Smart Start is an early childhood initiative in North Carolina designed to build a statewide system of coordinated services for children from birth through age 5 and their families. At the heart of the program are 82 public-private nonprofit partnerships representing North Carolina's 100 counties, each sharing the mission of promoting school readiness with its own leadership and locally developed plans to fulfill the mission. This monograph details three examples of successful local Smart Start partnerships: (1) the Down East Partnership for Children; (2) the Randolph County Partnership for Children; and (3) the Region A Partnership for Children. Accounts are based on numerous interviews with parents, staff, local leaders, and caregivers and highlights the diversity among the local partnerships and their strategies. Following an overview of the Smart Start initiative and its impact on North Carolina's children and families, the monograph describes each of the partnerships. Each description focuses on the creation of systems change, the lessons learned, and the partnership accomplishments. The monograph concludes by noting that despite the partnerships' diversity in terms of geography, resources, history, culture, and approach, there are key components essential to their success, including: (1) using a systemic approach; (2) articulating the connection between a change initiative for children and families and a positive future; (3) helping people see a personal connection between an initiative and what matters to them; (4) involving stakeholders; (5) building on strengths; and (6) hiring a leader who is a community problem-solver. (KB)