Agenda - 06-20-2002 - 3 - Laserfiche WebLink

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May 20 02 01 : 25p Orange County Partnership 1 919 933 1008 p- 2 Smart Start Accountable and Working for All of North Carolina's Children and Families Response to May 19, 2002 News and Observer article Smart Start is a Success • The article confirms that Smart Start's "...accomplishments speak for themselves...children enrolled in child care centers heavily involved in Smart Start programs did better in kindergarten than other children." • "Over the past decade, Smart Start, the state's early child care system for children under six, has been hailed as one of the most innovative and ambitious children's programs in the nation. It is being imitated in 10 other states, has won numerous awards and is now being used as a blueprint for a bill to launch a national Smart Start initiative. " 1999-2000 Audit Issues • The audit issues raised in the article occurred over two years a-go and are not representative of the current situation. The current facts are: --in the 2000-01 audit, the NC Partnership for Children will have one audit finding which is partially resolved and that finding should be resolved in the current year; --of the 29 partnerships (out of 81)with audit findings in the year ended June 30, 2000, 48% were start-up partnerships in their second year of operation. Administrative findings such as lack of formal policies and procedures and insufficient documentation are not unusual for organizations in their early years. The goal is for all Smart Start partnerships to have no audit findings and we are on track to reach this goal. • 23 of the 30 partnerships that did not spend at least 30% of their funds on child care subsidies for the year ended June 30, 2000 did not have a waiting list for subsidized child care— making it difficult to provide subsidy to children through the local DSS if there are no families requesting assistance. Smart Start routinely spends more than 40% statewide on child care subsidies— far exceeding the required 30%. Current Status • Over the last two years, the NC Partnership for Children has: —instituted a formal financial monitoring and technical assistance section; —developed a formal evaluation system that requires local partnerships to meet statewide minimum standards in financial and program areas; --implemented penalties when requirements and policies are not met. • Smart Start's nonprofit structure is the most effective in allowing communities the flexibility to respond to the local needs of young children and families. • Smart Start is one of the most scrutinized programs in state history and fair and constructive feedback is welcomed. Annual financial audits, performance audits and on-going evaluations by the nation's leading early childhood evaluator have determined that children are entering school better prepared because of Smart Start services and state and local partnerships have improved their administration functions. NC Partnership for Children, 5-19-02