MPPFC Annual Report 2016-2017

FISCAL YEAR 2016-2017

ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD CHAIR....................3 PARTNERSHIP HISTORY........................................4

PROGRAM IMPACTS.............................................7 • FAMILY SUPPORT IMPACT

• HEALTH & SAFETY IMPACT • LITERACY IMPACT

• SUPPORT FOR QUALITY IN EARLY CARE • PROGRAM SUPPORT

CHILD CARE HEALTH CONSULTANTS..................12 CHILDLINKS.......................................................15

COMMUNITY OUTREACH...................................16 NURSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP............................17

PARENTS AS TEACHERS......................................18 QUEST................................................................20

RAISING A READER.............................................21 SUBSIDY.............................................................23 WAGE$..............................................................23

2

FROM THE BOARD

T

he 2016-2017 fiscal year has been one of incredible growth for the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children.

From increasing our visibility in the community to a continued focus on early literacy and support for

local child care facilities and caretakers, we have been persistent in paving the way for ongoing growth and awareness of the importance of the early years in our community’s children.

Our passion for early childhood is the driving force behind each and every thing we do. We know that if we

provide opportunities for families and children to be successful, we create a more stable, thriving, and educated future for our community.

The first 2,000 days of a child’s life — the time from when a child is born to when they enter kindergarten — is

the most critical for brain development.

The developmental skills, relationships, and growth children experience during this time are literally the

building blocks that will carry them through life. That is why we have dedicated ourselves to providing programs that support early literacy, good health practices, increased access to quality child care, and positive parenting.

As we embark on our new fiscal year, we encourage you to review where we have been, so we can look

forward to where we are going.

As Board Chair of the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children, I invite you to join us in creating a brighter future

for everyone in our community.

Jim Cieslar

Martin-Pitt Partnership

for Children Board Chair

3

ABOUT THE PARTNERSHIP The Martin-Pitt Partnership for

child in Martin and Pitt counties has the

Children, a non-profit in Eastern North

opportunity to experience a quality early

Carolina, funds programs in quality

childhood education.

early child care and learning, assistance

Studies show that children who are

finding child care services, parent and

exposed to high-quality early childhood

family support, health care, child care

experiences have better language, math,

provider training, and early literacy

and social skills, better cognitive and

during the first 2,000 days of a child’s

sensory skills, and better preparation for

life.

school readiness.

At the Martin-Pitt Partnership for

Quality early childhood experiences

Children, we know that raising a child

increase high school graduation rates

is a big job. But parents and caregivers

and college enrollment reducing teen

aren’t alone. We offer programs that will

pregnancy, unemployment, crime and

help families every step of the way — from

dependence on social programs.

pregnancy until the time their child enters kindergarten.

Founded in 1998, the Martin-Pitt

During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Partnership invested $2.65 million dollars into the children of Martin and Pitt

Partnership for Children is one of 79

counties through family support, health,

Smart Start partnerships in our state.

literacy and early childhood programs.

MPPFC works to support parents, child

With your support, we will continue

care facilities, and educators through

to work towards the brightest future for

collaborative programs, all aimed at

our communities — one young mind at a

doing everything possible to ensure that

time.

the children in our community arrive for kindergarten ready for a life of success.

Ninety percent of brain development occurs before a child reaches kindergarten. The experiences our children have during their first five years literally build the foundation for their future. Our goal is to ensure that every

4

THIS REPORT WILL SHOW YOU THE REAL-LIFE IMPACT OF INVESTING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

WHY LITTLE MINDS ARE A BIG DEAL WHY PRE-K?

NEARLY

THE ONLY BEHAVIOR MEASURE THAT CORRELATES SIGNIFICANTLY WITH READING SCORES IS THE NUMBER OF BOOKS IN THE HOME Children from middle-income homes have an average of 13 books per child.

In low-income neighborhoods, there is only 1 book for every 300 children.

PERCENT

OF BRAIN DEVELOPMENT OCCURS BEFORE AGE 5

CORRELATING PRE-K WITH HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUT RATES Children who do not receive a quality pre-k education are

25 PERCENT more likely to drop out of high school.

Over the course of their lives, each high school dropout is estimated to cost his or her community

$260,000 in lost earnings, tax revenues, and productivity.

EARLY LITERACY BEGINS WITH PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.

Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. Children who struggle in vain with reading in the first grade soon decide that they neither like nor want to read, and two-thirds of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of the 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.

44% STATE

48%

NATION

PARENTS OR FAMILY MEMBERS WHO READ TO THEIR CHILD [AGE 5 & UNDER] EACH DAY

THE IMPACT OF HIGH QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES Early childhood experiences literally build the foundation for future learning and growth. Studies show that children who are exposed to high-quality child care experiences before kindergarten have: better language, math, and social skills

better cognitive and sensory skills

better preparation for school readiness

BIRTH - 5 BY THE NUMBERS: HOW DO MARTIN & PITT COUNTIES STACK UP?

PERCENT

OF CHILDREN ENTERING KINDERGARTEN LACK THE BASIC LANGUAGE SKILLS NEEDED TO LEARN HOW TO READ

PITT COUNTY 10,902 CHILDREN 0-5 3,765 living in poverty 34.5% MARTIN COUNTY 1,164 CHILDREN 0-5 546 living in poverty 46.9%

NORTH CAROLINA 732,222 CHILDREN 0-5 PERCENTAGE LIVING IN POVERTY 28.9%

MARTIN-PITT PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN • SERVING FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN 0-5 IN MARTIN & PITT COUNTIES CITATIONS: www.census.gov/quickfacts/NC; www.berniesbookbank.org/18facts; www.rif.org/pdf/Literacy-Facts-Stats.pdf; www.ncjustice.org; www.epi.org; www.nea.org/grants/facts-about-childrens-literacy.html

CHILD CARE IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST EXPENSES FAMILIES FACE In North Carolina, the average annual cost of infant child care is 40.7%, or $2,677 more, than the average cost of tuition for a public, four year college. This puts North Carolina as one of 33 states where infant care is more expensive than college. In addition, a year of infant care is 3.9% more than average annual rent.

ANNUAL COST OF INFANT CHILD CARE [STATE AVERAGE]

PITT COUNTY 136 FACILITIES

607 EMPLOYEES

$7,592

MARTIN COUNTY

ANNUAL COST OF HOUSING [STATE AVERAGE]

24 FACILITIES

$8,909

ANNUAL COST OF NC PUBLIC, IN-STATE, COLLEGE TUITION

595 CHILDREN

$6,578 $2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

CHILD CARE IS NOT AFFORDABLE FOR TYPICAL FAMILIES IN NC Infant care for one child takes 23.5% of a typical family’s income in Pitt County, and 26.1% in Martin County [average family income is $35,428]. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), child care is affordable if it costs no more than 10% of a family’s income. By this standard, only 26.7% of North Carolina families can afford infant care.

CURRENT HHS AFFORDABILITY STANDARD

FEB. 2017

3,942 CHILDREN

$9,255

ANNUAL COST OF 4-YR-OLD CHILD CARE [STATE AVERAGE]

LICENSED CHILD CARE

FOR A MEDIAN INCOME FAMILY IN PITT COUNTY

FOR A MINIMUM WAGE WORKER

FOR A TYPICAL CHILD CARE WORKER

105 EMPLOYEES

INFANT BIRTH & MORTALITY RATES [2015 DATA] NORTH CAROLINA 120,826 LIVE BIRTHS

884 INFANT DEATHS 7.3/1,000

Child care is affordable if it costs no more than 10% of a family’s income

23.5% $9,255 of $39,343

61.4% $9,255 of $15,080

45.1% $9,255 of $20,520

EVERYONE WILL BENEFIT IF WE SOLVE THIS PROBLEM

If families’ child care expenses were capped at 10% of their income, North Carolina’s economy would expand by 1.5%. That’s $7.13 billion of new economic activity. A typical North Carolina family with an infant could save $3,900 on child care costs if this idea was implemented. This would free up 8.8% of post–child care annual income to spend on other necessities.

INFANT MORTALITY RATE

PITT COUNTY 2,163 LIVE BIRTHS

21 INFANT DEATHS 9.7/1,000

INFANT MORTALITY RATE

MARTIN COUNTY

PERCENT

OF PITT COUNTY RESIDENTS WERE REPORTED AS HAVING AN INCOME BELOW THE POVERTY LEVEL IN 2014

266 LIVE BIRTHS

1 INFANT DEATH 3.8/1,000

INFANT MORTALITY RATE

MARTIN-PITT PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN • SERVING FAMILIES & CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN 0-5 IN MARTIN & PITT COUNTIES www.uptodate.com; https://nces.ed.gov; mchb.hrsa.gov; www.naeyc.org; http://childcareaware.org; www.ececonsortium.org; www.zerotothree.org; www.census.gov; http://ncchildcare.nc.gov/general/home.asp

FAMILY SUPPORT IMPACT

PARENTING 456 families with a combined 473 children participated in a funded program that supports and promotes beneficial parenting practices including increased literacy in the home

HOME VISITS 1,358 home/personal visits were conducted with families participating in the Partnership’s parenting programs

CHILD CARE FUNDING 297 children were in licensed child care in one of 31 four- or five- star child care facilities through Smart Start subsidized care

LIBRARY VISITS

60 families participated in ongoing family library visits or attended parent group connections meetings

RESOURCE ROOM Resource Room services were used 358 times by 96 parents

FINDING CHILD CARE In their search for child care, 252 parents received referrals from the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children to local child care facilities

“CHILDREN ARE LIKELY TO LIVE UP TO WHAT YOU BELIEVE OF THEM.” Lady Bird Johnson, Former First Lady of the United States

7

HEALTH & SAFETY IMPACT HEALTH & SAFETY COACHING

249 health and safety coaching consultations were provided on-site at 96 of 144 child care facilities between Martin and Pitt counties [67% of all licensed child care facilities in both counties]

HEALTH & SAFETY IMPACT

2,898 children in child care settings were positively impacted by health & safety programs in Martin & Pitt counties [65% of 4,492 children enrolled in licensed child care]

TRAININGS 628 early childhood education staff members attended at least one 68 health, safety, or nutrition trainings [88% of the 717 staff in licensed child care]

DISTRIBUTED MATERIALS

8

49 health, safety, and nutrition materials were developed and distributed to child care staff and parents in licensed child care facilities

LITERACY IMPACT

LITERACY EVENTS 121 families attended at least one of 10 family literacy events offered through the Partnership and funded programs

INCREASE IN READING The number of times families read to children increased from 4 times a week to 6 times per week

HOW YOU SPEAK TO CHILDREN BECOMES THEIR INNER VOICE. 9

SUPPORT FOR QUALITY IN EARLY CARE CONSULTATIONS QUEST staff completed 1,141 consultations about quality child care practices with 277 staff members in 57 facilities

CHILDREN IMPACTED 1,845 children in Martin and Pitt counties were positively impacted by QUEST’s quality enhancement services

EARLY LITERACY IMPACT 39 staff members from 8 child care facilities were positively impacted by literacy practices and consultations

SERVICES Resource Room services were used 4,295 times by 495 child care staff and early childhood students

TRAININGS 603 child care staff members from 126 facilities attended at least one of 73 early childhood-related trainings 10

PROGRAM SUPPORT EVENTS

3,801 people attended 13 community events coordinated & hosted by Community Outreach staff utilizing 243 volunteers

MATERIALS

Developed 43 outreach materials and worked with 11 service providers on outreach strategies for the Partnership’s programs

PUBLICITY

352 social media posts about early childhood topics and 17 speaking engagements and presentations conducted by Community Outreach staff in the community

11

CHILD CARE HEALTH CONSULTANTS — PITT COUNTY The Pitt County Child Care Health Consultant activity works with child care providers to promote effective health and safety practices in child care.

OUTCOMES

5 of 5 child care facilities who participated in consultations to improve nutrition and physical activity demonstrated improvements in these practices TARGET: 60%

STATISTICS • Out of 120 child care centers and homes in Pitt County, 82 [68%] received Child Care Health Consultation services • Of the 82 facilities that received consultation services, 42 [56%] received 152 on-site

visits [averaging 3.3 visits per facility]. There were also 248 email or phone consultations • 93% [498 of 537] of child care facility staff members attended at least one of 50 health, safety, and nutrition trainings

ACTUAL: 100%

15 of 18 staff in child care facilities that received onsite assistance to develop or revise their emergency plan demonstrated their facility’s emergency plan and appropriate procedures with children TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 83%

15 of 22 providers who

participated in consultations & showed an increase in

knowledge and practice of

dealing with severe allergic reactions in children

TARGET: 75%

12

ACTUAL: 68%

A story from a health consultant

G

iven the variety of emergency situations that impact families and children, it’s imperative that child care facilities are prepared to protect children in an emergency. New NC Child Care Rules regarding Emergency Preparedness and Response [EPR] now mandate many components of emergency preparedness for licensed child care.

These include completing a shelter-inplace or lock-down drills on a quarterly basis in addition to monthly fire drills; ensuring that at least one staff member per facility completes a two part, five-hour training course; and completion and submission of detailed emergency preparedness and response plans on the North Carolina Risk Management portal.

The Child Care Health Consultants provided training, coaching and assistance

to child care staff and facilities including issue like supplies needed in preparation of emergencies, assistance to navigate the risk management portal, address questions like which exit routes to use, what to do with strollers and other evacuation equipment, transportation, how to incorporate alarm systems, how to upload floor plans and evacuation routes and other concerns specific to the child care facility.

In addition to training and providing technical assistance, the Child Care Health Consultants actively communicated with Child Care Licensing Consultants to keep them updated on facilities completing training and technical assistance. This focus on Emergency Preparedness and Response in child care helps ensure children are kept safe during an emergency situation.

13

CHILD CARE HEALTH CONSULTANTS — MARTIN COUNTY The Martin County Child Care Health Consultant activity works with child care providers to promote effective health and safety practices in child care.

STATISTICS • Out of the 24 child care centers and homes in Martin county, 14 [58%] received Child Care Health Consultation services, totaling 97 on-site, health-related coaching visits averaging 7.5 visits per facility • 130 staff attended at least one of 18 health, safety and nutrition trainings [All licensed

EARLY CHILDHOOD YEARS ARE A WONDROUS TIME OF GROWTH AND EXPLORATION. 14

early childhood education staff members in Martin County attended at least one training] • 14 early childhood education staff members received assistance to develop and implement center-wide plans for evacuations and protecting children during emergency situations

OUTCOMES 5 of 5 providers who participated in consultations to improve appropriate diapering and handwashing practices increased their knowledge of promoting healthy behaviors and environments TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 100%

11 of 14 staff in child care facilities that received onsite assistance to develop or revise their emergency plan demonstrated their facility’s emergency plan and appropriate procedures with children TARGET: 75%

ACTUAL: 79%

CHILDLINKS The Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children’s ChildLinks program provides free child care referrals to parents searching for child care and serves as a resource hub for parents, early childhood providers and students.

During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children’s ChildLinks program: • Had a combined 4,295 visits to the Resource Rooms in both counties [averaging 17 daily visits] made by 368 child care staff, 96 parents, and 127 students attending the local colleges • Hosted 603 child care

staff [84% of staff in licensed child care] from 126 child care facilities [88% of child care facilities in both counties] at one of 73 trainings at the Partnership • Assisted 252 families searching for child care by providing a parent referral, including how to identify quality indicators • Attended or hosted 15 consumer education events to educate parents on quality child care and early childhood development • Provided 552 consultations for parents, providers, and students in the Resource Rooms

OUTCOMES

2 or more quality child care indicators were used by 91 families to select child care TARGET: 90%

ACTUAL: 96%

92 of 95 families who received child care referrals chose care in a 3-,4-, or 5-star licensed facility TARGET: 75%

ACTUAL: 97%

603 of 717 child care providers in Martin & Pitt counties completed training through the Partnership TARGET: 75%

ACTUAL: 84%

85 of 89 child care providers who used the Resource Room services found the services to be helpful TARGET: 85%

ACTUAL: 96%

15

COMMUNITY OUTREACH The role of the Community Outreach program is to help build community partnerships between education, business, media, faith, civic, social and health organizations with the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children.

During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Community Outreach staff: • Conducted 17

presentations for businesses, community agencies, and civic organizations • Participated in 86 professional associations, community boards, outreach, and business events • Held 13 Partnership events with 3,801 people attending [2,656 parents] and 234 volunteers participating

OUTCOMES 5 out of 5 community partners increased early childhood collaboration with the Partnership based on a pre- and postassessment survey TARGET: 70%

ACTUAL: 100%

25 of 26 community agency & media representatives surveyed indicated awareness of the Partnership and its funded services TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 96%

256 of 279 event attendees surveyed shared they had prior knowledge of or learned about Partnership services and would inform others about the services and programs the Partnership provides 16

TARGET: 75%

ACTUAL: 92%

NURSE-FAMILY PARTNERSHIP Motherhood can be an overwhelming time, but the Nurse Family Partnership program is there to help.

NFP enrolls incomeeligible, first-time mothers during their prenatal period and works with them until their child is two-years old.

The goals of the NurseFamily Partnership program are: • To improve pregnancy outcomes by helping women engage in preventive health practices, including getting prenatal care from their healthcare providers, improving their diet, and reducing their

“CHILDREN ARE THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE & ITS BEST HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.”

use of cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal substances • To improve child health and development by helping parents provide responsible and competent care • To improve the economic self-sufficiency of the family by helping parents develop a vision for their own future, plan future pregnancies, continue their education, and find work During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Partnership provided partial funding of the program [$37,500] in collaboration with other community funders.

STATISTICS NFP nurses completed 894 home visits, serving a total of 131 families, for an average of 6.8 home visits per family The program met its goal of achieving a premature birth rate below 11.8%, with the rate decreasing from 10% to 8% over the course of the year 78.6% of the program’s mothers breast-fed their infants beginning at birth. The program’s goal was 81.9%, only a 3.3% difference.

President John F. Kennedy 17

PARENTS AS TEACHERS Parents as Teachers is a nationally-utilized program that promotes optimal early development, learning and health of young children by supporting and engaging their parents and caregivers.

STATISTICS

The program made 464 personal visits, serving a total of 34 families, for an average of 13 visits per family 591 visits were completed serving 47 children [averaging 13 visits/child] 25 PAT families combined for a total of 71 visits to at least one of 12 group connection meetings, averaging 2 meetings attended per family

18

OUTCOMES 32 of 34 parents/guardians who received monthly visits set family wellbeing goals AND of the 32 families who set well-being goals, 32 met at least one TARGET: 90% ACTUAL: 94%

TARGET: 60% ACTUAL: 100%

15 of 19 parents/guardians who received referrals from Parent Educators to community resources used at least 2 referred services TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 79%

4 of 4 children in need of follow-up services for early intervention received assessment and treatment TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 100%

A story from Parents as Teachers

A

s a Parent Educator for the Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children, it is easy to quickly become attached to the families and children in the program. The realization soon hits home that in addition to providing services to the families, the Parent Educator begins to care for and consider them as part of the Parent Educator’s family.

One Parent Educator shared that a special bond has been created after 2 years in the program.

She deeply cares for the families and their well-being. One of the moms in the Parents As Teachers program explained that her five-year-old son would need surgery. The doctor explained that he would need surgery as soon as possible. The mom was nervous and scared, and so was the Parent Educator.

The Parent Educator explained the importance of keeping her son in the loop about what was about to happen, but to also remain calm. Mom talked to her son about the procedure in a way that he could understand and she remained calm and positive. The Parent Educator created a postoperation activity bag to help occupy the child while in the hospital that contained materials for creative art such as crayons, water colors and paper, bubbles, a game, a Lego set, and a book.

The day before surgery, he was very excited to receive his bag. He told his mom that he was not nervous because he was “a very strong boy!”. The Parent Educator spoke with his mom daily following his procedure to check on him and to support her needs.

The Mom was appreciative and thanked the Parent Educator for “caring so much.” The Parent Educator shared how grateful she was that everything went smoothly.

“When dealing with our families, you don’t seem to realize how connected you truly are to them.” These are the connections that help families feel supported in the parenting journey.

19

QUALITY, EDUCATION, SUPPORT, TRAINING [QUEST] QUEST, which stands for Quality, Education, Support, and Training, is the MartinPitt Partnership for Children’s technical assistance and quality training program.

During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, QUEST reported the following statistics: • Forty percent of providers [277 of 690] from 40% of child care facilities [57 of 144] in 154 classrooms received quality enhancement services including increasing or maintaining higher star-

rating, coaching in infant/ toddler care, implementing Foundations practices in child care, classroom improvement plans, and positive behavior practices in child care.

These services effected 42% [1,845] of the 4,442 children enrolled in child care facilities.

• 1,141 coaching consultations were conducted with participating teachers/ classrooms, equaling an average of 7.4 site visits per classroom.

OUTCOMES Of the 9 temporary, one-, two- or three-star participating facilities that applied for a higher star rating, 7 facilities worked with QUEST Technical Assistance and Quality Assurance and received at least a 4-star rating TARGET: 70%

Of the 20 four- or five-star participating facilities that worked with QUEST Technical Assistance and Quality Assurance for re-assessment, 16 maintained or improved their current star-rating TARGET: 80%

CHILDREN ARE GREAT IMITATORS. SO GIVE THEM SOMETHING GREAT TO IMITATE.

20

ACTUAL: 78%

ACTUAL: 80%

Of the 60 teachers who received on-site coaching for NC Foundations, 53 incorporated learned goals and strategies into their lesson plans TARGET: 80%

ACTUAL: 88%

RAISING A READER Preparing children to enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed is at the heart of Smart Start. Literacy and exposure to literacy activities are critical for young children and their families in helping ensure children enter kindergarten ready to succeed.

Through the Raising A Reader program, early childhood professionals are assisted in creating literacy-rich environments by rotating books into student’s homes over the course of the school-year.

During the 2016-2017 fiscal year, the Partnership’s Raising A Reader program reported the following statistics: • 295 children from 291

families received early literacy strategies in child care facilities and at home • 254 early literacy coaching visits were provided to 39 child care providers in 17 classrooms within 8 centers, equaling an average of 14.9 visits per classroom • Forty-two percent [121 of 291] families attended at least one of 10 Raising A Reader family literacy events • 7 child care centers developed an early literacy plan for ongoing literacy practices • 245 literacy gift cards were provided to 43 families as a result of library visits with their children, averaging 6 cards per family

OUTCOMES 188 of 238 parents increased reading with their child/children from 4 or more times per week to 6 times per week TARGET: 60%

ACTUAL: 79%

136 of 233 parents visited the library with their child/children at least once per month TARGET: 60%

ACTUAL: 58%

72% of survey participants [36 parents] indicated an increased access to books in the home after the Raising A Reader program TARGET: 90% INCREASE

ACTUAL: 72% INCREASE

21

A story from our literacy coordinator

T

he Early Literacy Coordinator serves families through the participation of child care facilities that have a desire to increase positive literacy practices for the children they serve.

The benefit of Raising A Reader through the child care facility is that not only do families receive positive early literacy techniques and opportunities to have shared literacy experiences with their children, but early childhood teachers also receive coaching, consultation and training on implementing early literacy techniques in the classroom.

The Early Literacy Coordinator has a bi-weekly classroom visit structure in addition to early literacy trainings for participating teachers. The second of two trainings was held in March.

Several teachers attended both sessions and remarked that the structure of the training was helpful. In both trainings, staff focused on one children’s book and discussed layers of the story from an adult perspective, then discussed from a child’s perspective.

Teachers planned how to discuss the book with children in the classroom and how it related to the specific children they were serving at the time. Both trainings were intimate and relaxed and teachers felt more confident about developing comprehension and literacy skills that could then be used in the classroom working with any children’s book.

22

SUBSIDY Smart Start funding is designated from each local Partnership agency to help subsidize the cost of child care for working parents who chose care in 4- or 5-star rated licensed facility. Eligible parents pay a reduced fee for child care based on family income and the starrating of the child care facility.

Martin County Child Care Subsidy [as of June 2017]: • 61 children received subsidized child care through

Partnership funds at one of 7 child care centers/homes with an average star licence rating of 4.69 Pitt County Child Care Subsidy [as of June 2017]:

• 236 children received subsidized child care through Partnership funds at one of 24 child care centers/homes with an average star licence rating of 4.83

WAGE$ Child care provider education and stability are directly linked to quality child care. WAGE$ encourages both.

The Child Care WAGE$® Project is an education-based salary supplement program for teachers and family child care providers. The education, position, and work schedule for each applicant are assessed to determine the annual award.

To encourage consistency, installments based on half of the annual award are issued

after each six month period the participant completes in the same child care program.

WAGE$ is a funding partnership between Smart Start, the North Carolina Division of Child Development and the Office of Early Learning. For local Smart Start partnerships that choose to pay for the supplements, the administrative costs are covered by the Division of Child Development and the Office of Early Learning.

The following statistics were

reported this fiscal year: • 97 staff members, from 47 child care facilities participated in WAGE$, impacting a total of 2,171 children • 88% of WAGE$ participants had an Associate’s Degree or higher

23

FY 2016-2017 Board Members Board Chairperson Jim Cieslar — United Way of Pitt County Vice Chairperson Wanda Yuhas — Pitt County Development Commission Treasurer Mike Taylor — Pitt County Government Secretary DeDe Carney — Keller-Williams Realty Elba Barnaby — BB&T Phyllis Conner — Sheppard Memorial Library Jan Elliot — Pitt County Department of Social Services TD Gribble — At Large Christopher Horrigan — City of Greenville Parks & Recreation Juvencio Rocha-Peralta — Association of Mexicans in North Carolina, Inc. [AMEXCAN] Jason Semple — Martin County Economic Development Corporation Elaine Spellman — Martin County Community College

2016-2017 Expenditures: Financial Picture Child Care Subsidy, $1,072,928 • Martin County DSS Subsidy • Pitt County DSS Subsidy

Health Program Support

8%

7%

Child Care & Quality Education, $667,999 • ChildLinks, QUEST, & WAGE$

7%

Family Support & Literacy, $288,735

Administration Child Care Subsidy

40%

Family Support & Literacy

11%

Child Care & Quality Education

25%

24

• Nurse Family Partnership • Parents As Teachers • Raising A Reader

Administration, $234,746 Program Support, $181,870 • Community Outreach • Program Evaluation

Health, $205,184

• Martin Co. Child Care Health Consultants • Pitt Co. Child Care Health Consultants