

15. Who Provides Your Smart Start Programs? Partnership for Children of Lincoln and Gaston Counties Gaston County Department of Social Services Lincoln County Department of Social Services Gaston County Health Department Lincoln County Health Department Community Health Partners Communities in Schools – Lincoln NC Cooperative Extension - Gaston

16. PFCLG Priorities and Results - FY 2009 – 2010 Help families find quality child care. Provided assistance to find quality licensed child care to 655 families. Help child care facilities achieve and maintain higher standards of care. Technical Assistance targeting health, nutrition, sanitation and safety was provided to 86 child care facilities. Support the education of child care providers. 155 Child care providers in 71 child care facilities earned professional development supplements from PFCLG for earning college credit towards a degree in early childhood education.

17. PFCLG Priorities and Results - FY 2009 – 2010 4. Help parents improve their parenting skills Provided parenting classes ranging from one-time workshops to intensive court-ordered parenting classes to 198 families. 5. Helped improve awareness and enrollment in health services. Training on the use of screening tools to identify children with special needs at the earliest age possible was provided to staff of 36 medical practices.

18. Thank you for investing in the future of North Carolina.