Smart Start Direct Service Partners

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Smart Start in Cumberland County

Since 1993, we have been Cumberland's home to North Carolina's award winning Smart Start initiative for children from birth to 5. Through Smart Start, we fund programs in Cumberland County to improve child care, children's health, and family support.

Smart Start Grant Guidelines

  • Geographic Area:  Must reside or provide services in Cumberland County
  • Target Population: Families with children birth to five & not in kindergarten
    • Low to Moderate Income: Based on 75% of State Median Income (SMI) or on 2009 Federal Poverty Levels (FPL)
    • Limited English proficiency
    • Military
    • Second-round parents (grandparents/kinship caregivers
    • Socially/Emotionally Challenged
    • Stay-at-home parents
    • Teen Parents
    • Homeless and displaced families
    • Identified disability
  • System support to organizations that serve the above populations
    • Child Care Facilities
    • Other related early care and education providers
  • Smart Start Core Services:  Smart Start legislation mandates how much from each local partnership's allocation should be spent on specific services.
    • 70% of Smart Start funds are used to improve the quality of child care and make child care more affordable and accessible for working families
      • At least 30% of that must be spent on child care subsidies
      • Child care related services such as Quality of Placements; Staff Education; Teacher Compensation; Benefits & Stability
    • The remaining 30% can be spent on improving
      • Children's health and supporting families such as Parenting Skills in Child Social/ Behavior Skills; Parent Nurturing Skills; Parent Stress/Social Isolation; Linkages to Community Resources; Family Literacy; Literacy Development in Selected Child Care Facilities 
      • System support services such as Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; Collaboration & Service System Integration; and Constituency Building & Communication.
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 Direct Service Partners

 

For more information please contact

Linda Blanton
Planning, Development & Communications Director
910-826-3109

lblanton@ccpfc.org