Contact Information
3534 S College Road, Ste F
Wilmington, NC - 28412
3534 S College Road, Ste F
Wilmington, NC - 28412
This is the local county office that handles subsidized child care services. North Carolina's Division of Child Development uses a combination of state and federal funds to provide subsidized child care services to eligible families through a locally administered state-supervised voucher system. Annually each county receives a combination of state and federal funding from the Division of Child Development for subsidized child care services. The amount of funding allocated to each county is determined by legislation. If the county department of social services or other local purchasing agency does not have enough funding to serve all families who apply for subsidized child care, the agency may establish priorities for services. For example, an agency may choose to give priority to working parent(s) or families who need child care to support child protective services. If a family meets the eligibility criteria, the state of North Carolina pays a portion of the cost of child care. Parents are free to choose a child care arrangement that best fits their needs as long as the provider chosen participates in the Subsidized Child Care Program. The amount the state pays for child care depends on: The family's situational criteria The family's income The cost of the child care provided To qualify for the child care subsidy program, a family needs to meet both the situational and financial criteria. Criteria You may be eligible to receive child care assistance if one or more of the following situations apply to your family: You are working or are attempting to find work You are in school or in a job training program Your child is receiving child protective services Your child needs care to support child welfare services or if your family is experiencing a crisis Your child has developmental needs Financial Criteria Most families, including those receiving Work First Family Assistance , are required to pay a percentage of their child care costs based upon their gross monthly income. The parent fee percentages are 10%, 9%, and 8% and are based on family size. Smart Start Services Smart Start of New Hanover County provides services to strengthen families, enhance the quality of and access to childcare, and promote children's health and emergent literacy skills. We offer services directly and through our funded partners. The following services are available for the 2015-2016 Fiscal Year: Child Care Referrals This regional partnership covering seven counties in southeastern NC provides trained specialists who offer families free, customized referrals to child care, after-school, pre-school and summer camps, including location, operating hours, program costs, and quality standards. Information is provided to help families understand and identify high-quality child care. Specialists work with community partners to ensure accurate and current data is shared. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 or Puzzles Region, 800-653-5212. Community Referrals Knowledgeable referral counselors help families identify and access services to meet their child's needs. Information is available on topics such as child development, early intervention for special needs, child care subsidy, and more. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Resource Room Early childhood professionals and families can check-out curriculum guides, resource books, videos, children's CDs, and theme boxes with educational toys and activity ideas. Laminating services, die cuts, a computer work station, museum passes, baby wear and other items are also available. Membership requires a small annual fee. For more information, click here. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Child Care Professional Training and Technical Assistance To improve and maintain the quality of care and education for young children, individualized consultation is provided to child care professionals on room arrangement, daily schedule review, and practice assessments using the Environment Rating Scales. Knowledgeable staff lead specialized workshops on topics such as First Aid and CPR, Playground Safety, CLASS „ , and many others. Information about CEUs offered in the region is available. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Learn More Public Awareness and Outreach Accurate and relevant information about children birth to age five is shared with parents, community members and public officials through the use of social media, outreach events, and distribution of print materials. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start ABCD (Assuring Better Children's Health & Development) Smart Start of New Hanover County serves as a regional hub for six counties in southeastern NC. Funded by Race to the Top Funds, this project works directly with medical practices serving young children to assure regular check-ups and developmental screenings, and supports best practices for providing appropriate early interventions. In collaboration with Community Care of the Lower Cape Fear. Smart Start Baby FAST TM (Families and Schools Together - Babies) Intensive support for the entire family is provided for teen parents. Weekly meetings nurture family and social relationships, assist in accessing community support services, and emphasize setting and reaching educational goals. Communities In Schools of Cape Fear, 910-343-1901 Smart Start Child Care Advantage Smart Start of New Hanover County provides up to 39% of its total annual state funding to the New Hanover County Department of Social Services' child care subsidy program. Qualifying families receive assistance in paying for high-quality child care for their children birth to age five. NHC Department of Social Services, 910-798-3400 Smart Start Professional Development Connections Smart Start Professional Development Connections (SSPDC) provides training, support, and incentives with the goal of raising the education levels of professionals working with young children. Dedication to Education Bonuses will be available to individuals who have achieved high education levels and to the centers who have achieved high Education Points on their star-rating. SSPDC also provides regular training opportunities at our office so that professionals can continue their education and meet state in-service training requirements. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731. Smart Start Behavior and Inclusion Supports The goal of this program is to support early childhood professionals and families to promote the healthy social-emotional behaviors in young children and the inclusion of children with special needs in early care and education settings. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start Motheread ® / Motheread B.A.B.Y.® (Birth and Beginning Years) Using children's literature, this nationally recognized model supports parents in their critical role as their child's first and most important teacher. The lessons promote early literacy skills and apply literature to real life family contexts with topics such as bed time routines, coping with crying, expressing needs and feelings, self-awareness, and protecting children from danger. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start Parents as Teachers TM (PAT) Parents are supported in promoting healthy development of their children and school readiness through the use of an evidence-based home visiting model. Parent knowledge of child development and model parenting practices are fostered, and the early detection of developmental delays is improved. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start Raising a Reader TM Early childhood professionals are provided with materials and strategies for engaging families in reading activities. Families develop book sharing routines with their child which advances early literacy for children birth to age five. New Hanover County Public Library, 910-798-6367 Smart Start Reach Out and Read This nationally recognized, evidence-based program encourages school success by partnering with medical providers to œprescribe books and shared reading activities for families. At scheduled well-check visits, children ages 6 months to 6 years receive a new, high quality, culturally and age-appropriate book. Primary care providers coach parents in developmentally appropriate reading activities to use at home. New Hanover County Public Library, 910-798-6367 Smart Start Triple P ® (Positive Parenting Program) Using evidence based principles, Triple P offers advice and tools that parents need to raise confident, healthy children, and to build stronger family relationships. Participants must be referred from NHC Department of Social Services. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start Touchpoints TM Approach Multi-disciplinary professionals working with families of young children are trained on the TouchpointsTM Approach developed by renowned pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton, M.D. at Children's Hospital Boston. The goal is to ensure the best outcomes for children by enhancing working relationship between parents and professionals. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731 Smart Start weeLiveFIT A community collaborative effort focused on increasing awareness of the childhood obesity epidemic. Solutions to put young children on a path to a healthy future include a website with information about healthy eating and physical activity and community-wide information sessions and conferences. Smart Start of New Hanover County, 910-815-3731