Our mission is to mobilize and unify the Durham community to create and support innovative and successful collaborative approaches to serving the needs of children 0 to 5 years of age and their families.
We were founded in 1994 to administer the Smart Start grant in Durham County. Smart Start legislation mandates that:
- 40% of this grant must be used to improve the quality of child care
- 30% must assist families in affording child care
- 30% must address other issues affecting children 0 to 5 years of age and their families
About Durham’s Young Children:
- 17,863 children under the age of 6 live in Durham
- 23% live in poverty
- 19% receive food stamps
- 12% receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
- 78% utilize some form of child care other than their parents
Collaboration is vital to the work done at the Partnership. We partnered with over 30 agencies last fiscal year to provide services to about 17,000 children. | 
