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Dear Friends of Ready Ready,
Back-to-school time is here, and for many Guilford County families, this marks a significant milestone – Kindergarten! At Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready), we understand the importance of a strong foundation for our young learners.
Guilford County, the third largest county in North Carolina, boasts numerous strengths. With approximately 6,000 births annually and a current population of 30,036 children under age 5, as per the 2022 U.S. Census, our county is vibrant with potential. Yet, we also face significant challenges:
- 13,216 Guilford County children under five live in impoverished or low-income households, equivalent to filling 734 future kindergarten classrooms.
- In addition, 5,827 Guilford County children under five experience food insecurity within their households, which translates to filling 324 future kindergarten classrooms.
Ready Ready stands as a steadfast source of support for families with children aged 0-8, ensuring they enter kindergarten fully prepared for success. Our approach includes:
Collaborative Community Partnerships: We’ve teamed up with over 100 community partners, creating a dynamic network that addresses the diverse needs of our children and families.
Early Intervention: Through Routes to Ready, our flagship PN-3 system, we provide crucial support to expectant parents and caregivers, setting a strong foundation for children’s development through engagement in various settings.
Holistic Kindergarten Readiness: Beyond academics, we focus on nurturing a love for learning, building social skills, and instilling confidence in our children.
Empowering Caregivers: We equip parents, caregivers, educators, and mentors with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively support our youngest learners.
Kindergarten readiness goes beyond academics – it’s about Igniting a passion for learning, fostering social skills, and nurturing confidence. Our community’s collaborative spirit has always been our strength, ensuring that every child in Guilford County steps into their kindergarten classrooms eager to explore, discover, and thrive. Every effort counts, whether it’s reading that extra bedtime story, practicing those first letters and numbers, or simply spending quality time together.
As we embark on this journey, cherish the precious moments and savor the curiosity in your child’s eyes and the enthusiasm in their voice as they share their dreams. Remember that you are not alone – we stand beside you in this exciting adventure.
To all the educators, parents, caregivers, and mentors contributing to our youngest children’s kindergarten readiness, thank you for your unwavering dedication. Your efforts shape the future, one bright mind at a time.
We wish all our young learners a fantastic start to their school year! Let’s make this a year of growth, discovery, and boundless possibilities.
Sincerely,
Charrise Hart
CEO
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You’re invited to celebrate a morning of inspiration and unity at the Ready for School, Ready for Life’s Ready for Success breakfast gathering on October 25, 2023, from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m. Held at the Koury Convention Center, this eagerly anticipated event promises a vibrant blend of celebration, insight, and community engagement.
This event serves as a testament to the incredible potential of collaboration, innovation, and community spirit. Distinguished leaders and forward-thinking minds from Guilford County will converge, embarking on a collective mission to empower families and cultivate the growth of our youngest generation. Attendees can look forward to exploring groundbreaking initiatives that catalyze transformative change at a population level and championing Guilford County’s comprehensive cradle-to-career continuum.
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CEO Charrise Hart featured at The Duke Endowment event
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The Duke Endowment recently extended an invitation to CEO Charrise Hart to participate in their Board of Trustees meeting, where the focus was on the pivotal roles of backbone organizations in place-based initiatives such as Ready Ready. Hart shared invaluable insights gained during her four years of leadership, emphasizing the importance of community-wide impact, inclusive leadership, and active community engagement and transformation. She stressed that achieving sustainability in place-based population-level change requires the cultivation of public support, harnessing community resources, and maintaining a forward-looking perspective.
Joining Hart on the panel were Guilford County partner shift_ed President and CEO Wendy Poteat and Spartanburg Academic Movement CEO Russell Booker. Together, they explored how these organizations are collaboratively constructing a comprehensive cradle-to-career network to foster enduring community transformation. This entails the development of initiatives with sustainable funding and operational models, ensuring their longevity well beyond the initial stages. Their collective focus is on initiatives that have a positive and lasting impact across multiple generations, leaving a profound legacy of change.
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Katina Allen elected to national steering committee
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Ready Ready is excited to announce that Katina Allen, a dedicated member of Ready Ready’s Board of Directors and the Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) has been elected to serve on the national Parent Leader Network steering committee. This marks a significant achievement as Katina will represent Guilford County on the national stage alongside 25 leaders from the Early Childhood Learning and Innovation Network for Communities (EC-LINC), including the GPLN.
Ready Ready CEO Charrise Hart expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “We are delighted to have Katina Allen representing Guilford County nationally. Her commitment to our mission is truly inspiring.”
Allen shared her eagerness, saying, “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to listen and learn from people on a national scale. I’m ready to work and learn as much as I can, bringing it back to share with my GPLN family.”
Steering Committee members are elected to represent parents in their communities on the national level for one year. They serve as the decision-making body of the Parent Leader Network, leading strategies and advocating for the Parent Manifesto locally and nationally.
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Explore through movement and play at PlayDaze
The Basics Guilford team at Ready, Ready works 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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Unite for Change: Ready Ready and BackPack Beginnings
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Ready Ready is proud to be a driving force behind collaborative efforts in our community. One of our key partners in this endeavor is Backpack Beginnings.
Founded by Parker White, Backpack Beginnings began its journey inspired by the touching story of a teacher in Texas. Determined to make a difference, Parker started by helping one school, and her impact has since grown exponentially.
Since 2010, Backpack Beginnings has served more than 111,000 children, distributed 17,000 comfort backpacks, and provided nearly 3.5 million pounds of food. Their commitment extends beyond schools, reaching families throughout the county by collaborating with pediatricians, nonprofits, and service agencies.
Backpack Beginnings joined forces with Ready Ready a few years ago, uniting to support children and families in Guilford County. Together, we’re working to create lasting change in our community.
You can learn more about our partnership 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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