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Dear Friends of Ready Ready,
Recently, I had the privilege of attending the Transforming Place through Neighborhood Leadership summit at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE), and it left a lasting impact on me. Co-sponsored by HGSE's EdRedesign and the William Julius Wilson Institute (WJWI) at Harlem Children's Zone (HCZ), the summit brought together leaders from community-based organizations across the country, including Ready Ready and shift_ed, both of which are making a difference in Guilford County.
 The keynote address by Geoffrey Canada was particularly meaningful for me because I recalled his visit to Guilford County in May, where he witnessed the incredible work being done at Ready Ready. His emphasis on the importance of both race and place in determining one's success resonated deeply with me, especially as I witness the transformative efforts taking place in my own community. Thanks to the commitment of local leaders and organizations, we are creating a "cradle-to-career" pathway for children right here in Guilford County.
The discussions during the summit about personalized support and system-level changes aligned perfectly with the initiatives happening in our community. Every day at Ready Ready, we are inspired by the collaborative spirit among community organizations, leaders, and elected officials, all coming together to uplift the children and families of our community. I am immensely proud to be part of a community that is making a real and positive difference in the lives of our youngest children.
Sincerely,
Charrise Hart
CEO
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Mark your calendars for an event that promises to inspire and transform! We are excited to invite you to the annual gathering of Ready Ready this fall.
October 25, 2023
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
Koury Convention Center
This event brings together Guilford County’s influential leaders as we continue our collective journey to empower families and nurture our community’s youngest generation.
Be at the forefront of groundbreaking initiatives to achieve population-level change as we rally behind Guilford County’s cradle-to-career continuum. Ready Ready collaborates seamlessly with over 100 community organizations, providing vision, strategy, direct support, and coordination to ensure that every Guilford County family and their youngest children have the essential resources needed for success and learning.
We are honored to have Ron Ferguson, founder and president of The Basics, as our distinguished guest speaker. With an impressive 40-year career at Harvard Kennedy School, Ron has dedicated his expertise to human and economic development. His focus on early childhood parenting and caregiving serves as the cornerstone for future achievements. Ron and journalist Tatsha Robertson co-authored the influential book “The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to Raising Highly Successful Children.” In this book, they share invaluable insights into the essential elements of “master parenting” that transcend racial, ethnic, and income-level backgrounds.
Registration information coming soon!
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Local doula program takes off with Ready Ready support
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In Guilford County, 45 out of 5,927 babies born in 2020 did not survive their first year. Shockingly, Black infants accounted for 60 percent of these deaths, revealing significant racial disparities. Guilford County’s infant mortality rate is nearly 10 percent higher than the state average and 34 percent higher than the national average.
To address these concerning statistics, Ready Ready has awarded Every Baby Guilford nearly $38,000 to establish a countywide doula program. The grant will enable Every Baby Guilford to provide trained doula care to expectant parents, aiming to reduce the high infant mortality rates in Guilford County. Learn more about this pivotal partnership on our website.
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The Power of Produce: Fueling minds and bodies
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Ready Ready and The Basics Guilford have teamed up with the High Point Public LIbrary and Growing High Point to offer free books to children in the Power of Produce (POP) club. High Point children in the POP club meet the bookmobile in their neighborhood every other week for an activity and a book. They receive special tokens which they can “spend” at the mobile “Growdega” – a little produce stand supplied with fruits and vegetables grown organically and locally. Thanks to a generous donation from the High Point Community Foundation, we have donated 600 books of various reading levels to the initiative for children to add to their home libraries. Learn more on our website.
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NC Campaign for Grade-Level Reading
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Ready Ready Literacy Coordinator Megan LeFaivre and colleagues from shift_ed and Reading Connections represented Guilford County at the N.C. Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Annual Meeting in Raleigh. The gathering on July 18, 2023, in Raleigh featured Jovonia Lewis, executive director of EPiC, a nonprofit parent empowerment and advocacy organization. Lewis offered best practices for coalition building. Her advice was to exercise moral leadership, operate at the speed of trust, find a balance of commitments, navigate competing coalitions, and focus on solutions.
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Parent leaders graduate from board leadership academy
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Nine Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) members graduated from the Board Leadership Academy on July 22, 2023. The three-month workshop sessions prepared parent leaders for community board service. With sessions about board composition, funding, and Robert’s Rules of Order, these parent leaders are equipped with skills and knowledge to be better advocates and primed to join committees and boards in Guilford County. Congratulations to these parent leaders!
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Basics Guilford Focus: Explore through Movement and Play
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The Basics Guilford team at Ready, Ready is working with community partners to do more to help children Explore Through Movement and Play. One of the ways we are approaching this work is by hosting a free community play event with Greensboro Parks & Recreation - PlayDaze on September 9 at Keeley Park in McLeansville. PlayDaze celebrates the value of play and will offer a range of play opportunities:
Learn more here and feel free to share our Facebook Event.
Date: Saturday, September 9
Time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Cost: Free
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Do you believe in the tenets of The Basics? Help us spread the movement.
- Help us connect to local companies willing to give The Basics information to employees with young children.
- If you work for a community organization that reaches parents or caregivers, provide Basics materials to them and get involved with our PlayDaze event this September.
- If you are part of a faith community, help us connect to families there.
If you can be a connector, please let us know.
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Partner Spotlight: High Point Public Library
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The mission of the High Point Public Library is to nurture the joy of reading, share the power of knowledge, strengthen the sense of community, and enhance cultural and economic vitality. It’s a mission that Children’s Services Manager Jim Zola takes to heart.
“We’re very focused on outreach through our bookmobile and other programs,” Zola said. “We’re very involved with voting and early literacy, for example. We’re also working with the schools through our KinderCard program. We want every kindergartener in High Point schools to have a library card.”
Learn more about the High Point Public Library and how we’re working together on our website.
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Our mission
Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is a collaborative effort to build a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families.
Equity Statement
Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) promotes equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion, which are woven through our mission, values, and principles. We stand against racism in all of its forms. Ready Ready will work with our community to address the structural inequities that drive disparate child and family outcomes and work towards an environment where equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion are core values. When we are working to address these structural inequities, Ready Ready will be bold in our actions.
When Guilford County Black and Indigenous children and families of color (BIPOC) feel welcomed, heard, respected, safe, supported, and valued, all of our community and our society benefit.
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