Working Together for the children & families of Mecklenburg County.

We recognize the power of working together. By sharing information and connecting services, we hope to positively impact as many children in our community as possible.
We are a collaborative of 30 Charlotte/Mecklenburg nonprofits and agencies. We are passionate about lifting up our most fragile families. Our members represent a diverse group of organizations but share one common goal: to make sure every child in our community receives the best opportunity to live a healthy and productive life.
We believe it is our job to give the children of our community a voice
The mission of the Children’s Alliance of Mecklenburg County is to work collectively to identify, advocate, and act upon real solutions for the challenges and barriers faced by the children of our community.
In 2022, The Children's Alliance celebrated its 20th year! For 20 years, we have committed to the well-being of children and families in Mecklenburg County. We have worked together on many shared issues and concerns. Organizations have collaborated on various projects in the community, including increasing the number of school nurses, raising the age of juvenile justice, and increasing funds for mental health staff at CMS.
OUR HISTORY
In 2000, the nonprofit community in Mecklenburg County committed to a comprehensive and
interdisciplinary effort to examine how it responds to the needs of its children and families. This effort was driven by the community's desire to make Charlotte Mecklenburg an ideal place for families to raise their children.
That commitment led to a year-long process known as the "United Agenda for Children." Led by the Lee Institute, a nationally recognized consulting firm, a community-wide study was initiated that included a series of town hall meetings, one-on-one meetings with key community leaders, engagement of children and youth, and the involvement of a network of government and private agencies that serve children and families.
At the conclusion of that effort, the Lee Institute convened a community-wide meeting, during which a series of recommendations were made to community leaders. The recommendation included a challenge to "make things happen." The Children’s Alliance was born in 2002 out of the finding that agencies serving children and families did not communicate well with one another, which created silos that make navigating help difficult for families.
There was a tremendous opportunity to collaborate and share valuable information. The
goal of the Children’s Alliance collaboration being to remedy the lack of communication and connection between agencies. The agency leaders of approximately 30 agencies in Mecklenburg County came together and committed to ongoing face-to-face meetings structured with two goals in mind:
· Agencies share information about their programs and services. The end goal is to look for
opportunities where agencies might "share" clients so that relevant services from multiple agencies might benefit clients and, therefore, provide better outcomes in the long run.
· To look for opportunities to collaborate in providing services to those collectively served.
OUR MEMBERS
Adoption Support Alliance | Alexander Youth Network | Ascend Nonprofit Solutions | Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Carolinas | Care Ring | Charlie’s Heart Foundation | Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department | Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools | Child Care Resources Inc. | Children's Home Society of NC | Communities in Schools | Congregations for Kids | Council for Children's Rights | Crittenton Services | Crossnore Communities for Children | Families Forward Charlotte | Foster Village Charlotte | Frank Crawford | Freedom School Partners | Guardian Ad Litem | Jewish Family Services | Juvenile Court Judges (District Court) | Kids Need 2 Parents | Levine Children's Hospital - Atrium | Life Connections | Mecklenburg County Children’s Developmental Services | Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services – Youth & Family Services | Mecklenburg County Health Department | Mecklenburg County Community Support Services | NAMI | OurBridge | Pat's Place Child Advocacy Center | Right Moves for Youth | Safe Alliance | Seth Langson | Smart Start of Mecklenburg County | Teen Health Connection | The Relatives | Thompson Child & Family Focus | Time Out Youth | United Way of Greater Charlotte | YMCA of Greater Charlotte
