Host Karen Ponder dives into the first formal statewide early childhood system in the nation: North Carolina’s Smart Start, which she herself managed for its first 15 years. She speaks with Amy Cubbage, president of the North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC), and Gayle Headen, executive director of Wake County Smart Start.
More information about North Carolina’s Smart Start here.
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Karen Ponder: Hello, and welcome to Critical Connections. A podcast from The Build Initiative, I'm Karen Ponder. This series focuses on the importance of strong state and community connections for developing equitable early childhood systems. You'll hear about key ingredients needed to build and sustain this work. And you'll also hear some lessons learned from some of the early developers.
Karen Ponder: Today, we're talking about North Carolina's Smart Start Initiative, the first formal statewide early childhood system in the nation created in 1993. I had the privilege of helping to develop Smart Start and managed it for its first 15 years. One of the first, and certainly the most important decisions that was made was to invite every county in North Carolina to form what we called Smart Start Partnerships. These were coalitions made up of families of young children, education and health experts, local government and community leaders, and representatives from philanthropy and business with a vision that every child would arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed. Joining me are two people that are leading this charge.
Karen Ponder: Amy Cubbage is president of The North Carolina Partnership for Children, the nonprofit that administer Smart Start in North Carolina. Amy, thank you so much for joining this conversation.
Amy Cubbage: Thank you for inviting me Karen.
Karen Ponder: Also joining us is Gayle Headen. Gayle is the executive director of Wake County Smart Start, one of the largest county-based Smart Start partnerships in our state. Gayle, I'm so happy that you could join us today.
Gayle Headen: Thank you Karen.
Karen Ponder: As you both know well, one of the ongoing challenges in a unified state and local system is balancing the different roles that each sector plays and balancing the benefits from driving state level priorities with local priorities.
Karen Ponder: Amy, as the state leader of Smart Start and Gayle as the leader of a large local partnership that serves both urban and rural communities we're eager to learn from you today. Amy, we want to learn from the state's perspective the benefits of this state and local model with its different roles. Tell us what you've learned about the benefits of state oversight and support and how that can exist alongside responsiveness to local needs and approaches.
Amy Cubbage: First, thank you again for having me join you Karen, and it's wonderful to be here with Gayle. It's an honor be with you both. What I love most about Smart Start as a state to local system, and I think is most beneficial is that it has a built-in system of interdependence. At the state level we have a strong reliance on and deep trust in our local partnerships grounded in their communities and our local partnerships rely on and trust us to support and elevate their needs and their work. This interdependence is seen in many ways and I'll share three of the most important. The state level organization provides a strong mechanism to bring the voices of local partnerships to lift up the voices for local communities, providers, and parents to the state level. And at the state level, whenever, however, and wherever we elevate and highlight the work of our local partnerships to our state partners, policymakers, private sector folks, the faith community, private funders, our K-12 partners and beyond.
Amy Cubbage: Second, the state to local structure extends public dollars with the support of statewide and local fundraising. The state level helps to ensure accountability and data across the state. And then third, the state to local structure provides a power of locally informed statewide Smart Start network. And it can be used to implement innovative programs statewide efficiently and effectively. For example, we have a home visiting and parenting education project at the state level. We have programming that's implemented locally and we see this happening right now with our family connects pilots, which are moving our policy goals forward.
Karen Ponder: I love the idea of interdependency, Amy. That really is what makes Smart Start stand out and what makes it survive. Gayle, since the family centered work of Smart Start has done community by community, what are your thoughts about how state mandates affect your decision-making and work in Wake County?
Gayle Headen: Karen, thank you also for having me today. And I'm so happy to be here with my friend and colleague Amy. This partnership works well in North Carolina because NCPC balances mandates with local implementation. They acknowledge and value the diversity of our communities across the state. They listen to the local communities and they demonstrate flexibility. There's give and take. And while there's that flexibility, the mandates provide the guard rails. And in some instances, those guard rails make it easier because those are decisions that we don't have to make at the local level. An example of a state priority that is implemented at the local level is looking at performance indicators that the network has established. And those indicators determine the priorities for the partnerships to address in their individual communities. A while ago, the state level indicators reflected low saturation rates of children ages three to five, participating in early intervention services.
Gayle Headen: And they were emerging in kindergarten with developmental concerns identified. So as a local partnership in response to this state level mandate, our board had the idea to address the fragmented system of home visiting services in Wake County. The approach was to coordinate and provide in an efficient way to match families with a coordinated intake system. The solution that was developed is now what is known as Wake Connections and you ask what is Wake Connections? Well, the answer is it's a centralized, coordinated intake and referral system that matches young children and their families with home-based and group services that best fit their needs. It's a web based tool to maximize access. We have a central administrator to process referrals and support families and partner programs. And the last feature is a community of practice to support quality services for young children and family.
Gayle Headen: Some of the uses of this community of practice include staffing cases, sharing resources, and shared training. And this group has become the central advisory group for home visiting services in Wake County. And just as importantly, this community of practice promotes collaboration and builds a sense of community among partner programs. Karen, as you may well know, home visiting services can be isolating. And so this advisory group have provided feedback that they appreciate connection with colleagues and voice their need for having others in their role that they can turn to. Essentially it fosters buy-in and we're in this together mentality. This is an example of a state priority that was designed locally and implemented in a way that best meets local needs.
Karen Ponder: Gayle, thank you for that. That was the idea of Smart Start that communities would take big issues and then do their approach to solving them. And it's always rewarding to get to hear about that work happening. A challenge that states are having now is how do you ensure a balance of accountability and evidence based approaches on the one hand while supporting innovative approaches to meeting community needs on the other hand. I know that both of you are innovative in meeting your new priorities and, Amy, I'm wondering how you find the balance between accountability and using approaches that actually work in the community?
Amy Cubbage: I would highlight right here the keyword being balance. So balancing the locally informed, locally designed approach to meeting the needs of young children and their families and communities and all who care and educate them with the requirements. We have legislatively to use evidence-based, evidence informed approaches and services to meeting those needs. As research is continuously increasing our knowledge of early childhood, we're learning more and more about what works. We're working hard to stay aware of and bring forth new opportunities for our local partnerships to highlight those when we hear of and learn about them. And we seek out also funding opportunities for local partnerships to engage in innovative approaches through either pilots or philanthropic initiatives. And we're not perfect at this. We continue to work at it, but I'd say we're getting better at it. It informs our practices with new feedback and new research, and we're working to be more nimble in supporting local partnerships to utilize an innovative programs that meet most local needs.
Karen Ponder: It sounds like you're doing a good job with that. And Gayle, from a local perspective, how does this accountability, local innovation work for you and your local partnership?
Gayle Headen: Well, we really appreciate the acknowledgement at the state level of the need for balance. It's a little bit like dancing with a partner. There are the standard steps to any dance, a waltz, salsa, hand dancing, but the real beauty of a dance is when the dancers build on that structure and add their personal flair. That improvisation is what brings the emotive element to the moment. So in a similar fashion, the local partnerships are dancing with NCPC. There are the rules, principles, mandates, priorities, I.e. the structure. And then NCPC compliments that with a regard for their partner, the local partnerships. We talk and listen to one another, negotiate and problem solve together with a common purpose in mind, serving children and families. So NCPC supports innovation. Recognizing that while we share a common purpose, each community has its own culture, norms, strengths, and needs. During the pandemic, it was particularly crucial. And because of NCPC's respect for the balance of innovation and outcomes we were able to get solutions to the community quickly.
Gayle Headen: And if I might, I'd like to share a few examples. Local partnerships were asked to determine ways to maintain current operations given the new environment, this was brand new for all of us. We didn't know what was happening? How long it would last? What this would mean for us? NCPC stepped in and said, guidance requirements we're not changing much. These are the reporting and monitoring. The priority was how partners could adapt the implementation of services in this time.
Gayle Headen: Secondly, there was flexibility for the mode we use for monitoring. We used to go onsite. We needed to pivot to monitoring remotely. NCPC supported us in that. And the last example I'd give you is the flexibility with partnerships providing support to sites we don't normally work with. We expanded our support to the entire childcare provider community, not just those to whom we were providing technical assistance. We were available to all. And as a result, a whole system was strengthened. We were working with centers and family childcare homes alike. And family childcare homes usually don't get much attention.
Karen Ponder: That's great work. I had talked to several of the partnerships about, especially during the pandemic and it just was thrilling to hear how having that structure already in place facilitated quick response and deep response to the needs of families in the communities. So Gayle, thank you for that work.
Karen Ponder: Some states are just in the early development of their state and local partnership work. And we at Build always recommend that they think about sustainability from the very beginning. Well, what we're doing really last, that's the question we ask ourselves. And I've seen over the years that having a system that has deep roots in every county, a system that is shaped by and meaningfully connected to so many different people has given Smart Start its stay in power. How has the local ownership of Smart Start continued to strengthen over the years and what has contributed to this long term results. Gayle, why do you think strengthens this strong connections in your community and leads to stronger statewide connections?
Gayle Headen: Well, Karen, you're so very right. Having strong roots in the community is essential. On our board of directors we have broad membership representing the early childcare community, philanthropy, community volunteers, the business community, city and county leadership, the public school system, and I could go on.
Gayle Headen: The commonality is that we are all invested in the success of the system because it is evident that that approach works. And we are reaching children and families in a thoughtful holistic way. When you're successful others want to be a part of it and ensure its continued success. Support from Wake County has grown significantly to our partnership over the last seven years. They are committed to us. And the earlier example of Wake Connections was an example of the philosophy of a systems level approach, establishing collaboratives and communities of practice when you embed in the community that gives you sustainability.
Karen Ponder: Absolutely. Thank you. And then Amy, in your time at the helm of Smart Start, you've had a bit of time to look back on Smart Starts beginnings, and think about where it should go in the future. I'm wondering why do you think Smart Start has survived and thrived over time?
Amy Cubbage: Thanks Karen. I would echo Gayle sentiments that wide diversity of our organizations and the roles of individuals who play a part in Smart Start has been a huge part of its staying power. The diversity of the makeup of our boards, of staff, of the families and the providers and communities. And it's been supported in a bipartisan way throughout its 28 years. I would say that that success is largely grounded in that community buy-in but also in its impact. We have data showing that the greater the investment and the greater the reach of programs, we often hear a $16 to $1 return on investment in early childhood. And that is critically important as messaging to continue the buy-in. We see success from programs, policymakers, businesses, and families experience and see these benefits firsthand in their own communities and businesses with Smart Start in their own neighborhoods. People become familiar with it and see it as a beacon of light and a hub for children and families and communities. And in return, the experiences of local community members with Smart Start provides an invaluable feedback loop to strengthen the system overall.
Karen Ponder: Given the diversity of communities, state and local systems are often challenged to ensure the voices of all, of local communities, early childhood population are heard. Voices that represent as complete a picture as possible of the diversity within each community are needed. Pulling from all zip codes and neighborhoods and seeking out and hearing from people who've been too often left out and discriminated against in our country. Black and indigenous families, as well as other people of color and members of diverse cultural groups and providers from across the mixed delivery system and from the comprehensive services that are then needed to truly support young children and their families. Gayle will you share a strategy or a lesson you have learned in engaging and learning from diverse families and providers in your work in Wake County?
Gayle Headen: I would Say a lesson learned in engaging with families is that working with families is more nuanced and involved than outcomes and referral counts. So what do I mean by that? What we're really doing is we are supporting children and families in real life situations. We had a mother in recovery, a single mother in the third trimester of her pregnancy living in Wake County without housing after relocating in order to be near her three-year old son who had been placed in kinship care. So you can imagine the stressors that mom was experiencing at this point. She called Wake County Smart Start regularly to update us on the status of her living arrangements until she secured stable housing, because she wanted to be sure that the programs that she was referred to knew how to find her. This mom elected to be referred to a group while wait-listed for a home visiting program in order to get support in place as she pursued reunification.
Gayle Headen: She enrolled in another one of our partner programs, SAFEchild's parenting group with a newborn because services were a priority for her. So over a period of months, our staff provided substantive support contacts with the mom. And this was essential because nearly 40% of canceled referrals are due to loss of contact with families. In cases like substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, unstable housing, and a number of other risk factors this mother could have easily fallen into that category. So our lesson learned while engaging with families is look beyond what the numbers tell you and keep children and families at the center of everything that we do.
Karen Ponder: Amy, from the state's perspective, do you have any advice or words of wisdom about supporting diverse family voices and building more equitable early childhood systems?
Amy Cubbage: We are working hard at the state level to identify opportunities and engage in those opportunities to reach many children and families who have been intentionally discriminated against or marginalized. We must engage in those efforts more and more.
Amy Cubbage: We must do a better job of centering our work around equity to understand and better articulate our slogan, which is each child in every community and understand that that means all children. Data show that disparities persist in outcomes for black, indigenous, Latinx, and other children of color. And we will keep speaking out and ensuring policies and programs aim to eliminate injustices brought from years of historic under resourcing in communities. Specifically concerted efforts at the state level right now to listen and elevate are aimed at the voices of families with our family engagement and leadership work and our home visiting and parenting education system building work, which is housed at NCPC with partners across the state and also supporting the development of family leaders at local partnerships throughout the state, as part of the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five initiatives. We're also encouraging local partnerships to have family leaders as part of their boards and decision-making structures more and more.
Karen Ponder: I'm wondering, Gayle, what brings you to this community work that you do every day?
Gayle Headen: There is so much potential in every child from the moment each one is born. It is our collective responsibility to nurture that potential and support healthy environments in which children primarily exist. Home and school, parents and families are a child's first most important and lifelong teacher. And investments in them result in healthy, strong, confident, and happy children who grow into productive, creative, critical thinking adults we need for our futures to thrive. This work is my purpose and my passion.
Karen Ponder: Amy, what gives you the most joy as you think about the state community work?
Amy Cubbage: It is absolutely fantastic to see and hear of the stories of children and families receiving support and services and programs and engaging in activities for early care and education. And the full panoply of comprehensive services across the state in local communities that are brought about by their local partnerships and their partners in those communities.
Karen Ponder: Gayle and Amy thank you both for joining us today. Thanks for joining us for this episode. Please leave a review and rate us on Apple Podcasts, it helps others find us. You can follow us there or anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Karen Ponder: Critical Connections is a podcast from The Build Initiative. It is produced by Lantigua Williams & Co. Kojin Tashiro is our producer and sound designer. Jen Chien is our editor. Build Initiative is a national organization that is a catalyst for change and supports state leaders to develop equitable early childhood systems. Build assists state leaders from both the private and public sectors as they work to set policies, offer services, and advocate for young children and their families. If you would like to learn more about our guests or our organization, visit BUILD's website at buildinitiative.org. I'm Karen Ponder. Thank you for listening.