The Smart Start Network and Book Harvest Expand Early Literacy and Family Support Initiative in Four NC Counties | Smart Start & The North Carolina Partnership for Children

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The Smart Start Network and Book Harvest Expand Early Literacy and Family Support Initiative in Four NC Counties

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Wayne, Robeson, and Scotland counties, along with a fourth county to be announced, will connect families with Books from Birth, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and The Basics Insights through a partnership funded by The Leon Levine Foundation.

North Carolina – Smart Start and Book Harvest launch a new early literacy initiative in Wayne, Robeson, and Scotland counties, the first communities selected to participate in a five-year effort funded by The Leon Levine Foundation that connects families with books, literacy resources, and family supports beginning at birth.

Through Smart Start Local Partnerships, Book Harvest, and local hospital partners, families will receive a starter home library of books through Books from Birth (10 books), a monthly book through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL) until the age of five (up to 60 books), and science-based parenting tips through The Basics Insights text messaging program.

Together, these programs can provide participating children with up to 70 books during their first five years of life while giving families simple, science-based tools to support early literacy, healthy brain development, and positive parent-child interactions.

The initiative launches in four hospitals located in Tier 1 counties, North Carolina’s most economically distressed communities, as designated by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Through local Smart Start partnerships, hospital partners, and community organizations, eligible families will receive books, resources, and developmental supports beginning at birth.

Confirmed participating Local Partnerships, counties, and hospital partners include:

Wayne County – The Partnership for Children of Wayne County and UNC Health Wayne Robeson County – Robeson County Partnership for Children and UNC Health Southeastern Scotland County– Scotland County Partnership for Children and Families and Scotland Memorial Hospital A fourth community and hospital will be selected soon.

“What makes this initiative unique is the way it connects families to a continuum of support from birth through early childhood,” said Amy Cubbage, president of the North Carolina Partnership for Children. “Through Smart Start Local Partnerships, hospitals, and trusted community partners, families will have access to books, resources, and connections that help children thrive from birth through kindergarten and beyond.”

In North Carolina, just 33% of children enter kindergarten demonstrating key indicators of school readiness, with even lower rates in many underserved communities. Research shows that early exposure to books and shared reading strengthens language development, early literacy skills, and school readiness. This initiative helps ensure more families have access to books from the very beginning, along with simple tools and resources that help parents support their children’s learning and development every day.

“This transformative grant from The Leon Levine Foundation accelerates a vision we believe North Carolina can lead: making book ownership from birth part of the standard of care for families throughout this country,” said Ginger Young, founder and CEO of Book Harvest. “With this investment, Book Harvest will partner with hospitals to provide thousands of newborns with a Books from Birth starter home library of 10 new board books. Together, we’re building a model that’s practical, scalable, and rooted in joy so more children can enter school ready to learn, and more parents feel equipped from the very beginning.”

The initiative is part of The Leon Levine Foundation’s broader Book Abundance strategy, a long-term effort to strengthen kindergarten readiness across the Carolinas by investing in trusted community partners that expand access to books and early literacy experiences beginning at birth. This multiyear investment will expand the work of three trusted nonprofit partners – Reach Out and Read, Book Harvest, and Smart Start – bringing proven literacy programs to approximately 16,000 North Carolina children and their families over five years.

While Smart Start and Book Harvest will partner to bring Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Books from Birth to families in four counties, Reach Out and Read will expand its evidence-based early literacy model across all 40 Tier 1 counties, including these four communities.

“Book Abundance has always been about more than putting books into families’ hands. It’s about building a stronger, more connected system around families from the very beginning,” said Gillian Small, Education Program Officer at The Leon Levine Foundation. “For more than 18 months, our partners have been working together to turn the vision for Book Abundance into reality, and seeing families begin to experience that vision in these communities is an incredibly exciting milestone.”

About Smart Start and NCPC

Smart Start is a statewide network of 75 local partnerships serving all 100 North Carolina counties with a mission to advance a high-quality, comprehensive, accountable early childhood system that benefits each child in North Carolina beginning with a healthy birth. Led by NCPC, this network ensures fiscal and programmatic accountability. For more information, visit www.smartstart.org.

Since 2011, Book Harvest has provided millions of books to children and families across North Carolina. The organization partners with families, schools, hospitals, healthcare providers, and community organizations to ensure that every child grows up with abundant home libraries of books that they own, and the opportunity to develop robust literacy skills, enabling them to succeed in school and in life. To learn more about Book Harvest, visit bookharvest.org. To learn more about Books from Birth, visit bookharvest.org/books-from-birth.

About Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Launched in 1995, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is the world’s leading early childhood book-gifting program and the flagship initiative of The Dollywood Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since its founding, the program has gifted more than 300 million free books to children across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Republic of Ireland. Each month, the Imagination Library mails over 3 million high-quality, age-appropriate books directly to children’s homes. Every enrolled child receives one book per month from birth to age five, at no cost to families.

Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly created the Imagination Library in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee, to inspire a love of reading from the earliest years. In true Dolly fashion, she soon shared that dream with other communities that wanted to give their children the same opportunity to Dream More, Learn More, Care More, and Be More.

The program is made possible through the continued support of Dolly’s Estate and The Dollywood Foundation, which invest in the partnerships, resources and systems that empower thousands of Local Program Partners. These partners build awareness and provide the funding needed to cover the wholesale cost of the books and mailing for children in their communities. Together, this unique partnership helps place books into the homes—and hearts—of millions of children around the world. The Imagination Library’s impact has been widely studied, with research consistently showing positive effects on early childhood development, kindergarten readiness, and family reading habits. For more information, visit imaginationlibrary.com.

The Basics NC is a statewide initiative and public health approach designed to equip families, caregivers, and communities with simple, science-based strategies that nurture healthy brain development in young children. Through five powerful principles, The Basics NC supports strong relationships, early learning, and lifelong success. This initiative was made possible through Invest Early NC. Families and caregivers can learn more about The Basics NC and enroll in The Basics Insights NC text messaging program online.

The five Basics principles are 1. Maximize Love, Manage Stress; 2. Talk, Sing, and Point; 3. Count, Group, and Compare; 4. Explore Through Movement and Play; and 5. Read and Discuss Stories

About The Leon Levine Foundation: Established in 1980 by Leon Levine, founder and former chairman of Family Dollar Stores, Inc., The Leon Levine Foundation empowers underserved Carolinians to be self-sufficient and strengthens Jewish communities. Based in Charlotte, N.C., the Foundation creates impact through grants and investments across North and South Carolina, supporting both long-standing community partners and focused strategic initiatives. The Foundation is on a time-bound mission to strengthen children and families, build strong futures for hardworking adults, and cultivate vibrant Jewish communities. Guided by Mr. Levine’s vision, the Foundation’s philanthropy is anchored in four enduring areas of impact: education, healthcare, human services, and Jewish values. To learn more, visit www.leonlevinefoundation.org.

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