Down East Partnership for Children received a “clean bill” of financial health, according to an independent audit. An audit of 2009-10 Smart Start activities found the organization was in compliance and had appropriate internal controls. The nonprofit group administers Smart Start for Nash and Edgecombe counties.

The state requires an audit of the organization 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 Henrietta Zalkind, executive director for the group. “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.”

Down East Partnership for Children is located in Rocky Mount. For more 17 years it has built and delivered a model of services for children.

Smart Start is the state’s early childhood infrastructure. Created in 1993, Smart Start is funded in all 100 North Carolina counties and is administered by 77 local Smart Start partnerships that serve as a system to convene stakeholders to assess local needs; ensure accountability; and leverage community, state and federal resources. Local partnerships have established community networks that bridge education, health services, and family supports to best meet the needs of young children and their families. Federal and private funders have invested millions of dollars in North Carolina’s early childhood system because Smart Start provides the network on the ground that is needed to produce efficient and effective results.

For more information about the Down East Partnership for Children or Smart Start programs offered in the Nash and Edgecombe counties visit the partnership’s website at www.depc.org or call (252) 985-4300.