Anson County Partnership for Children has a “clean bill” of financial health, according to an independent audit. An audit of 2008-2009 Smart Start activities found the organization was in compliance and had appropriate internal controls. Anson County Partnership for Children administers Smart Start and More at Four funding for Anson County.
     The state requires an audit of Anson County Partnership for Children every two years. Auditors look for compliance in three core areas: accuracy of financial statements; how the partnership processes and authorizes transactions such as grants, accounts payable, payroll and cash receipts; and contract compliance.
     “We are very pleased with our results,” said Dana Maness, President of Anson Bank and Trust and board chair for Anson County Partnership for Children. “We have worked hard to use every tax dollar wisely to help our children and our counties thrive, and this audit shows we have done just that.”
     Smart Start is an early childhood leadership network that leverages private and public dollars to address issues critical to North Carolina’s young children. Created in 1993 by Governor Jim Hunt, Smart Start is funded in all 100 North Carolina counties and is administered by 77 local Smart Start partnerships that create community-based programs. Smart Start financially supports programs that

increase the number of quality early childhood program, provides education credits to early childhood workers, supports parent education programs and connects families with medical services.      Anson County Partnership for Children also administers the More at Four Program in Anson County. The community based More at Four Pre- Kindergarten Program prepares children for success in school and helps provide a smooth transition for children to Kindergarten. Anson County Partnership for Children is currently taking applications for children who will be four years old on or before August 31, 2010. To apply for More at Four, please contact Kim Wilson at 704-694-4036.
     The North Carolina Partnership for the Children (NCPC), Inc. leads the state Smart Start initiative. NCPC places great emphasis on local control, coupled with strict accountability, oversight and measures to ensure financial integrity. The Smart Start partnerships undergo either annual or biennial financial and compliance audits by an independent auditor.
     For more information about Anson County Partnership for Children or the programs offered for children and families, visit the Partnership’s Web site at www.ansonsmartstart.org, call 704-694-4036 or find us on Facebook.

     Smart Start is North Carolina’s early childhood leadership network dedicated to assuring that every child reaches his or her potential and is prepared for success in a globally competitive world.

Anson Bank and Trust Presenting Sponsor of 2010 Barn Blast: Anson Bank and Trust of Wadesboro recently contributed $3,000 to the Anson County Partnership for Children, earning the organization the title of presenting sponsor for the 2010 Barn Blast. The Partnership would like to thank Anson Bank and Trust for their generous contribution and for helping make Anson County a better place to be a child and to raise a child.

     (October 15, 2009) - North Carolina's teen pregnancy rate fell to a 30-year low in 2008 according to new data released on Thursday. Teenage girls in North Carolina had 217 fewer pregnancies in 2008 than in 2007.
     The new data, compiled by the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), shows that 58.6 out of every 1000 teen girls ages 15 to 19 became pregnant in 2008. The new rate reflects a 7% decrease from the 2007 rate of 63 per 1000 girls. A small portion of this decrease can be attributed to a change in the way the state demographer calculates total population.
     Teen pregnancy rates in North Carolina have consistently decreased since 1991 following a spike in the late 1980s. Pregnancy rates fell across all age, racial and ethnic categories, as well as in all but 25 North Carolina counties. Abortion rates also decreased in all categories.
     While teen pregnancy rates declined across the board, significant disparities still exist between racial and ethnic groups and between rural and urban residents. The pregnancy rate among white teens was 47.8 per 1000 girls, while the corresponding rate for minority teens was 77.7. The rate specifically for Hispanic teens was 147.5. North Carolina's underserved rural counties typically saw higher rates of teen pregnancy.
Evidence-Based Strategies Credited

     Experts credit the trend toward targeted implementation of evidence-based approaches to pregnancy prevention as one cause of the improvement in pregnancy rates. Evidence-based approaches are rooted in behavioral research and have been evaluated for proof of their effectiveness.
     "North Carolina has been smart to leverage investments from the General Assembly and the Centers for Disease Control to bring proven pregnancy prevention strategies to North Carolina," says Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPCNC) Executive Director Kay Phillips. "This new data shows that we are headed in the right direction, and that we must keep pressing forward so that more communities can benefit from these tools."
     The Anson County Partnership for Children has positively impacted their teen pregnancy rate by implementing the Adolescent Parenting Program (APP), a program created by NC DHHS's Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiatives to reduce the number of repeat teen pregnancies. Repeat teen pregnancies account for approximately 30% of teen pregnancies each year. APP increases the self-sufficiency of young mothers,

and has a multi-generational impact by improving the long-term health and success of both mother and baby. Twenty-nine sites in 27 counties have implemented the APP program and only 1.6% of APP enrollees statewide had a repeat pregnancy. Due in part to APP, Anson County's teen pregnancy rate fell by 32.9% in 2008.
     Chatham County has reduced their teen pregnancy rate by 26.3% by leveraging both state and private funding available to host Plain Talk, a nationally recognized and replicated promising program. Used for the past four years by nonprofit Chatham County Together, Plain Talk is a neighborhood-based initiative that teaches adults how to communicate effectively and comfortably with youth about health and personal responsibility.
     "Keeping these programs strong - and offering them in more communities - is crucial to maintaining a positive trend in our pregnancy rates," said Phillips. "We must not let these programs get lost as state and local dollars get harder and harder to come by."
     Phillips also expressed excitement for the new opportunity presented by the passage of the Healthy Youth Act by the North Carolina General Assembly. The Healthy Youth Act removes restrictions on local school boards that limited the number of evidence-based sexuality education curricula schools could use. Starting in the 2010-2011 school year, local school boards will be able to choose from a broad range of evidence-based curricula that cover abstinence as well as comprehensive sexual health and relationship topics.
     With the release of today's statistics and the continued expansion of evidence-based approaches, North Carolina's teen pregnancy prevention experts are confident the state will see continued declines in teen pregnancy rates.