D.

Community Connections
Smiling Faces Child Care Center, Inc. (Birth 5) Smiling Faces Child Care Center, Inc., a program of the Martin County Smart Start Partnership for Children, Inc. provides a model early childhood program based on developmentally appropriate best practices. The staff creates a nurturing environment where children are encouraged to reach their full potential. The center is a Five Star center, with a curriculum designed to help children develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Each classroom has distinct interest areas: Blocks, Housekeeping, Books & Language, Music, Science, Art, Sand & Water Play, Manipulatives and Number Concepts. Activities are challenging, emotionally supportive, and intellectually stimulating.

Its Your Move, Now, Inc. (Pre-K to 12th Grade)

Its Your Move, Now, Inc. is a critical thinking and life skills program the uses the strategies of chess as well as other strategies to develop a proactive mindset in moving towards the future believing that if you change the mindset you can change the person. The center has partnered with Martin County Schools to provide

services for at-risk middle school students during the day and services for all students during its after-school hours. Its your Move, Now, Inc. also provides summer remediation services and specialized activities such as basketball camps and college campus tours during the summer.

East Carolina Universitys Wellness Living Learning Center (Pre-K to 5th grade)

WLLC is a residential learning opportunity open to all incoming freshmen that have an interest in health and wellness, and in helping to improve the health of others. Selected students live in the same dormitory and receive personal wellness coaching and health classes. They also share what they have learned with underserved youth in eastern North Carolina. The ECU students decided to adopt East End Elementary, which has about 300 children in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Martin County, after learning the school doesnt have an afterschool program and a majority of the students are eligible for free lunch. Working with the school nurse and social worker, ECU wellness students have directed projects at the school like a hand-washing hygiene program and a parents night activity on nutrition. They collected and donated more than 200 childrens books, and adopted a family for the holidays. Students also are painting a mural on healthy eating in the cafeteria.

Martin County Community Library The Martin Memorial Library, a part of the Beaufort, Hyde and Martin Counties Regional Library System hosts a number of activities and programs all designed to encourage reading and learning for everyone. Some of the activities offered are story hours, summer reading clubs, Host for NCAE/NEAs Read Across America, and Battle of the Books. Aside from these designed activities, there are opportunities for children to be read to at least three times a day. In addition, all libraries are equipped with free Internet and computer access.