Durham’s Partnership for Children turned 20 this year. For the past two decades, we have served as the convener and facilitator of Durham’s early childhood system, leading community strategies to respond to the needs of all children birth to age 5 and their families. We are your partnership. In fact, we are the only partnership in the state with an apostrophe in our name. We don’t just operate in Durham, we belong to Durham. All of the work that has been accomplished is a testament to Durham’s spirit of collaboration.
Through Smart Start, Early Head Start, and NC Pre-K, we fund and work alongside high-quality, evidence-based programs, investing public dollars where there is a proven impact. Our approach to programming in Durham is unique and comprehensive, and many of our local practices now serve as models across the state and nationally.
But just like the young children we nurture, the Partnership is growing and developing too. As needs and issues arise in Durham, we adjust our priorities and our focus to better serve children and families, keeping our mission at the forefront: to ensure every child enters school healthy and ready to succeed.
Some of our most groundbreaking work is in the community-based initiatives we have created, such as the Durham Touchpoints Collaborative, which provides training for professionals who work with families of young children, and the Transition to Kindergarten Initiative, which helps prepare children, families and schools for the milestone of entering kindergarten. Most recently, we’ve formed an Early Childhood Mental Health Task Force out of a need for more support in that area of care, and we’ve taken a lead in three new Collective Impact Collaboratives, funded by the United Way of the Greater Triangle, to identify new partners and new ways to address the needs of children and families in Durham.
This innovative work can only continue with your support, and we need your help in order to continue having the same impact we’ve had for the last 20 years. Please join us in strengthening our vibrant community here in Durham. Make your gift today!
