Helping All Children Turn Five Ready to Thrive!

March is National Reading Month, dedicated to motivating families to read daily. Reading is fun and has many benefits; it is a critical component of early childhood education and development. Language and literacy skills begin early, years before kindergarten. Continue reading to learn more about early literacy resources Smart Start of Mecklenburg County provides to help children turn five ready to thrive.

What is Ready4K?

Ready4K is a highly accessible, evidence-based family engagement solution designed to drive impact at every step of the parenting journey. You will receive evidence-based family engagement guidance by signing up to receive free* texts.

Why Should I Sign Up?

All parents want their children to succeed but many run out of ideas. Ready4K can help! The research behind this tool shows that receiving helpful texts can significantly increase children's learning.

Ready4K Parent Testimonial

"It aligns with [my child's] growth and development, and coincides with what she's learning in school; she's reading books, writing sentences, and solving basic math problems, and some of the resources offered and provided are very helpful! Thanks."

*Data and message rates apply.

What is Dolly Parton's Imagination Library?

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a book gifting program that mails FREE books to children from birth until age five.

Why Should I Sign Up?

The program ensures families with children ages birth to five are equipped with the appropriate developmental tools and resources to promote early literacy.

Imagination Library Parent Testimonial

"I never would have thought to make so many books available to my two kids under 5. We put Dolly Parton's books on a low bookshelf, and my two kids love browsing on their own or bringing us books to read. They get so much exposure to reading with this program and have learned so much from the wonderful selection of books."

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is proud to celebrate 30 years of mobilizing resources, forging partnerships, and supporting families to improve early childhood health, education, and development. Click the link below to learn more about how you or your organization can become a sponsor or donor!

BECOME A SPONSOR OR DONOR

Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Is Now a Family Forward NC Certified Employer!

At Smart Start of Mecklenburg County, we are committed to the health and well-being of our employees and their families. That’s why recently, we became a Family Forward NC Certified Employer through Family Forward NC.

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Smart Start of Mecklenburg County & Care Ring Partner to Offer Free Physicals to Eligible Family Childcare Providers

Free physicals are available to eligible family child care providers through June 30, 2023. By providing physicals for uninsured family childcare providers, this partnership will support the "workforce behind the workforce" - those who care for our children daily.

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Join Smart Start of Mecklenburg County for a night of hockey, friends, and family as the Charlotte Checkers take on the Springfield Thunderbirds at Bojangles Coliseum. Purchase tickets via our special URL and $5 of every ticket purchased will be donated back to Smart Start.

GET TICKETS

We invite you to celebrate our 30th anniversary by downloading our new Smart Start of Mecklenburg County app for iOS and Android. Our mobile app is designed to connect Mecklenburg County families and professionals to resources now at your fingertips.

We want to hear your #SmartStartStories. Click the link below to share a testimonial about your experience with Smart Start of Mecklenburg County or one of our valued community partners over the past 30 years.

SHARE YOUR STORY

*By submitting a testimonial you understand and acknowledge that Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is allowed to use your testimonial for marketing purposes such as landing pages, newsletters, social media, emails, etc.

We mobilize resources, forge partnerships, and support families to improve early childhood health, education, and development - all to help ensure children are prepared for kindergarten. Click the links to learn more about our community partners, programs and recent news.

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