About Us

We are a funder, convener, organizer, trainer, and advocate for young children’s healthy growth and development.

The Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) was founded in 1993 as the first Smart Start agency in the state. Our mission is to ensure that all young children arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed.

We promote young children’s healthy development and school readiness by supporting a variety of programs that address the critical issues facing young children and their families, with a special focus on under-resourced and underserved children.

OCPYC is the administrator for the Smart Start Early Childhood Initiative and the NC Pre-K Program in Orange County. Our work falls into four focus areas: Early Care and Education, Child Health and Early Intervention, Family Support, and Community Outreach and Engagement.

Our goals:

  • Improve early care and education services.
  • Ensure opportunities for early literacy success.
  • Ensure under-resourced families have access to child care for employment or education.
  • Enhance family education and support.
  • Enhance early intervention services for children at risk of developmental delays or disabilities.
  • Ensure the physical and mental health of young children.
  • Ensure that children are safe from abuse, neglect, and injury.

We promote collaboration among the agencies that we fund, and also engage community residents, the business community, our education partners, and the faith community in supporting Orange County’s young children and families.