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June 2022 

Dear Friends of Ready Ready,

Our hearts are breaking. A deadly school shooting in Texas last week at an elementary school has families all over asking how we can keep our students safe. One year ago, it hit close to home at Mt. Tabor High School in Forsyth County. Ten years ago, after the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting, we asked the same question. It’s been 23 years since the Columbine High School shooting, and we are still asking this question. How can we keep our students safe from gun violence at school?

According to Everytown, North Carolina is ranked #21 for gun law strength. You can learn more about that ranking on their website and see how we compare to others. You can also contact your legislators at the N.C. General Assembly and U.S. Congress to let them know you want real change.  

While many factors play into gun violence at schools or in public, it’s clear that knowing the warning signs has helped. The Sandy Hook Promise organization says its supporters and volunteers have helped prevent at least 60 incidents involving weapons at schools across the country. 

We believe building a connected, supportive system of care that helps families and their youngest children grow and thrive is one vital way to make our community stronger. Ensuring our youngest children have the resources and support they need for their social, emotional, mental, physical, and communication development is part of Ready Ready’s mission. Every child deserves a great start in life, but not every child starts from the same place.

 

Sincerely,


Charrise Hart
CEO

Family Voices

We asked families in our area to help define our work and our voice from the very beginning. Family voice informs our work, and we share our learning with residents and community stakeholders. The Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) is a vital part of the decision-making structure for Ready Ready. Families who participate are valued consultants, partners, and change agents who work on essential priorities for their own families and others in Guilford County.

Join our parent leaders

Would you like to join the Guilford Parent Leader Network? We gather on the third Monday of the month from 7-8:30 p.m. The next meeting is Monday, July 18, 2022. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we hold these meetings via Zoom. When meetings resume in person, we provide child care to alleviate barriers to participation. 

For more information, please contact Yuri Alston, Family Engagement Manager, at (336) 579-2977 ext. 2008 or yuria@getreadyguilford.org.

The Basics Guilford: Explore through Movement and Play

Movement and play are good for children’s coordination, strength, and overall health. They are also ways that children explore and learn about the world. Each stage of development comes with new learning opportunities.
 
Tips for infants:
  • Move Arms and Legs: When playing with your baby, help them experience new movements. Gently bicycle their legs. Or clap their hands or feet together in a rhythm while you sing or chant.
  • Mirror Play: Give your baby a small mirror to play with or sit in front of a large mirror together and make faces. Point to and label their body parts.
  • Support Discovery: Your infant discovers how the world works by experimenting. They also learn through repetition, so they might drop a spoon over and over to see what happens. Watch and assist!
Tips for toddlers:
  • Take a Walk: Everything is new for young children, so an activity as simple as a walk around the block offers many opportunities for exploration. Stop and examine rocks, bugs, or plants. Talk about what you see.
  • On and Off: Help your baby push buttons or turn things off and on (with supervision). Think doorbells, light switches, and faucets. Talk about what they did and what happened.
  • Fast and Slow Dancing: Play a fast song for your child to dance to, then a slow song. Talk about the different speeds and how your child’s dancing changes with the music. Join in if you could use a dance break!
You can learn some great information about this Basic in 30 seconds by watching this video!
The Basics are five fun, science-based parenting and caregiving concepts that anyone can do. Learn more about them at www.guilfordbasics.org.

Would you like to be trained in The Basics Guilford?

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 schedule a training session or learn more about Ready Ready and the Basics Guilford, please contact Literacy Coordinator Megan LeFaivre at meganl@getreadyguilford.org.

Staff profile: Stormi Covington

Network Director Stormi Covington joined Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) in July 2019. She was familiar with Ready Ready’s mission from a previous role at the Greensboro Housing Authority. “After I left the agency, I saw the position open up at Ready Ready, and I’ve been here ever since.”
 
Covington’s work at Ready Ready includes working with community partners, systems, and individuals to align services in Guilford County. She put it simply, “I’m a connector.”
 
Covington researches programs for connections with her godson P.J. in mind. He was born a week after she started her career at Ready Ready. “Researching programs for children ages 0-3 came naturally for me as I watched P.J. grow and develop. Now we are expanding our work for children ages 3-5, and he’s right in that sweet spot.”

Read Stormi's full profile on our website.

Partner Spotlight: Care Management for At-Risk Children

Guilford County’s Health Department has a number of programs designed to support children and their families with healthy development. One of them is Care Management for At-Risk Children, also known as CMARC. That’s a recent name change – you may know them better as Care Coordination for Children (CC4C.)
 
“CMARC is a team of nurses and social workers who provide comprehensive care management for children from birth up until their 5th birthday,” said Deborah Goddard, CMARC’s supervisor. “A lot of the work we do is in direct correlation to the work Ready Ready does. We help prepare children for school readiness by helping parents identify and address any learning or developmental concerns they may have about their child. In addition to developmental concerns, the children in the CMARC program must have a chronic health condition or be impacted by Social Determinants of Health. Care Managers also help families that are being impacted by challenging levels of toxic stress and trauma.
 
One of the things that make our program unique is that we have always provided home visits for any CMARC family that desires a home visit. It’s so important to engage families in their own environments as it can often provide valuable insight about the child and family’s needs that might not otherwise be obtained. Goddard said that Guilford County families can participate in the CMARC program at no cost to the family as there are no income guidelines to be in the CMARC program. Children are referred by various sources such as pediatric offices, hospitals, the Department of Social Services (child protective services/ foster care), preschools/child care centers, and other community agencies.  
 
CMARC care managers along with the parent work together to develop a care plan and goals that are tailored to meet the child and family’s needs. CMARC care managers also encourage parents to develop strong relationships with their child’s medical providers and work to link families to various community resources.

“While it’s the child that is our primary focus, we try to help the whole family,” Goddard said. “If the parent needs housing or a job resource, or services for domestic violence, mental health, substance abuse, or transportation, we try to help the parent get linked to the organizations that can help them. As many studies have shown, the parent’s needs and behavior often have a direct influence on the child’s overall development and wellbeing."
 
With 27 years of community services experience and visiting families in their homes, Goddard said she has an immense appreciation for the parenting journey and each family’s individual path. Goddard also stated she is extremely grateful to lead a team of skilled and professional care managers who are dedicated to serving approximately 650 CMARC families in our community each month.
 
Read the full Partner Spotlight 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.
Copyright © 2022 Ready for School, Ready for Life, All rights reserved.


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

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