NC S464

Appropriates $30,000,000 in recurring annual funding from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services for each year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium for the North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (Smart Start) program.

Allocates funds to Smart Start local partnerships across all 100 North Carolina counties with $15,000,000 designated for child care-related activities, $7,500,000 for family support activities, $3,750,000 for health-related activities, and $3,750,000 for child care subsidies.

Supports the Smart Start network of 75 nonprofit local partnerships that serve children from birth to five years of age through programs including home visiting, parenting education, early literacy, child care quality improvement, and health promotion.

Aims to address destabilization of child care providers caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure working parents' ability to participate in the economy while supporting children's school readiness and third-grade reading proficiency.

Becomes effective July 1, 2021.