A focus on our youngest children

April 10-16 is the Week of the Young Child. It has long been established that the early childhood years of birth through age eight create the foundation for children’s success in school and their lives.

As we learn more about brain science, we know we need to focus on child development at its earliest stages. Those early experiences establish a strong foundation for all the learning, health, and behavior that follows.

You’ve probably heard us say that 80% of brain growth happens in the first three years of a child’s life. That is when the brain is most flexible, and more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second. As the brain matures, it becomes more specialized. That doesn’t mean windows for learning language and other skills are closed. Still, it’s much easier and more effective to influence developing brain architecture in infants and toddlers than rewire that circuitry when they become adults.

Scientists now understand that toxic stress impairs brain development. What is toxic stress? It’s the neverending stress in early childhood caused by poverty, abuse, injustice, and parental depression. When adults can’t protect themselves or their children from these issues, toxic stress can damage these precious developing brains. The parts of their brains that are most important for successful learning and behavior are underdeveloped. 

At Ready Ready, we are working to develop a system of care in Guilford County for our youngest children and their families. We want ALL families in our community to have access to the resources and support they need to create the robust brain architecture in babies and toddlers that will help them be successful in school and later life. 

We have many partners who share our urgency for this critical work. This month’s newsletter highlights a few of them. As we focus on young children this month in our community, we urge you to consider ways you can make a difference too. It can be as simple as trying this month’s Basic tip with the young children in your life or as complex as urging state and national policymakers to create opportunities to ensure our children’s future. You don’t have to stop when April ends. We won’t.

Charrise Hart
CEO

Are you ready for the Week of the Young Child?!

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This year, NAEYC is celebrating the week’s 50th anniversary to focus public attention on young children and their families’ needs.

In Guilford County, Ready Ready and the Basics Guilford have joined forces with Guilford County Partnership for Children to celebrate April 10-16. 

Please celebrate with us!

All events on Facebook @GuilfordKids unless otherwise noted.

• April 10 Saturday Kick-off:  A free virtual conference for Early Childhood Professionals.
• April 12 Music Monday: NC Pre-K classes show off their best moves. Then join us at 6:30 p.m. for a virtual concert by local artist Finn Phoenix.
• April 13 Tasty Tuesday: It’s a virtual cooking class on Facebook -- 6:30 p.m.! Sign up at guilfordchildren.org and check out the ingredient list so you’re ready.
• April 14 Work Together Wednesday: It’s a fun, interactive resource fair featuring the Basics Guilford beginning at 11 a.m. Several local agencies will highlight the five Basics Guilford.
• April 15 Artsy Thursday: Create a family masterpiece with local artist Darlene McClinton at 6:30 p.m. You’ll need to sign up here and check out the materials list.
• April 16 Early Childhood Professionals Appreciation Day! Find ways to celebrate the early childhood professionals in your life!

Ready Ready is pleased to partner with Guilford Child Development, Partnership for Children of Guilford County, the Basics Guilford, Cone Health Foundation, and Healthy Blue N.C. for this weeklong celebration.

We need your opinions!

We are convening focus groups to learn what family members, early childhood care providers, educators, administrators, therapists, and other professionals think could be done in Guilford County to help children be successful in kindergarten and beyond.

Ready for School, Ready for Life, The Duke Endowment, and UNCG seek community stakeholders for virtual focus groups and interviews on their experiences with early childhood resources in Guilford County. 

The information collected will help build a system of care for children prenatally to eight that improves outcomes for all children in Guilford County.

All focus group and interview participants will be eligible to receive a $20 electronic gift card as a token of appreciation for their time and input.

The Basics Guilford: Brain Science

We know genes and experience shape the developing brain. Scientists say a vital ingredient in this development is the “serve and return” relationship between children and their caregivers. The facial expressions, babbling, and gestures babies make are the interactions that form these relationships. Reliable interactions -- when the adults respond with the same kind of talk or gestures  --  help develop the brain. When they are absent or inappropriate, the brain’s architecture doesn’t develop. This is one reason Ready Ready is pleased to share The Basics Guilford, which fosters this “serve and return” interaction with accessible caregiver tips.

CEO Charrise Hart chatted with WFMY-TV's Stacey Sprivey on Sunday, March 28, about the brain science behind The Basics.

Your team can be trained in the Basics!

As we share information about The Basics across Guilford County, we need your help. We’re offering virtual training on the Basics for teams of three or more at organizations that interact with young children. Each session lasts 30-45 minutes. To make scheduling easy, you can access our training availability here, or feel free to reach out directly to discuss alternative dates and times.

For more information about Ready Ready and The Basics Guilford, please contact Heather Adams, Director of Engagement and Literacy Initiatives, at (336) 579-2977 ext. 2004 or heathera@getreadyguilford.org.

Have you found your spot and received your shot?

A FEMA-supported COVID-19 community vaccination center operates seven days a week and can provide 3,000 vaccinations each day. The vaccines will be given in drive-thru service in the parking lot and walk-in service in the former Dillard’s department store space. You must have an appointment. Currently, those in Groups 1-4 may receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Shhh! Celebrate National Librarian Day

There are a wealth of resources for your family and children at our county’s public libraries. Since April 16 is National Librarian Day, you may want to check out story times and other events at Guilford County libraries. Or just drop by to say thanks to your favorite librarian.

Greensboro Public Library April Calendar

High Point Public Library Children’s Programs

Psst -- April 16 is also wear your pajamas to work day. We won’t tell if you don't!

Earth Day is April 22

We have been celebrating Earth Day on April 22 since 1970, when a U.S. senator from Wisconsin organized a national demonstration to focus awareness on our environment. Since the 1990s, Earth Day has been an event celebrated by more than 140 countries worldwide.

National Geographic Kids offers some ways children can celebrate Earth Day:

• Be a waste warrior - learn about recycling
• Turn off the lights when you leave a room
• Plant a tree.

We also recommend these book lists:

• Scholastic Parents: 10 Awesome Earth Day Books for Preschoolers
• Family Education: Top 10 Earth Day Books for Children 

If your children are into crafts, check out this video featuring five eco-friendly DIYs to protect the planet.

When the organization that became Ready for School, Ready for Life was a grassroots effort in Guilford County, we were glad to have partners like EQuIPD by our side, even as EQuIPD was starting its important work.

EQuIPD’s mission is to nurture and empower early care and education professionals with sustainability and success tools.

“We’re small but mighty,” said Ashley Allen, EQuIPD’s work environment and compensation coordinator. “We come at the issues from many perspectives and offer coaching, mentoring, and professional development.”

EQuIPD holds community learning events for early childhood educators. At the events, educators learn information they can use immediately. “What makes us unique is that we offer follow-up events where educators can discuss challenges and successes. We connect people to support peer to peer growth and build communities of practice through the process.”

Allen says EQuIPD began in 2014 with support from UNC-Greensboro through its Department of Human Development and Family Studies and The Guilford County Partnership for Children. “So many pieces of what we do really fit with Ready Ready’s strategic plan,” Allen said. “It’s a natural collaboration since we both bring different strengths to the table.“

EQuIPD is committed to lifting early care and education professionals’ voices and experiences to inform and inspire systems change. Current policy efforts include early child care wage increases. “We expect early childhood educators to get degrees and build curriculum but don’t support them with liveable wages or even enough planning time or resources. And during the pandemic, we see even more stress on the system since they are essential workers.”

According to its website, EQuIPD staff members are champions for equity, diversity, and inclusion through personal and professional practice, provisions of services, and engagement with stakeholders and the community.

“We have knowledgeable, talented, passionate educators preparing the next generation of our workforce,” Allen said. “The work EQuIPD and Ready Ready are doing to support them and system-level change will make a difference for Guilford County and North Carolina.”

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