Three foundational pillars guide Smart Start of Mecklenburg County (SSMC): innovating, collaborating & convening, and investing. SSMC has undergone tremendous evolution over the years. Today, it funds and/or administers nearly 30 programs, including MECK Pre-K, The Basics Mecklenburg, Guiding Parents to Services, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.SSMC mobilizes resources, forges partnerships, and supports families to improve early childhood health, education and development and ensure children turn five ready to thrive.