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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Did you know? Play-based learning sparks creativity and curiosity in young children, helping them develop critical thinking, social skills, and a love for learning through fun and exploration! Our littlest learners in our NC Pre-K classrooms are learning through play every dayโญ
#Preschool #PreK #DurhamNC #PlayBasedLearning
Many children in North Carolina face barriers, from high child care costs to limited access to health services. Smart Start helps families overcome these challenges by connecting them to programs, resources, and support they need to thrive.๐ซ
Explore our Smart Start funded programs at: dpfc.net/our-work/smart-start/smart-start-programs/
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.
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Home visiting or full-day center-based care โ you choose what fits your family
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Open to expecting families and families with infants/toddlers
Spots are filling up, apply today! ๐ dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start
๐ 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." โจ๐
#Meettheteam #DurhamNC
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ? Hereโs how the Smart Start Network is making a difference across the state:
๐ Early Care & Education: We work with child care providers to raise the quality of early learning.
๐ช Family Support: We partner with families by offering resources and programs that encourage them to discover and lean into their own power.
๐Early Literacy: We help children build strong language, reading, and learning foundations through literacy-rich experiences and support for families.
๐ช 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 partnershipโs 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. ๐ซ Check out her story in our latest #blogpost: dpfc.net/deannas-story
๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ต! ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐! 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.โญ
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. ๐ 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
