To ensure every child in Durham enters school ready to succeed, we lead community strategies for children birth to age 5 and their families that promote healthy development and learning and enhance access to high quality care.
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Give your baby the best start possible!
Durham Early Head Start offers free, high-quality child development and family support for expectant moms and families with children under 3, including free child care, home visits, health and nutrition support, parent education, and more.
✅ Home visiting or full-day center-based care — you choose what fits your family
✅ Open to expecting families and families with infants/toddlers
Spots are filling up, apply today! 👉 dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start
📞 Questions? Call (919) 403-6960
#DurhamEarlyHeadStart #EarlyHeadStart #DurhamNC #FamilySupport #EarlyChildhood
Meet our next team member in today`s #StaffSpotlight! Melisa is our Office Coordinator, managing our front desk, incoming calls, and assisting with essential office tasks. She is the first friendly face that families see when they walk into our office!
What does Melissa hope every child experiences? "I hope every single child gets the chance to learn and feel truly loved. Nowadays, so many families are facing tough hardships, and those struggles can make it really hard to give children the time, care, love and attention they need." ✨💙
#Meettheteam #DurhamNC
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗱𝗼? Here’s how the Smart Start Network is making a difference across the state:
🍎 Early Care & Education: We work with child care providers to raise the quality of early learning.
👪 Family Support: We partner with families by offering resources and programs that encourage them to discover and lean into their own power.
📖Early Literacy: We help children build strong language, reading, and learning foundations through literacy-rich experiences and support for families.
💪 Child & Family Health: From birth to Kindergarten, we connect our community to services that promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
Learn more about our partnership’s work at dpfc.net!
Family engagement centers our work. We sat down to chat with DPfC Board Member and EHS Policy Council Chair, DeAnna, to hear about her experience as a parent leader at our organization. 💫 Check out her story in our latest #blogpost: dpfc.net/deannas-story
𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵! 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝘀! We are a network of 75 Local Partnerships serving all 100 counties across North Carolina. We provide whole-child support from birth-to-five. We invest in early care and education, family support, and healthy families and communities.⭐
By supporting young children and their families, we are building a stronger, healthier future for North Carolina. Celebrate with us and learn how Smart Start is making a difference in your community!
#SmartStartMonth #EarlyChildhood
JOIN US: Our Early Intervention Fair is getting close and you don`t want to miss it! We`ll be at the Museum of Life and Science South Labs 1 & 2 on Monday, September 21st from 9am-2pm with community resources, a fire truck, health screenings, and more!
Register at: tinyurl.com/dpfcearly
#EarlyIntervention #FreeResources #DurhamNC
Today we were honored to attend the grand opening and dedication of Mathers Academy for Young Learners here in Durham! We congratulate our community partner @fcr_inc_org and CEO Terry David, who serves on our Board of Directors. 🎉 Mathers Academy honors Mike Mathers` legacy as former Executive Director of Families and Communities Rising until his retirement in 2018.
We`re excited for the future of Mathers Academy and join the community in celebrating this investment in early childhood here in Durham!
#EarlyChildhood #DurhamNC
As the new school year begins, we wanted to highlight Nora and Levy`s story, an NC Pre-K to Kindergarten transition! Hear program parent and DPfC staff member, Nora, share her experience in the NC Pre-K program. 💫
👉Interested in high-quality early learning for your 4-year-old? Apply for FREE prek in Durham: www.durhamprek.org/dpk-application
#DurhamNC #PreK #Preschool
The conversations we have with our children, especially in everyday moments, help shape how they see themselves, build relationships, and understand the world.⭐
Thoughtful questions can help them reflect, express themselves, and feel seen. These six questions help kids share details about their day and build stronger connections with their caregivers. Try them out after school today! Which one is your favorite?
#EarlyChildhood #BacktoSchool #ParentingTips
