Investing in our children

President Joe Biden has proposed a nearly $2 trillion plan for children and families on the eve of his 100th day in office. Called the American Families Plan, the proposal offers child care savings, paid leave for workers with new children or a family illness, universal preschool, and free community college. 

This investment in young children cannot begin soon enough. Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman found that the highest rates of return in early childhood development came from investing as early as possible. His research found that one of the most effective strategies for economic growth is investing in the development of at-risk young children and their families. Heckman says that investing $1 in early childhood yields a return between $4-$16.

While President Biden’s plan works its way through Congress, he has already signed the American Rescue Plan into law. Part of that law includes an expanded Child Tax Credit that will help many families. Starting this summer, the law could help lift millions of children and families out of poverty with monthly payments through 2022. This newsletter shares how families can ensure they receive the payments, with information in English and Spanish you can share with your networks.

We are encouraged to see President Biden focus on child care as a main proposal of the American Families Plan. Ready for School, Ready for Life and other organizations have long worked to support early child care workers with supplemental wages, training, and support. As the pandemic impacted our lives, child care workers became essential frontline employees who put their health on the line to allow other essential workers to keep our economy going. Guilford County child care educators talk about their experiences in a new video we created with our partner EQuIPD. Please take a moment of your day to watch the video, and take action. The video and actions you can take are outlined below. Your support is vital.

Charrise Hart
CEO

Worthy Wages for Worthy Work

Ready for School, Ready for Life and our partners believe that early child care teachers are underpaid and undervalued for the important work they do -- educating our youngest children who will grow up to be our future workforce and leaders. 

The median pay for child care workers in Guilford and 50 other counties in North Carolina care is between $10-$12 an hour with few benefits. Many child care teachers who love their jobs can’t make ends meet and look for better-paying jobs elsewhere. That staff turnover is tough on child care centers, and the children in these centers experience loss when their teacher leaves.

See what these early child care teachers and administrators are experiencing daily. We collaborated with EQuIPD to create this video focused on Guilford County's early child care teachers.

Take action! Tell your legislators to improve pay and benefits for early educators. Find your representative at www.ncleg.gov. 

Learn more! Read this blog post from the North Carolina Early Education Coalition.

Share your passion! Here are some signs you can download, print, and hold up in social media posts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hqaHw0OT2gq-xZHCEE96IkvSa06RZvz_/view?mc_cid=29ba62402f&mc_eid=68e66c303f Tag your posts with #WorthyWagesNC

Stay informed! Share this newsletter with your network and urge them to subscribe.

File taxes by May 17 to receive Child Tax Credit

Congress has expanded the Child Tax Credit for 2021. Starting in July, the IRS will send monthly checks to families with children. Families can receive up to $300 a month for every child ages 0-5 and $250 a month for every child ages 6-17 living in their household.  Families should file taxes by May 17 so they can get the Child Tax Credit, stimulus checks, and all the money that they and their children are owed. Get free filing help here https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/.

Two grants for early literacy

We are excited to share that a grant from the Duke Energy Foundation has recognized how Ready Ready encourages literacy for Guilford County’s youngest children. We are one of 51 organizations that received grants totaling $1 million to address pandemic learning loss in North Carolina.

“Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) thanks Duke Energy Foundation for its generous support of our early literacy programs, designed to meet the greatest educational needs of young children during the pandemic,” said CEO Charrise Hart. “This funding will allow us to prepare Guilford County toddlers and preschoolers for kindergarten through the implementation of pre-literacy programming and active reading strategy training sessions.”

Teaming with the North Carolina A&T State University men’s and women’s basketball teams, Coaching for Literacy has awarded Ready Ready a grant as part of its #Fight4Literacy initiative. It’s a movement of coaches, teams, influencers, and businesses to promote childhood reading. Funds are raised through social media, donations, and businesses donating a portion of their sales to the effort. Ready Ready will use the grant to expand our early literacy efforts.

Celebrate Mother's Day

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9 -- how are you celebrating the moms in your life? There’s nothing wrong with breakfast in bed, flowers, or a special dinner. But if you’d like to create something special, here are some ideas to get you started.

• Mother’s Day Crafty Kids Activity at the High Point Public Library on May 8 from 2:45-4:00 p.m. The event is free, snacks will be provided, and masks and registration are required.

• Goat Yoga on the Downtown Greenway on May 8 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Pre-registration is required and there is a $25 fee. But it’s an all-level yoga class with friendly goats! The class will be limited to 25 people with room for social distancing. Bring your own mat & water bottle.

• The Ardmore Art Walk on May 8, 2021, might be a fun excursion to kick off Mother’s Day weekend if you have transportation to Winston-Salem. More than 60 artists and musicians will be stationed around the historic neighborhood. Masks and social distancing are requested.

• Good Housekeeping has put together a list of 25 crafts for kids, from toddlers to teenagers.

• Country Living’s craft ideas include coffee filter flowers, photo coasters, and craft stick picture frames.

The Basics Guilford: Maximize Love, Manage Stress

Young children are affected by your emotions, both good and bad. Finding strategies that help you cope with stress allows you to care for yourself -- and that benefits your child. Your babies and toddlers thrive when their world seems loving, safe, and predictable. This month’s focus is Maximize Love, Manage Stress.

Tips for infants:

• Comfort them. When upset, infants have a hard time calming down on their own. They depend on you to help manage their emotions, so comfort them when they get fussy or cry.

• Have a routine. Settling into a schedule for feeding, naps, bathing, reading, and bedtime helps you and your child find a great rhythm. Keep in mind that routines may change as your baby gets older.

• Manage household stress. Stress is normal, but too much stress is bad for a baby’s brain. Loud noises, adults who seem upset or angry, or adults who do not respond to their needs cause stress for infants. Talk to friends, family, or your doctor about ways to deal with stress.

Tips for toddlers:

• Cuddle them. Regularly hug and cuddle your toddler to help them feel safe and loved.

• Encourage them. Toddlers feel satisfied and confident when they master new tasks. Help your child try new things. Reassure them as they try to figure things out.

• Go easy on yourself. Life can feel overwhelming and we all make mistakes. Focus on the big picture and be gentle with yourself when things don’t go as planned. Ask for help. All parents need help.

The Basics are five fun, science-based parenting and caregiving concepts that anyone can do. Learn more about them at www.guilfordbasics.org.

We can train your team 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 schedule a training session or learn more 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.

Welcome our new literacy coordinator

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

You are not alone. That’s the message of this month’s national mental health awareness month. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) says now, more than ever, we need to find ways to stay connected with our community. Locally, NAMI Guilford offers resources, services, and programs on its website. Also, the NAMIWalks Your Way events will be held on May 22, 2021. Community members are invited to join a team or donate to raise awareness.

Now helping 70 schools in Guilford County, BackPack Beginnings provides food, comfort, and clothing directly to children in need. “We started in schools, but we quickly realized there are basic needs all over the county. We wanted to meet families where they already are, so we started talking with pediatricians’ offices, nonprofits, and service agencies so that we can partner with them.”

That’s how the BackPack Beginnings Executive Director, Parker White, connected with Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) a few years ago. Initially, the topic was diapers, a huge need for families with babies and toddlers. “With Ready Ready’s help, we were able to establish a partnership with the North Carolina Diaper Bank,” White said. “Now we are giving out tens of thousands of diapers and anticipate that continuing to grow.”

More recently, BackPack Beginnings and Ready Ready have partnered in a program called Book Beginnings. This program places shelves filled with new and gently used books in strategic locations across Guilford County, distributing thousands of free books to encourage a love of reading. “The goals of the program include book ownership and book abundance,” White said.

“Thanks to a new grant from Duke Energy Foundation, we will purchase 6,500 new books for Guilford County children. Working with BackPack Beginnings, we are focused on early literacy,” said Heather Adams, Ready Ready’s director of family engagement and literacy initiatives. “Research shows that children raised in a home with books positively impacts their readiness for school and future success in life.”

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