In Wake County, over 24 percent of our birth to 5 population attended regulated child care. Because a child’s experiences in his first 5 years are of such critical nature, Wake County works to ensure that quality child care is both accessible and available to families who need it. To that end, Wake County SmartStart invests in community partners who:

• provide subsidy payments for children in regulated day care,
• work with licensed child care facilities to maintain or improve their star ratings,
• provide opportunities for child care professionals to increase their skills, and
• foster opportunities for child care teachers to further their education.