NCACC President and Durham County Commissioner Brenda Howerton led an initiative titled, “100 Counties: Helping Our Children Thrive,” with a mission, “to inspire and support county government’s effort to grow and maintain an environment that fosters the social, economic and physical health of North Carolina’s children.”
President Howerton’s Task Force was co-chaired by Wilkes County Commissioner Gary D. Blevins and Beaufort County Commissioner Ed Booth, and focused on identifying various ways for county government to make a positive impact in children’s lives and to partner with local organizations to maximize their efforts.
During December 2017-January 2018, NCACC kicked off a series of regional meetings on child welfare as part of the Thrive Initiative, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the regional child welfare meetings was to bring together county commissioners and representatives from county Departments of Social Services to deepen the understanding of the state’s current system of child welfare and county responsibilities.
Shortly thereafter, a summit was convened in Guilford County March 21-22, 2018, to showcase innovate county programs and provide a form for county officials to discuss ideas for addressing children’s issues in their home counties. See below for presentations and resources shared during the Thrive Summit.
Thrive Summit Presentations & Resources
- NC Child (Whitney Tucker) 2018 County Data Cards
- Duke Endowment (Tamika Williams)
- Golden LEAF (Dan Gerlach)
- New Hanover County: A Data-Driven Approach to Child Welfare (Michelle Winstead & Wanda Marino)
- Bright Futures Beaufort County (Catherine Glover & Robin McKeithan)
- Catawba Advocates for Children in Education (Korey Fisher-Wellman)
- Lives of Children in Transylvania County (Jaime Laughter)
- Brunswick Guarantee (Randy Thompson)
- Orange Second Family Works (Holly Kunkel)
- Randolph Student L.I.F.T. (Amy Rudisill)
- Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council (Crystal Glover)
- Summit Resources Guide
- ACEs featured in NC Medical Journal
- Your IDEA Moderator Guide
- Serving the Underserved: Counties Addressing Poverty (NACo)
- North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education
- Local Funding for Early Learning (NC Early Childhood Foundation)
- Children’s Funding Project (Forum for Youth Investment)
- The New Strategy for Raising (and Protecting) Money for Kids (Governing Magazine)
- The Road to Adulthood: Aligning Child Welfare Practice with Adolescent Brain Development (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
- When Collaboration Works (CountyQuarterly)