View this email in your browser

Please add info@getreadyguilford.org to your contacts to ensure delivery of our monthly newsletter.

January 2021 Newsletter

Ready (Ready) for a New Year

I remember the feeling at the end of 2019. We were all anxious to say goodbye to what we thought was such a turbulent year. And then came 2020 with the pandemic, protests, and politics. So as we turn the corner in 2021, we may feel more anxious than normal. We have so much to hope for in our community. I encourage you to look for ways to get involved.

Photo of CEO Charrise Hart

Whatever the New Year brings, Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) remains committed to building a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families.

We have wonderful community partners, a dedicated board, and fabulous funders who have signed up to make a difference. Here’s to a great year together.

Charrise Hart
CEO

Exploring through Movement and Play

An adult and four babies or toddler play with blocks

The winter months can be a great time to focus on the Basic of Exploring through Movement and Play. This is how children explore and learn about the world. As children develop, they may learn in new ways -- an infant might touch, chew, or crawl, while a toddler might walk or climb to get a new perspective.

Staying indoors may make you feel that opportunities for movement are limited, but that’s not the case! You can build towers with blocks and knock them down, roll a ball back and forth, or make art with crayons and paper.

Looking for more ideas? Youth Program Specialist with Greensboro Parks and Recreation, Shelli Scott has some great ones in this video:

Books on a desk with text saying Education

The Basics Guilford are five fun, free, simple, and powerful things to help every child have a great start in life. This video focuses on The Basic Exploring Movement through Play.

Join our team

Ready Ready is hiring new staff members to better support our mission in Guilford County. We are growing and expanding our role in the community. We are currently accepting applications for an executive coordinator and a family engagement coordinator.

Executive Coordinator job description

Family Engagement Coordinator job description

To apply for an open position, please click here to start your application. Please put the job title in the reference section, and upload your resume and cover letter to the application.

Please direct your questions to hr@getreadyguilford.org with the position title as the subject line. Please do not submit your resume to this email address. You will be able to attach your resume in the application link above. No phone calls, please.

Holistic Hustle

The Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) has launched a 4-part workshop series titled Holistic Hustle: Meeting Personal & Professional Goals. The parent leaders applied for and received a $4,000 mini-grant from the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) to support the series. Workshop attendees are learning how to meet personal goals while practicing self-care and develop entrepreneurial goals.

Celebrating MLK holiday with a Day of Service

American flag with a chalkboard with the words I have a dream

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Volunteer Center of Greensboro is holding a virtual event. With service projects, a nonprofit fair, children’s activities, and performances, the event will be held Jan. 18, 2021 at 1 p.m. Here is more information about the virtual event.

Making an Impact

HealthySteps is an evidence-based, interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program that ensures babies and toddlers receive nurturing parenting and have healthy development. Specialists meet with parents of children, birth to age three, at children’s well-child visits in pediatric offices in Guilford County. Research has shown that parents and caregivers go to their child's healthcare provider for information about child development and behaviors.

“We have nine sites with about ten specialists in Guilford County now," said HealthySteps Parent Education Program Supervisor Dr. Sebrina Cooke-Davis. "As we move into 2021, we will add eight more specialists." Cooke-Davis said she felt the program has made great strides in the last three years. Although 2020 figures are not final and are impacted by the pandemic, they show growth over 2018.

Dr. Cooke-Davis said practices have reported that the embedded HealthySteps specialist saves time for doctors and staff. The specialist has the time for longer conversations with families to determine their needs and connect them with resources. Needs have grown due to the pandemic, and the pediatric practice may not have the latest information available.

"Practices have also reported that they see their patients benefit in early care, maternal mental health, and early intervention due to the HealthySteps specialist," Dr. Cooke-Davis said. "These outcomes are what we'd expect to see. Something that surprised us was how basic needs like food, transportation, and housing were also being met through our partnership."

Do you know someone who should be reading our newsletter? Please forward this email and encourage them to subscribe!

Click here to subscribe

Copyright © 2020 Ready for School, Ready for Life, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
P.O. Box 13844
Greensboro, NC, 27415

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.