News
Providence Preparatory School provides a sponsorship to Opportunity for Influence campaign to help amplify early childhood education as the most critical education a young child can receive.
Providence Preparatory School (PPS) provides an extraordinary early childhood education experience. Together with its passionate and tenured teachers and a management team with multiple degrees and certifications, PPS delivers the most important education a...
Kaplan Early Learning Company provides a sponsorship to Opportunity for Influence campaign in an effort to help children turn five ready to thrive.
For more than 50 years, Kaplan Early Learning Company has been a champion for play. From their research-based curricula to enriching classroom environments and innovative technology solutions, Kaplan's products and services inspire a lifelong love of learning in...
Infant Formula Shortage | May 2022
Some families in North Carolina are facing challenges accessing infant formulas. These challenges are related to the February recall of certain Abbott infant formulas, the resulting increased demand for other formula brands, and the lingering effects of supply issues...
First National Bank Sponsorship for Opportunity for Influence Campaign Helps Ensure Children Turning Five Are Ready to Thrive
First National Bank (FNB), the largest subsidiary of F.N.B. Corporation, believes that doing the right thing for customers starts with making the communities the Bank serves an even better place to live and work — and that the best way to do that is to get involved....
Renewal of Hope
For the past couple of years, readers of newsletters like these have been accustomed to the doom and gloom opening letter. Let’s face it; there hasn’t been a lot of good stuff to talk about. The yo-yo nature of the pandemic has cruelly manipulated hope, while the...
Innovation Grant Recipient Update | Queen City Cocoa B.E.A.N.S.
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is known for allocating state, county, and private funds to local early childhood serving agencies. To increase impact and innovation, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County granted over $313,000 in one-time funding for Innovation Grants –...
How Important Is Pre-K to Childhood Development?
How Important Is Pre-K to Childhood Development?Pre-kindergarten (also known as pre-K or PK) is an educational program for 4- and 5-year-olds. As the name suggests, the goal is to prepare children for kindergarten and future success in life. Pre-K is a classroom-based...
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Partners with Diaper Bank of North Carolina for Charlotte Expansion
Founded in 2013, the Diaper Bank of North Carolina (DBNC) has advanced its vision that every family in North Carolina will have access to basic necessities to support their dignity, health, and quality of life. To date, DBNC has brought three regional diaper banks to...
Join us in Celebration for Week of the Young Child
North Carolina’s future depends on our children today. We know that the foundation for future learning, health and well-being is built during early childhood. When we commit to giving every child a strong foundation in their first years of life, we create healthy and...
County Invests ARPA Funds to Support Smart Start of Mecklenburg County’s Home Visiting Plan
The Treasury Department allocated $215 million in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds to Mecklenburg County. ARPA funds will support the County's COVID-19 Strategic Recovery Plan. The plan focuses on key priority areas designed to improve the quality of...
MECK Pre-K Registration for the 2022-2023 School Year is Now Open
Registration is now open for MECK Pre-K. All children residing in Mecklenburg County who will be four years old on or before August 31, 2022 are eligible for the 2022-2023 school year. Find out what you need to apply by visiting the enrollment page on our website....
Celebrating While Recognizing
We are in the midst of Black History Month, a time where we celebrate and recognize the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history. We must remember and recount the contributions made by the many great African American leaders. Their impact has and...
February is Family Support Awareness Month
February is Family Support Awareness Month. This time of year highlights the critical work done by specific Smart Start-funded programs, home visiting and parenting education (HVPE). Early childhood home visiting and parenting education programs strengthen the...
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Awards New Innovation Grants
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is known for its allocation of state, county, and private funds to local early childhood serving agencies. In order to increase impact and innovation, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County granted over $313,000 in one-time funding for...
Join Us For Our Annual Bidders’ Workshop
Smart Start is accepting program applications for the FY22-23 funding cycle. You are invited to attend our upcoming workshop to learn more! About this event Smart Start of Mecklenburg County (SSMC) helps children turn five ready to thrive. SSMC is an innovator,...
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Celebrates 5 Years in Charlotte
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is available to children in over 2,000 communities across the world, including Mecklenburg County.Since launching in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become an internationally recognized early childhood book-gifting...
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Turn Five Ready to Thrive
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County
(704) 377-6588
601 E. 5th Street, Suite 500
Charlotte, NC 28202