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Smart Start is a North Carolina public-private initiative, founded in 1993, that provides funding to local non-profit organizations throughout the state to "ensure that young children enter school healthy and ready to succeed".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Smart Start )〕 Smart Start funding supports child care, efforts to reduce the cost of child care, access to health services, and family support. In 2007-2008, the budget for Smart Start is approximately $205 million, with at least 10% raised privately. Administrative costs for the program are limited by statute to 8%. ==History== The program was established in the 1993-1994 legislative session of the North Carolina General Assembly, and signed into law by North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt on July 9, 1993.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=General Assembly of North Carolina 1993 Session Ratified Bill )〕 Following initial funding of the program, applications were submitted from around the state. The law limited pilot funding of $20 million to 12 programs, one per state congressional district.〔 The 12 pilot programs covered 18 counties. By 1996, Smart Start had expanded to 24 local programs, and a state-sponsored audit by Coopers & Lybrand praised its results, saying that it was "easy to see that there is an incredible amount of good being done by Smart Start". The report also recommended financial changes, saying it was not convinced all local programs were ensuring they were getting the best value for their money.〔 Expanding to 55 counties and a $92 million budget in 1998, studies continued to show improvements around the state. A University of North Carolina study concluding that the quality of child care in the 18 counties that were initially funded had improved measurably. Researchers did not conclude that Smart Start was responsible for the improvements, but did note that participation in the program increased the likelihood of improvement. In 1999, the program announced that it had exceeded its private fundraising goal of $13.9 million by raising a total of $19 million for the year. By the end of 2000, the program had expanded to all serve 100 counties in the state, with a budget of $263 million. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Smart Start (education)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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