NC Partnership for Children: Helping Hand or Heavy Handed?
Updated July 7, 2009
The North Carolina General Assembly has charged the NC Partnership for Children with administration and oversight of its growing Smart Start early childhood education program. But in doing so, have they also created an expensive quasi-government bureaucracy that's usurping the role of responsible parenting during early childhood?
Mission
The mission of the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) is to “advance a high quality, comprehensive, accountable system of care and education for every child beginning with a healthy birth.” The organization seeks to ensure that young children “enter school healthy and ready to succeed” and achieve their potential. In effect, NCPC wants North Carolina children to have the benefits of effective parenting.
History
In 1993 the General Assembly adopted legislation creating the Start Smart program and authorized funding in the amount of $20 million (Chapter 321, Senate Bill 27). The legislature declared that “every child can benefit from, and should have access to, high-quality early childhood education and development services.” While the General Assembly acknowledged that parents have the primary duty to raise, educate, and transmit values to young preschool children, the legislation noted “the state can assist parents in their role as the primary caregivers and educators of young preschool children.”
In the Smart Start legislation the General Assembly indicated its intent to support the North Carolina Partnership for Children through financial and other means. The NCPC was created as a nonprofit corporation to develop a comprehensive, long-range strategic plan for early childhood development. This was to be accomplished by public and private means in order to assure high-quality early childhood education and development services for children and their families. These “public-private means” were referred to as partnerships.
After the legislation was signed by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr., he announced the selection of 12 “pioneer” partnerships representing 18 counties. In 1994 the Smart Start appropriation grew to $47 million and 12 additional partnerships were named in 13 counties. The Smart Start appropriation in 1994 increased to $47 million and 12 more partnerships were created in 13 counties. The year 1995 saw an appropriation of $58 million, with an addition of partnerships in 11 more counties. At this point, Smart Start services were available in 43 of the state’s 100 counties. Twelve more partnerships were created in 1996, and the appropriation for Smart Start stood at $67 million. That same year legislation was adopted requiring 30 percent of Smart Start funds to be used for child care subsidies. Also, in 1996, the NCPC took over the administration of the Start Smart program. Appropriations for Smart Start continued to grow in the period 1997-2000: 1997 ($97 million; 1998 ($143 million); 1999 ($217 million); 2000 ($231 million). Funding was reduced to $198 million in 2002.
Touting Smart Start as a model for other states to follow, NCPC created the National Smart Start Technical Assistance Center in 2002 to offer advice and assistance to other states that want to follow North Carolina’s approach to child development and early education.
From 1995 to 2003, NCPC received over $200 million from the private sector.
In 2006, Smart Start received its first funding increase from the legislature in five years, going up to $204 million. Smart Start got another boost in 2006 when the program received a $5 million grant from the private W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
Background
Smart Start is North Carolina's childhood initiative designed to ensure that young children enter school healthy and ready to succeed. It is a public-private partnership that provides early education funding to all of the state's 100 counties. Smart Start funds are administered at the local level through local nonprofit organizations called Local Partnerships.
The North Carolina Partnership for Children is the statewide nonprofit organization that provides oversight and technical assistance for partnerships at the local level. The services provided at the local level differ, depending on local needs.
Funding for Smart Start is currently $204 million annually in state funds, with private donations totaling $257 since the program began - making the non-profit top-heavy in taxpayer funding. Today, there are 79 local partnerships established throughout the state to administer funding and preschool programs. Smart Start funds are intended to improve the quality of child care, make child care more affordable and accessible, provide access to health services and offer families support.
The North Carolina Partnership for Children attempts to aid local partnerships through collaboration and innovation in planning and delivering child care services, giving priority to children at risk for school failure. It provides guidance on financial and programmatic integrity and accountability, gives direction and support to the local Smart Start partnerships through policies, training, technical assistance and monitoring.
It supports local initiative in program design to achieve positive outcomes for young children and their families within the framework of established Smart Start guidelines. NCPC promotes inclusion of all children with special needs, including developmental, linguistic, cultural, health and social/emotional needs, in all Smart Start programs and services. But as the number of local partnerships has grown, so have administrative costs - and not just on the state level. Local partnerships are incorporated as non-profits in their respective areas, and as such, they incur additional administrative costs and file separate tax returns from the parent organization, NCPC.
Foundation Assets
As for the umbrella organization, NCPC filed IRS tax Form 990 for the tax year beginning July 1, 2006 and ending June 30, 2007 as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, nonprofit organization (with a request for an extension). The tax return shows the Foundation had revenue from direct public support in the amount of $169,549 and government contributions of $130,171,670. Total revenue was listed as $130,911,357.
Total expenses were $131,642,088, including $125,625,980 in grants to Smart Start local partnerships.
Compensation of current officers, directors and key employees amounted to $294,307 and compensation of other employees was listed at $$2,604,149. Pension plan contributions for the year were $173,843.
Net assets or fund balance at the end of the tax year was reported as $125,625,980.
Staff & Governance
The North Carolina Partnership for Children is staffed by a president, vice-president, finance director, and a number of additional information technology and programs personnel who are well compensated for their services.
The NCPC Board of Directors is made up of 25 members representing state agencies, private business, education, nonprofits, religious organizations, childcare providers, and parents. The chairman of the board is Ashley Thrift. The governing board provides oversight and develops policy for Smart Start programs and services. The board is also responsible for ensuring Smart Start accountability. The board meets four times a year. Board members include a number of individuals with connections to state government that likely ease efforts to obtain funding each year.
Summary
In creating the Smart Start program Governor Hunt and the General Assembly noted that every child can benefit from, and should have access to, high-quality early childhood education and development services. Indeed, the legislature believed the “economic future and well being of the state of North Carolina depend on it.”
To achieve this goal, the NCPC provides technical assistance and training for local Smart Start partnerships in the areas of program development, administration, organizational development, communication, fiscal management, technology, contracts management and fundraising.
There is little doubt that given the time and resources, parents are more ideally suited to provide basic childcare than government. However, most would agree there is a role for government in preparing preschool children for the world of education. There is a debate about how large the government role should be and how much of the state’s resources should be committed to this endeavor.
In terms of education priorities, many North Carolinians who follow public policy issues question whether or not the state is putting too much focus on early education (Smart Start) and higher education (community colleges, colleges and universities) to the detriment of the middle part of the education continuum (grades one through 12 of the public schools).
If there is an imbalance in the state’s education priorities, it is not likely to be resolved until some fundamental reforms are implemented in the public school system. More competition among public schools and more parental choice come to mind.
