Following a National Search, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Welcomes New CEO

 [CHARLOTTE, NC] [May 26, 2020] – Following a national search led by Sockwell Partners, the Smart Start of Mecklenburg County board of directors is pleased to announce Mr. Jake House as the new CEO of the organization.

Jake has been in Charlotte since 2013 and developed a passion for education, and inequity in education, early in his career through his experience with Harlem Children’s Zone. Jake holds an undergraduate degree in marketing, an MBA from the University of Michigan, and completed a prestigious 2-yr Broad Fellowship in Educational Leadership, which takes outstanding managers across the country and trains them to lead in urban school districts.

“Jake brings experience and credibility having led both nonprofit and for-profit organizations. He has a unique mix of skills that the Board of Directors have identified as vital in our next leader and will position Smart Start as a leading advocate for young children. We are most excited for the children and families who will benefit from his leadership in the years to come,” said Victoria Manning, board member and chair of the search committee.

Jake will begin his position on June 15, 2020.  “I am honored and humbled to lead the Smart Start organization. The need for our community to focus on our youngest citizens and their families was great prior to the pandemic we are living through. That need will only become magnified in the months and years ahead. I stand willing and motivated to help Smart Start and all of our partner agencies tackle the obstacles in front of us”, comments House.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County has undergone tremendous evolution over the years, and today it is responsible for administering nearly 30 state and community funded programs, The Basics Mecklenburg, Guiding Parents to Services, and the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.  In 2018, Smart Start launched MECK Pre-K, the County’s universal pre-k program that currently provides early childhood education services to over 1,200 children.  Mecklenburg County’s proposed budget will further increase capacity to 89 classrooms offering the ability to serve more than 1,600 children.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County mobilizes resources, forges partnerships, and supports families to improve early childhood health, education and development and ensure children are prepared for kindergarten. Our four areas of focus are early care and education quality and accessibility, family support, health, and early literacy for children birth to five

Press Contact: Katie Grant
Email: kgrant@smartstartofmeck.org

Raleigh, NC – Smart Start is celebrating 25 years of providing North Carolina’s youngest children and
their families with programs and services to ensure all children start kindergarten healthy, happy,
and ready to learn.

In 1993, the North Carolina General Assembly created Smart Start, appropriating $20 million to 18
pioneer counties to begin the work of improving the quality of child care, strengthening families, and
supporting healthy child development. By 1997, the funding had increased to $97 million and all 100
North Carolina counties were being served by Smart Start.

“Our state recognized early that to compete in national and global markets, we need to start by
ensuring our youngest children get the care and education they need. I’ve been with Smart Start
since the beginning, working at both the community and state level, and have experienced first-hand
the profound impact Smart Start has for each child in every community,” stated Cindy Watkins,
President of the NC Partnership for Children. “Smart Start’s system of statewide governance and
innovation combined with local inspiration means our communities get the programs they need to
serve children and families.”

Over the past 25 years, Smart Start has become a nationally recognized leader in early childhood
and healthy development. The network of early childhood partnerships provides expertise, guidance
and infrastructure to ensure North Carolina children receive the care and nurturing they need to
thrive. Tailored to meet the specific needs of each community, Smart Start local partnerships invest
in early education, literacy, health, and family support so that our children are ready to succeed,
lead productive lives and contribute to a strong, vibrant North Carolina.

Currently, 75 local partnerships serve all 100 counties and because of the work of Smart Start, more
children are in high quality child care, third grade reading and math scores have increased, special
education placements have decreased, the number of developmental screenings have increased,
and the number of children being read to daily has increased. More information about the work and
results of Smart Start can be found here.

Smart Start will celebrate its 25-year history throughout 2018 with monthly events, a birthday party
at the annual Smart Start Conference, and a 25th Anniversary Gala in September.

[Charlotte, NC, October 20, 2017] – Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library are working together to bring books to Mecklenburg County’s youngest children through funding provided by the North Carolina General Assembly.

During the 2017 legislative session, North Carolina state lawmakers included $3.5 million in the first year of the budget and $7 million in the second year for the Smart Start network to offer free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to children across the state. Imagination Library is a program created to foster a love of reading among children aged birth to five through the gift of a specially selected book delivered right to their home each month.

“I’m thrilled that my Imagination Library is going to be offered to so many children in North Carolina” stated Dolly Parton, the founder of Imagination Library. “Working together we can help children dream more, learn more, care more, and be more.”
The Dolly Parton Imagination Library (DPIL) Program has been in Mecklenburg County for the past 2 years supporting 2,800 children with private dollars. Smart Start of Mecklenburg County (SSMC) has been awarded state funding to expand the existing DPIL program county wide. This amount allows SSMC to support an additional 20,000 children to receive age related, developmentally appropriate books mailed directly to their homes monthly.

“Our state leaders clearly understand how important an early love of reading is for each child’s success in school and later in life,” stated Cindy Watkins, the President of the North Carolina Partnership for Children that oversees the Smart Start network, “Smart Start works in every community to ensure young children have a strong foundation for starting kindergarten – now we can offer this important literacy program to that critical work.”

The statewide effort will begin in 98 of North Carolina’s 100 counties. Because the program is offered by zip code, the initial launch will cover 85 percent of NC zip codes expanding to cover every county by the second year.

In order to ensure that all 70,716 children in our community younger than 5 can enroll, please consider an annual donation of $30 to sponsor a child in this program. Smart Start of Mecklenburg County’s goal is to have this program in every home in Mecklenburg County.

To find out more about Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library partnership, to sponsor or register a child, visit http://www.smartstartofmeck.org/programs/dpil

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We’re Moving the Dial & Collaborating for the Inclusion of ALL Children

On Friday & Saturday April 21-22nd 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Metrolina Early Childhood Collaborative (MECC) will hold its second annual conference. MECC is a group of community members and agencies in the greater Charlotte region that has seen a need to sponsor a conference on making a difference for those that work with children with exceptionalities or are parents of children with exceptionalities.

For our second annual conference, we will have as our first guest speaker, Mona Johnson-Gibson, from the Ronald McDonald House. She will speak on Friday, April 21st to registered participants at Fiber Space by Google in Uptown Charlotte from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, following a Wine and Cheese reception sponsored by Google Fiber starting at 6:00 pm.

On Saturday, April 22nd, participants will join us at UNCC’s Center City Campus from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm for our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Carol M. Trivette, Associate Professor at East Tennessee State University. Following the keynote from Dr. Trivette, participants will have the opportunity to attend breakout sessions over the following topics: Social/Emotional Development, Diversity and Cultural Competence, and Children with Exceptionalities.

This Moving the Dial Conference is for educators, administrators, therapists, parents, and paraprofessionals serving all children in the greater Charlotte area.

Here is a link to our conference brochure and registration – http://oeo.uncc.edu/movingthedial
For additional information email us at MECC@uncc.edu

[Charlotte, NC, February 6, 2017] – 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.

“Vanguard’s support tangibly demonstrates their commitment to being a community partner. Their generous gift will enable these three programs to better serve children in ways that enhance their chances of full and successful lives” says Robert McCarter, Interim Executive Director at Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.

The Vanguard Community Stewardship program helps provide a strong start for young children in communities near each of the investment company’s U.S. sites. More than 1,500 of Vanguard’s 15,000 global crew (employees) are based in Charlotte. This initiative for young children is funded through a combination of Vanguard corporate gifts and Vanguard crew gifts from the company’s annual giving campaign.

This partnership fully aligns with Smarts Starts Mission to facilitate the delivery of a high quality, collaborative, accountable system of care, family support, health services and education for every child beginning with birth.

Charlotte, NC, January 2, 2015 – The Hearts Beat as One Foundation and Smart Start of Mecklenburg County today announced a new partnership to bring the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to the Charlotte community. Hearts Beat as One has pledged to raise over $300,000 to launch the program, which will be administered locally by Smart Start staff. The initial phase of this pledge has secured go-ahead funding to provide enrollment for all 2015 newborns in the 28205 zip code.

The partnership brings together two multi-faceted organizations to implement and expand proven initiatives to support the advancement of child literacy in Charlotte. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the first of such initiatives, was created by Dolly Parton as a part of the Dollywood Foundation. The Library mails one book per month to each child enrolled from birth until age five.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library (www.imaginationlibrary.com) is currently provided in over 1,600 communities to almost 700,000 children across the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia, and delivers over 8.3 million free books per year. Following in the footsteps of several successful Imagination Library campaigns in North Carolina, The Hearts Beat as One partnership with Smart Start marks the Library’s first presence here in Charlotte.

“We are excited to bring a wonderful, well-known program to our city,” said Joe Davis, Chairman/Director of the Hearts Beat as One Foundation. “This partnership carries two amazing missions forward. We are proud to stand with Smart Start to continue their work to improve the critical first 2,000 days of life for our local children. As a new Charlotte non-profit, this partnership also allows us to build on our first-year accomplishments in 2014 and work toward an even brighter 2015.”

“This is a wonderful opportunity to forge new partnerships and to provide early literacy initiatives and awareness to families with young children who are at risk,” said Jane Meyer, executive director of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.

Launching the Dolly Parton Imagination Library with Smart Start is part of a larger mission for the Hearts Beat as One Foundation. Incorporating this initiative as part of its Education & Employment tenet, the organization takes a step toward establishing a strong presence in each of its seven core focus areas.

The Hearts Beat as One Foundation and Smart Start of Mecklenburg County are also joined by key community partners to launch the Dolly Parton Imagination Library in Charlotte: Levine Children’s Hospital, Novant Health, Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NoDa Brewing Company, and Truliant Federal Credit Union.

Charlotte, North Carolina – Al Austin, charlotte city councilman district2, will join Biddle Point Family Practice, Reach Out and Read® (ROR) and Smart Start of Mecklenburg County on December 9th at 12:30pm- noon to reveal their new literacy corners. The literacy corners provide families and children with the opportunity to enjoy reading as they await medical appointments.
Biddle Point Family Practice has partnered with ROR of the Carolinas for over 10 years to bring books, information and education on the importance of literacy to the families they’ve served for over a decade.

Research shows that when parents engage in reading aloud with their child there is a significant increase in expressive and receptive language as well as vocabulary building. The new literacy corners offer parents the opportunity to have that engagement during an otherwise unused time in the waiting room.

ROR is a national evidence-based model that makes early literacy a standard part of pediatric primary care with a special emphasis on children who grow up in low-income communities.

Charlotte, NC – The First 2,000 Days Speakers Bureau represents a diverse group of presenters
from across the state and a variety of sectors – business, education, faith and law enforcement,
who are leaders in their communities. They will speak to organizations about why early learning
is critical to our state and nation’s future.

Founding Members of the First 2000 Days Speakers Bureau include:

 William Anderson, Chief of Police for the City of Asheville, NC.
 Dr. Terri Colón, lead early childhood instructor at Craven Community College in New
Bern, NC.
 Dr. Vivian I. Correa, UNCC professor in the Department of Special Education and Child
Development at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte
 Chris George, Senior Vice President and Retail Regional Manager at PNC Bank in
Wilmington, NC.
 Reverend Tommy James, Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Burnsville, NC.
 Stacie LeGrow, Legal Director at Cisco Systems, Inc. in Cary, NC.
 Beth Moore, Senior Director of Little Stepping Stones Child Development Center in
Garner, NC.

“Early learning programs are critical to school success especially for special learners. The First
2000 Days initiative tells this story in a way that is accessible to everyone,” said Dr. Correa.

There are only 2,000 days from the time a baby is born to when that child shows up for the first
day of kindergarten. Because 90% of brain development occurs during those first 2,000 days,
early experiences have a lasting impact on children’s later learning, health and life success. With
quality early childhood experiences, more children will be school ready, have better high school
graduation rates and grow into productive citizens and valuable employees.

The First 2000 Days is an initiative of the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation
(NCECF). NCECF’s mission is to marshal North Carolina’s great people, ideas and
achievements to build a foundation of opportunity and success for every child by the end of 3rd
grade. It works to build public will, accelerate what works and ignite action that closes the
achievement gap and raises outcomes for all young children.

Pastors, county managers, business leaders, sheriffs, community college administrators and other
community leaders are engaged in the First 2,000 Days initiative. To date more than 750 faith
leaders, 400 business leaders and 1000 community leaders have attended a First 2,000 Days
briefing. Over 40% have signed-on to take continued action on behalf of young children.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is a local nonprofit that funds programs for families and
children birth to five in areas of health, family support, and early childhood education. To inquire
about becoming a local First 2000 Days Champion for Children, please contact Jennifer Taylor at
jtaylor@smartstartofmeck.org. For more information, visit Smart Start of Mecklenburg County’s
website at smartstartofmeck.org.

Charlotte, NC – Mecklenburg County Sheriff Chipp Bailey will be hosting a judicial law enforcement summit on “Building Safe Communities Through Early Childhood Investments” Monday, July 21st at noon (presentation begins at 12:20) at the Mecklenburg County Government Center in Charlotte, NC. The keynote speaker is Ben David, District Attorney for New Hanover and Pender counties of North Carolina.

The event is part of the First 2000 Days statewide campaign, an initiative to raise awareness about how children’s earliest years have a lasting impact on later learning, health and success and calls attention to how these issues impact our national security, safety and economic well-being. The summit is a collaborative sponsorship by Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, the Council for Children’s Rights and the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is a local nonprofit that funds programs for families and children birth to five in areas of health, family support, and early childhood education. For more information, visit their website at smartstartofmeck.org.

Charlotte, NC – Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is pleased to announce the award of a Race
to the Top Challenge grant, a federal funded initiative via the Early Learning Challenge. These
funds will be applied to the implementation of Assuring Better Health and Development
(ABCD) model, which is a proven, universal approach to screening young children in primary
health care settings.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for regional collaboration to improve developmental screening
rates and early intervention referrals for young children,” said Jane Meyer, executive director of
Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.

Smart Start will contract with the Community Care Partners of Greater Mecklenburg to provide
an ABCD Coordinator who will serve identified medical practices in Anson, Mecklenburg, and
Union Counties. The ABCD Coordinator will assist medical providers to integrate routine
developmental screening into their patient care process, use validated screening tools, talk with
parents about developmental concerns, and most importantly, help provide linkages to
community resources so when screenings reveal potential issues, the medical professional can
refer to follow-up services.

ABCD works to increase health and development screening and referral rates for all children
within the medical home by integrating routine developmental screening into well-child visits,
using either the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) or the Parents Evaluation of
Developmental Skills (PEDS). Medical professionals are also taught to use the Modified
Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (MCHAT) and to refer children needing follow-up to
appropriate community services.

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is a local nonprofit that funds programs for families and
children birth to five in areas of health, family support, and early childhood education. For more
information, visit their website at smartstartofmeck.org