Our mission is to mobilize and unify the Durham community to create and support innovative and successful collaborative approaches to serving the needs of young children birth to age 5 and their families. We were founded in 1994 to administer the Smart Start grant in Durham County. Smart Start legislation mandates that: - 40% of this grant must be used to improve the quality of child care
- 30% must assist families in affording child care
- 30% must address other issues affecting children 0 to 5 years of age and their families
About Durham’s Young Children: - Nearly 23,000 children under the age of 6 live in Durham
- 23% live in poverty
- 19% receive food stamps
- 12% receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- 78% utilize some form of child care other than their parents
Collaboration is vital to the work done at the Partnership. Each year, we partner with more than 30 agencies to provide services to about 17,000 children. |
Learn more about the Partnership:
View our work.