A Wide Range of Services
NTAC offers a broad range of general and intensive technical assistance services to assist communities and states in their early childhood-related efforts.
Intensive Technical Assistance and Consultation
Through its Intensive Technical Assistance Program, targeted services are provided to communities and states that are working to develop or implement a comprehensive, community-based early childhood initiative. Under this program, individual technical assistance plans are developed for a community or state that allows them to take advantage of the resources and consultation available through the Center. These services are available on a fee basis (or through an intensive technical assistance grant) and include an on-call consultant, a Smart Start mentor, site visits, speakers, etc.
Speakers Bureau
Speakers on a variety of subjects related to Smart Start and North Carolina’s early childhood system are available through the Smart Start Speaker’s Bureau for meetings and conferences. Depending upon the availability and need, these speakers will generally be state and local leaders within the Smart Start Initiative.
National Smart Start Conference
The National Smart Start Conference is held annually in Greensboro, North Carolina. This unique conference brings together national, state and local early childhood leaders from around the country for four days of meetings on a range of topics related to building state and local comprehensive early childhood systems, early childhood governance and structure at the state and local level, effective practices related to early education, health and family support, advocacy strategies to build support for a comprehensive early childhood initiative, etc. The conference is an opportunity to not only learn the latest from the early childhood field but to network with other key leaders from around the country that are engaged in similar activities. The 2006 conference included leaders from 45 states and we expect similar attendance in 2007. Participants have noted that no other conference in the country provides the diversity of workshops and discussions and attendees. The 2007 National Smart Start Conference will be held May 8-11, 2007 in Greensboro, NC. For more information, click here.
Information, Referral and Consultation
We are available to respond to your questions on a variety of issues related to Smart Start and the components of NC’s early childhood system, to share resource materials developed in our state and to connect you to other experts for more detailed information and support.
National Discussions and Learning Communities
In collaboration with other national organizations, we host a variety of national meetings and conference calls on issues related to early care and education financing, early childhood governance, state and local system-building, etc. To be included on the contact list for future learning community meetings and conference calls, email gscobb@ncsmartstart.org and note your specific interests.
Assessment Tool
As part of our intensive technical assistance program, we have developed an assessment tool that we use as part of a facilitated discussion with state and local leaders to better understand where the state is in the development of its statewide comprehensive early childhood initiative and governance structure. The feedback from the use of this tool has been extremely positive with many participants asking to use it for work with their own organizations. In response to these requests, we have developed both a community assessment tool and a state/community assessment tool. Click on the links below to access these tools for use in your own community or state. There is no charge
Site Visits to state and local Smart Start partnerships
Site visits are arranged occasionally for state and local leaders to visit North Carolina and learn more about Smart Start and North Carolina’s early childhood system-building efforts. Depending on the length and purpose of the visit, such programs may include meetings with state and local Smart Start leaders and visits to local Smart Start partnerships to learn more about how Smart Start was implemented, its structure, and how it has evolved over the past decade. For more information on such visits and to find out what costs may be involved, email gscobb@ncsmartstart.org.
Contact Us
For more information on how to take advantage of the services and resources available, contact Gerry Cobb, Director of Smart Start’s National Technical Assistance Center, at 919-821-9540
or via email at gscobb@ncsmartstart.org.