At the state level, The North Carolina Partnership for Children provides oversight and technical assistance for the local partnerships and works with the state Department of Human Resources to set statewide goals and core services. The locally administered partnerships address the needs of families in their communities within the core services framework determined on the statewide level. Since Smart Start began in 1993, more the 154,000 children have received higher quality early education and care. More than 34,000 families have received child care subsidies, and more than 72,000 children have received early intervention and preventive health screenings. All serve as equal partners on various boards including the Interagency Coordinating Council, Cultural Curriculum Committee, Head Start Health Advisory Committee and Policy Council.
Programs coordinate to maximize resources from multiple funding streams.
The numbers of children served in these programs will increase in spring 1997 when the Early Childhood Education Center is completed as a result of funding from a HUD Community Block Grant. In addition, the Kansas Arts Commission has provided funding for two murals by local Indian artists for the center. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Council is the governing body for all tribal programs and provides supplemental funding for the new center. Constant efforts to keep programs visible and community stakeholders informed serves to promote awareness, cooperation, and involvement. As Teachers programs.