With Valentine's Day just around the corner, we'd like to take a moment to remind you why we love MECK Pre-K. |
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MECK Pre-K Is Available to All Children of Age. MECK Pre-K is open to all children in Mecklenburg County who turn four by August 31. Offering a program without typical eligibility requirements allows for children of all backgrounds to participate in an impactful program that will set the tone for a lifetime of learning.
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MECK Pre-K Helps Our Children. Decades of research have shown that pre-K makes a difference in the lives of children and their families. Children who attend pre-K are fifty percent more likely to finish high school and go on to earn a college degree. The foundation created in a high quality pre-K program such as MECK Pre-K prepares children for the demands of life — not only in the short-term as they succeed in school, but also in the long-term as they become adults and contribute to the strength of the community.
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MECK Pre-K Is Here to Stay. Five years after the launch of MECK Pre-K, we are excited to begin enrollment for the sixth year. Looking back on the first few years, and the thousands of children who have been through the program who are now in elementary school, it feels our hearts with joy!
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Register Now for the
2023-2024 School Year
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Registration is now open for the 2023-2024 school year. All children residing in Mecklenburg County who will be four years old on or before August 31, 2023 are eligible. Find out what you need to apply by visiting the Enrollment page on our website.
To learn more about MECK Pre-K, families are invited to join one of our virtual info sessions on February 16 and February 25. Hear from Smart Start of Mecklenburg County's Chief Early Education Officer and MECK Pre-K Assistant Director to learn more about the program and how to apply. Visit our website for more details. |
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If your child won't be four on or before August 31, you can sign up to be notified when registration opens for your child's age group. Join our mailing list.
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Not only do we love MECK Pre-K, so do our teachers! Here's what Monique, one of our MECK Pre-K teachers thinks about the program.
"MECK Pre-K is vital for students' independence and their confidence. I think the program as a whole equips them with social emotional learning. With a big emphasis on literacy, I know for a fact that they are equipped and prepared for kindergarten and beyond."
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Scenes From MECK Pre-K Classrooms |
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MECK Pre-K celebrated World Read Aloud Day on February 1st. We greatly appreciate the children's book authors, Smart Start staff, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library, Green's Playhouses, and Urban Graduates who visited MECK Pre-K classrooms across the county to read to our students! |
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Our MECK Pre-K Curriculum and Teacher Support Manager brought a special visitor along to read "Where Is Bear?" They also gave each student a copy of the book to take home! |
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Green's Playhouses stopped by Smart Kids 8 to read "There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow" and topped it off with a yummy snow cone treat! |
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Local author, Kendra Alston joined students virtually at Alliance Center for Education's McAlpine location. She shared "Karson Goes to Kindergarten," a book about her own son when he started school! |
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Help Spread the Word
About MECK Pre-K!
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Important Community Updates |
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February is National Black History Month, an annual celebration recognizing the achievements and contributions of Black Americans. Several organizations in our community are planning events s to commemorate the month. Here are some free and low cost events happening in the Charlotte area in honor of Black History Month. |
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Care Ring Partners with Smart Start to Provide Free Physicals for Childcare Providers |
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Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and Care Ring are excited to announce a new partnership, offering free physicals 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. The partnership between Smart Start of Mecklenburg County and Care Ring supports Mecklenburg County's early education workforce by empowering individuals with limited resources to establish and maintain good health.
Family child care providers interested in receiving a free physical can complete this short form to connect with Care Ring. To learn more about this initiative, click here.
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Smart Start of Mecklenburg County Celebrates 30 Years! |
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Smart Start of Mecklenburg County is celebrating 30 years of mobilizing resources, forging partnerships, and supporting families to improve early childhood health, education, and development. Created in 1993 by Governor Jim Hunt, Smart Start tackled the issue of children being unprepared to start school. Over the past 30 years, Smart Start of Mecklenburg County has been a leader in the early childhood space, helping ensure that all children in Mecklenburg County "turn five ready to thrive."
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Smart Start supports families to improve early childhood health, education and development - all to help ensure that children turn five ready to thrive. |
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You are receiving this message because you are a friend or partner of MECK Pre-K. We hope you find this information useful. If you wish, you can unsubscribe at any time using the link in the footer below. |
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