The NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading initiative is building on North Carolina’s history of innovation and success to tackle one of the greatest challenges facing the state: the overwhelming majority of our children, especially those from low-income families, are not...

A grant of $100,000 from The Belk Foundation to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Foundation will dramatically expand the Library’s efforts to address the challenge of third grade reading proficiency through Active Reading training. “Active Reading means reading with...

Drinking water is essential to improving one’s health. However, many people instead turn to higher-calorie beverages to quench their thirst. To address this issue, Mecklenburg County Public Health, Charlotte Water and Healthy Weight, Healthy Child are pleased to announce the I Heart Water Initiative.

Fruits and vegetables benefit kids in many ways, including improved nutrition, decreased obesity risk and better school performance, but most children don’t get the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

The Trust for Public Land works to protect the places people care about and to create close-to-home parks-particularly in and near cities, where 80 percent of Americans live…

Here are Governor Cooper’s budget highlights of Investments in Early Learning….

Positive parenting can overcome the effects of poverty on brain development in adolescents, according to a new report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Numerous studies on the association of poverty with poor academic and psychosocial...

The North Carolina Farm to Preschool Network (NCFPN) was convened in May 2015 by ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project) and NC CACFP (Child and Adult Care Food Program)…

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is pleased to announce it has received a $300,000 grant from the Vanguard Community Stewardship program. This partnership funds the expansion of existing Smart Start evidence based programs designed to support the healthy development of children and to ensure kindergarten readiness. Specifically the grant expands YMCA’s Parents as Teachers, Reach Out & Read and Smart Start Healthy Families.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County  FY17-18 Funding Opportunity   PBIS PLA50 – Child Care Subsidy In collaboration with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, administer the provision of child care subsidy in the following priority area: At-risk populations participating...

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a program that ​mails out children a free book each month from birth up until 5 years old.  These are high-quality books that are chosen by experts in the education and writing field and are based on the child's age. This...

The Y is pleased to announce it has been selected to receive a $124,700 grant from the Vanguard Capital for Kids Program. Secured through the efforts of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, these funds will support the Parents as Teachers (PAT) program to provide 25...