The Partnership for Children of Wayne County is a non-profit organization designed to provide programs and services for children from birth to age five and their families in Wayne County, North Carolina.
Birth
Smart Start is North Carolina’s nationally recognized early childhood education initiative to expand and improve services for children ages birth to five and their families. Smart Start was established in 1993, under the leadership of then Governor Jim Hunt, as a state-wide, public/private partnership to help all North Carolina children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. Local Smart Start partnerships, comprised of community members, fund programs within their own communities based on each county’s particular needs and resources. Statewide oversight of all Smart Start programs is provided through The North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC).
Growth
Today, local partnerships operate in all 100 North Carolina counties through funding from the North Carolina legislature, corporations, foundations and individual donors. The Partnership for Children of Wayne County opened in 1998 and is the local partnership organization serving young children and families throughout Wayne County. We are governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Our Mission
Partnership for Children united the community to effectively support and empower families, prepare children to succeed in school and encourages continuous learning for educators of young children, therefore contributing to the economic vitality of Wayne County.
Our Vision
Children will receive the start they need to become educated, healthy, and self-reliant people who strengthen the social and economic future of Wayne County.
Smart Start is considered a national model for comprehensive early childhood education initiatives.
OUR STAFF 