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Durham Partnership for Children, founded in 1994 to run Smart Start in Durham County, leads community strategies for children from birth to age 5 and their families so that every child in Durham enters school ready to succeed.

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September is Smart Start Month - Durham's Partnership for Children

Join our Smart Start Allocations Committee! - Durham's Partnership for Children

Family Engagement: DeAnna's Story - Durham's Partnership for Children

Back to school: How to ease your child’s transition to the classroom - Durham's Partnership for Children

Putting Families First: Family Forward NC Certification

Summer Activity Guide: Durham County - Durham's Partnership for Children

Community Violence Resources for Families - Durham's Partnership for Children

Every Parent Deserves Support: Parenting Education

Guide: Supporting Your Young Child's Mental Health (Ages 0

Why Pre-K? The Benefits of Early Childhood Education

Kate Irish

Jameka Wells

Shekema Crawford

Eduardo Schoen

Kristen Luft

Juliellen Simpson-Vos

Christan Paylor

Julie McAlister

April Zheng

Tamara Vanie

Lician Hernandez

Nora De La Rosa

Brianna Branche

Karrington Rice

Emilene Whidbee

Deidre Morgan

Nikki Johnson

Megan Sorrell

Delesa Tucker

Tanisha Brooks

Yadira Vera

Kemonie Ballard

Luchy Espinal

Lateshia Langhorne

Tiffani King

Melissa Hernandez Bedoya

Our team spent yesterday morning volunteering at the Diaper Bank, wrapping a total of 18,000 diapers for babies across our state! We loved getting the chance to give back to our community together 🌟 #Volunteering #TeamBonding #DiaperBankofNC

Meet the faces behind our work every week through our #StaffSpotlights! Today we're introducing Brianna Branche, our Teacher Quality Specialist ✨ Brianna works with the NC Pre-K team, supporting teachers in the classroom to maintain program standards. What does Brianna hope every child experiences? "I hope every child experience support. Support within their family, friends, and care providers. To a child, support can feel like knowing that there is someone who listens to them, cares about their feelings, encourages them, and makes them feel safe and valued. Support can look like a trusted adult being there when they are having a difficult day, a friend including them in play, or a teacher encouraging them when something feels challenging."💫 #MeettheTeam #DurhamNC #EarlyChildhood

The Fall is the perfect season to enjoy the weather and spend time outdoors with the kids! 🍂 Check out these fun activities to promote motor skills this season💫 #earlychildhood #motorskills #fallactivities

HAPPY NOVEMBER! 📞Our phone line is working again! Reach us at 919-403-6960 or by email at mail@dpfc.net

What does an early learning themed trunk or treat look like? 💫 We had a blast at @dprplaymore's trunk or treat this week, connecting with families and handing out treats and DPfC info! Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy Halloween weekend! #trunkortreat #halloween

October is SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) Awareness Month, dedicated to educating families and caregivers on safe infant sleep practices to reduce sudden and unexpected infant deaths. Remember safe sleep practices with the ABCs of safe sleep!🌙 Swipe for some tips and share with a friend! #SIDSawarenessmonth #SIDS #EarlyChildhood

We held our annual meeting yesterday, welcoming three new Board Members and voting in our Officers. Our team got the chance to connect, talk about impact, and do an engaging activity for a fun Pre-K project. 💫 Stay tuned for more updates from our Board!

For this week's #StaffSpotlight, meet Christan Paylor, our NC Pre-K Manager! 💫 Christan manages the NC Pre-K team while supporting teachers, families, and children enrolled in the program. This November, Christan will have been at the Partnership for two years. We are so grateful for her! #MeetTheTeam

Head Start began with a simple idea: Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive. Head Start brings together early learning, health, nutrition, family support and parent engagement to meet the needs of children and families. Our Early Head Start program is for pregnant women and children under 3 in Durham. ➡️ Learn more and apply today! dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start #HeadStartAwareness

Preschoolers are still learning how to manage big emotions and rely heavily on co-regulation - using a calm adult's presence and gentle words to help settle their nervous system. Self-regulation provides key benefits across academic, emotional, social, and physical domains. 💫 Check out these six phrases to help kids with self-regulation!

Want to make a difference right here in your local community? Consider making a donation to our county's affiliate of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, which puts free books in the hands of children across Durham every month until they turn 5!⭐ Champion early literacy with us and help us build bigger home libraries for children here in Durham! Donate at: tinyurl.com/durhamIL Do you have a child under 5 and want to sign up for the Imagination Library proram? Visit: dpfc.net/imaginationlibrary to register online! #EarlyLiteracy #ImaginationLibrary #DurhamNC

Wondering how you can get involved with Durham's Partnership for Children? Explore these four different ways to engage with us and be a part of building a stronger early childhood ecosystem in Durham! 💫 #Getinvolved #DurhamNC #earlychildhood ➡️ subscribe to our monthly newsletter 💌 dpfc.net/get-involved/newsletter ➡️ get family forward certified ✅️ familyforwardnc.com ➡️ host a book or school supplies drive 📚️ ➡️ donate to support Durham's youngest children!🌟 dpfc.net

It's still #HeadStartAwarenessMonth, and we're uplifting the comprehensive programs that promote healthy development and family support for children and families across our community, including our Durham Early Head Start Program💫 Families can participate through two program models: home visiting where quality educational experiences and strategies are shared with families and children in their home, or full day high-quality center-based child care. Applications for our EHS program are open on a rolling basis! Learn more and apply today: dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start/

uh-oh! You may be having trouble contacting us because our main phone line is down. Leave us a message at mail@dpfc.net instead! We appreciate your patience and apologize for the inconvenience as we resolve this issue.

Thanks to our friends at @AmericanTobaccoCampus and individual contributions, we ended up raising over $1700 on 9/25 or #GiveLikeDollyDay for Durham County's Imagination Library! That means more books in the hands of children across Durham! Didn't get a chance to donate on 9/25? It's not too late to make a difference in our community today: tinyurl.com/durhamIL

Family-friendly workplace policies like flexible schedules, paid parental leave, and more strengthen our community by supporting parents on the job.⭐ Want to become a Family Forward NC® certified employer just like us? Swipe to find out more about what that means! Learn more at: familyforwardnc.com

Our FY25-26 Impact Report is LIVE! From access and quality of early care and education, to health, early literacy, and family support services, we've helped set the foundation for brighter futures. Across our community, ⭐We've invested $203.6M in Durham's early childhood system over 30 years ⭐We served over 500 children in our NC Pre-K Program in the 2025-2026 school year ⭐Our Durham Early Head Start program served over 120 infants and toddlers ⭐450+ Technical assistance interactions were provided across 20 child care sites Read more of our impact➡️dpfc.net/reports

We attended the Center for Child and Family Health's 30th anniversary celebration this week!🥳 We heard moving stories from families and were so glad to celebrate with our partners, including Tomeika Watson, amazing leader with Healthy Families Durham and Early Head Start.💫 Congratulations to 30 years!

Every week, get a glimpse at the faces behind our work! #MeettheTeam😍 This week, we're introducing Kristen Luft, our Community Awareness Manager. In Kristen's role, she focuses on communications, outreach, and community partnerships and engagement. Fun fact: she's writing this post right now! What does she hope every child experiences? "I hope every child gets to experience a safe and loving community that nourishes their growth and development." 💫 #StaffSpotlight

Head Start began with a simple idea: Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive. Today, that promise lives on in communities across the country. Head Start brings together early learning, health, nutrition, family support and parent engagement to meet the needs of children and families.⭐ #HeadStartAwareness Durham Early Head Start is a comprehensive early education and family support program for children under 3 years old and pregnant women. Learn more and apply today: dpfc.net/our-work/durham-early-head-start

Missed our 30th Anniversary Celebration last week? Then you may have missed our debut video we shared at our event! This video, made by our friends at @workbyremedy, shares our story as an organization serving Durham families, and where we're heading next. ❣ #DurhamNC #EarlyChildhood

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