Orange County NC Website
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able to form fulfilling relationships. .Further, these centers will build a foundation of <br />collaboration for a comprehensive county-wide approach to family support programs. <br />Recognition of the need for a collaborative approach to create Family Resource Centers <br />to address urgent family needs in the key areas in the County grew out of a planning grant <br />funded by the Orange County Partnership for Young Children. <br />Smart-Start <br />In July 1993, the North Carolina General Assembly approved funding for 12 demonstration <br />counties to participate in Governor Jim Hunt's Smart Start initiative. Orange County was <br />one of the demonstration counties. <br />The program is designed to provide every child age 0 - 5 in North Carolina access to <br />affordable, high quality early childhood education and other crucial services. The program <br />relies on the development of public-private partnerships and in Orange County, the Orange <br />County Partnership for Young Children has developed the local partnership model. <br />The Partnership promotes the vision -Every child between the ages of 0 and 5 will have <br />access to quality, comprehensive early childhood services and educational experiences. <br />This vision rest on eight, interlocking goals. <br />1. To improve early care and education services. <br />2. To provide economic support programs for low income families. <br />3. To advance the health of young children and their families. <br />4. To ensure that,. all young children are safe from violence. <br />5. To strengthen family education and support services. <br />6. To enhance mental health and early intervention services. <br />7. To improve the delivery of human services for young children and their families. <br />8. To educate the community about the value of early services for children. <br />I. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT <br />The Orange County Economic Development Commission, in 1988, developed an <br />Economic Development Strategic Plan for the future of Orange County. In early 1995, the <br />Board of County Commissioners appointed a 34 member Executive Committee to update <br />the plan. The purpose of the Strategic .Plan is to ensure the desired quality of life in <br />Orange County by encouraging economic development through investment in human <br />resources, the expansion of .existing business, and the creation of diversified and <br />environmentally safe businesses. The aim of this investment is to provide jobs for county <br />residents and to increase the non-residential tax base, thus enhancing the quality of life <br />and contributing to the financial well-being of Orange County residents and their local <br />governments. <br />24 <br />