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Children’s Council of Watauga Accepting Bids for Smart Start Funding Through Jan. 8

The Children’s Council of Watauga County, the local Smart Start Partnership for Children agency, announces a call for applications for Smart Start funding for fiscal year July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

The Children’s Council is soliciting proposals to establish a contract through competitive negotiations. The purpose of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to acquire the services of a qualified contractor to whose proposal impacts children from birth through age five. By legislative mandate, programs directed at children older than 5 cannot be considered. Funds may not be used for goods or activities that may be funded by other sources. Proposals should demonstrate innovative new activity or expansion of activity in ways not available without Smart Start. Funds should be used for activities, experiences, or equipment that has beneficial impact on children.First-2000-Days-Web-Banner-e1403304186882 (2)

Smart Start was designed to ensure that children arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed.  Therefore, emphasis is on developing or improving the quality, affordability and availability of child care, along with child health and family support initiatives that strengthen a child’s development and the family’s ability to nurture their child. All grant applications therefore should support the vision and mission of the Children’s Council of Watauga County.

The vision and mission of Children’s Council of Watauga County, Inc.

Vision: We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to develop to his or her fullest potential in a community that supports, nurtures, and empowers children and families.

Mission: To build a strong foundation for children’s learning and development by strengthening families, the early childhood system, and the wider community.

In order to accomplish this goal, the Children’s Council Board of Directors and staff created a 3 year strategic plan identifying key areas of focus: Professional development of early childhood educators; Family support services for parents with children ages birth to five; Child care provider salary supplements; Smart Start program coordination; and Childhood obesity prevention. If you have a program or project that meets these program priority areas, or you provide other services for children birth to age five, the Partnership would like to hear from you! We are especially interested in programs that:

  • Offer support and education to parents of young children 0-5
  • Improve the health of young children 0-5
  • Improve the quality of childcare
  • Make childcare more affordable and accessible
  • Unify and mobilize resources for families of young children 0-5
  • Provide economic support for low income families
  • Ensure that young children 0-5 are safe from violence
  • Upgrade the delivery of services for young children 0-5
  • Educate the community about the value of early services for young children 0-5
  • Enhance mental health and early intervention services

The deadline for submitting bids for Smart Start funding is January 8, 2016 by 5:00 PM. Bids should be submitted via US Postal Mail to the Children’s Council of Watauga County, 225 Birch Street, Suite 3, Boone, NC or via hand delivery or express delivery.

To learn more about the application specifics and guidelines for Smart Start funding or to receive a more detailed packet of information and application, please call Mary Scott, Program Manager, at the Partnership Office at (828) 262-5424 or go to our website at www.thechildrenscouncil.org. All proposed programs or projects must meet the evidence based/informed requirements set by the North Carolina legislature in regards to state funding.