About Us

The Poe Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to positively impacting the lives of North Carolina youth through health education. Since opening in Raleigh in 1991, the Poe Center has educated more than 1.3 million participants from 93 counties using innovative teaching theaters, exhibits and offsite programs.

By engaging in fun, highly interactive lessons, preschoolers through twelfth graders receive information that follows the NC DPI Essential Standards for Healthful Living Education on a variety of health topics, including nutrition, dental health, general health, family life and substance use prevention.

Poe Center Mission Statement

The mission of the Poe Center for Health Education is to educate and empower North Carolina children, youth and their families to make choices that increase positive health behaviors.

Poe Center Vision Statement

The vision of the Poe Center for Health Education is that all North Carolina children and youth live healthy lifestyles.

Poe Center Values: “Strive for Five”

• We value DIVERSITY and honor all people without biases of any kind.
• We value PROACTIVITY.  We strive to be innovative leaders and experts in our field taking initiative to demonstrate best practices through an open and collaborative environment.
• We value INTEGRITY in our internal and external relationships committing to carry out our mission in a trustworthy, professional, and ethical way.
• We value COMMUNICATION. We speak and write with timely clarity and coherence.  We listen and seek to understand and learn from others in order to function with maximum efficacy.
• We value RESPECT.  We acknowledge and recognize the dignity of all individuals trusting in their best intentions.

Did You Know?

• 15% of North Carolina children enter kindergarten with untreated tooth decay.¹
• 31% of NC youth are overweight or obese. Boys are at 35% and 28% of girls are overweight or obese.²
• 9,802 teens ages 15-19 were pregnant in North Carolina in 2015.³
• Tobacco use among NC high school students increased from 25.8% to 29.7% from 2011 to 2013.⁴
• 32.2% of North Carolina high school students drank alcohol in the last 30 days.⁵
• 23.2% of North Carolina high school students used marijuana in the last 30 days.⁵
• 41% of North Carolina teens have used marijuana, 12.7% of them before the age of 13.^6,7
• 5.1% of middle school students and 17.2% of high school students report taking prescription drugs without a doctor’s prescription.^6,7

Together, we can help North Carolina’s youth lead healthier lives.
Schedule a Poe Center program or support the Poe Center today.

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¹ North Carolina Prevention Report Card, 2017; www.ncchild.org
² Kids Count Data Center 2011-12 data; http://www.ncchild.org/what-we-do/data/kids-count-data-center/
³ North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics; http://www.schs.state.nc.us/data/vital/pregnancies/2015/preg1519.pdf
⁴ NC DHHS Press Release, Youth Tobacco Survey, 2013; http://www.ncdhhs.gov
⁵ North Carolina Prevention Report Card, 2016; www.ncchild.org
⁶ Youth Risk Behavior Survey, North Carolina Middle School Students, 2013; www.nchealthyschools.org
⁷ Youth Risk Behavior Survey, North Carolina High School Students, 2013; www.nchealthyschools.org