Posted on 07.28.2026, Tuesday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Durham’s Partnership for Children Becomes a Family Forward NC Certified Employer

DURHAM, N.C. – Durham’s Partnership for Children has been named a Family Forward NC® Certified Employer by the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation’s Family Forward NC® initiative. Launched in 2018, Family Forward NC® is employer-led change to increase access to research-based, family-friendly practices — big and small — that improve workplace productivity, recruitment and retention; grow a strong economy; and support children’s healthy development.

“We are proud to center children and families in all that we do at Durham’s Partnership for Children, and that includes supporting our employees and their well-being. We recognize how important it is to offer benefits like paid family leave, breastfeeding friendly spaces and flexible work schedules so that employees don’t have to choose between their profession and their family,” said Kate Irish, the Partnership’s Executive Director.

A Family Forward NC® Employer Certification designates employers that offer policies and practices that support the health and well-being of working families and children. The certification looks at employer benefits like paid leave and wages, accommodations for pregnant and breastfeeding workers, child care supports, health and wellness benefits, and scheduling practices.

 Family Forward NC ® defines best-practice policies through:

• the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation’s Pathways to Grade-Level Reading Measures of Success and Action Frameworks;
• guidance from medical organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics or the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; and
• guidance from our partners in early childhood organizations, including the Child Care Services Association, MomsRising, the North Carolina Breastfeeding Association, and others. 

To ensure every child in Durham enters school ready to succeed, Durham’s Partnership for Children leads community strategies for children birth to 5 and their families that promote healthy development and learning and enhance access to high quality care. Administering programs like the Smart Start initiative, NC Pre-K, and Early Head Start, the Partnership works to strengthen Durham’s early childhood ecosystem of young children, families, caregivers, teachers and programs.

For more information about Family Forward NC® and the Family Forward NC® Employer Certification, visit www.familyforwardnc.com.

About Durham’s Partnership for Children, a Smart Start Initiative

First funded in 1995 to administer the Smart Start grant in Durham County, Durham’s Partnership for Children works as an independent, local nonprofit that serves young children birth to age 5 and their families under North Carolina’s nationally recognized initiative to ensure all children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. For 30 years, the Partnership has helped working parents pay for child care, improved the quality of child care and provided health and family support services to thousands of Durham County families with young children. For more information, visit www.dpfc.net or call 919-403-6960.

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