Three foundational pillars guide Smart Start of Mecklenburg County (SSMC): innovating, collaborating & convening, and investing. SSMC has undergone tremendous evolution over the years. Today, it funds and/or administers nearly 30 programs, including MECK Pre-K, The Basics Mecklenburg, Guiding Parents to Services, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
SSMC mobilizes resources, forges partnerships, and supports families to improve early childhood health, education and development and ensure children turn five ready to thrive. Their four focus areas are:
1. Early care and education quality and accessibility
2. Family support
3. Health
4. Early literacy
Guided by the three foundational pillars, the nonprofit organization has formally adopted new policies reinforcing equity and inclusivity values. These two new policies center on parental leave and bereavement. CEO Jake House announced the new policies in a memo to all staff members, effective immediately.
Parental Leave Policy
Effective immediately, SSMC will provide parental leave to employees following the birth of an employee’s child or the placement of a child with an employee in connection with adoption. SSMC will provide 12 weeks of paid time off for eligible employees. That leave will be compensated at 100% of the employee’s regular pay.
Bereavement Policy
Effective immediately, SSMC will provide three days of bereavement in the event of a death of a loved one which includes but is not limited to immediate family, extended family, and close friends.
SSMC understands that children aged birth to five need advocates, so their early childhood development isn’t jeopardized. Visit the organization’s website to learn more about Smart Start’s impact in Mecklenburg County.
The Parental Leave policy allows any new parent, not just expectant mothers, to have a job and income security while spending critical time bonding with their new child. The Bereavement policy reduces barriers for employees and allows for a more inclusive and supportive grieving process. Drawing from research and best practices from industry leaders in family-focused workplaces and early childhood, Family Forward NC and North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation, these policies have shown positive business impact for employers and employees and a positive impact on children’s health and wellbeing.
These new efforts are in addition to flexible/telecommute schedule options developed due to COVID-19 and will remain an organizational practice. These procedures increase productivity, retention, and morale for employers like SSMC while increasing job satisfaction and reducing employee stress. “Our people work tirelessly to support the early childhood system. We must do everything in our power to show them that they are valued and important. Enacting these policy and practice changes reinforces that message,” said Jake House, CEO of Smart Start of Mecklenburg County.
SSMC is proud to offer these new, more inclusive policies to build a stronger organization and workplace culture. The organization hopes to lead by example, and that other nonprofits and early childhood organizations in Charlotte/Mecklenburg will consider similar options.
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Media Contact:
Mike Blackwelder
Chief Administrative Officer
