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The burdens of the pandemic continue to weigh heavily on families and those who support young children. How can we care for each other at this time? We can acknowledge the stress, support one another more intentionally, and counter anxiety by taking action. By continuing to take steps every day to relieve the stress of Wake families and to connect our centers with needed resources, we hope it brings us closer to recovery - and closer together in community. |
Through a recent CARES Act relief opportunity announced by the North Carolina Partnership for Children, WCSS has been selected to administer three component pieces of support here in Wake. |
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Resources for Resilience (R4R): WCSS staff are recruiting and registering families and community partners for the family support program's Reconnect for Resilience workshop series and one-hour Listening Circles. The R4R program is trauma informed and resiliency focused. We like that Listening Circles are open six times a day, five days a week - providing broad access.
- Some funds are being used to address the digital divide laid bare during COVID-19. When K-12 schools reopened and families scrambled on connectivity, we saw how quickly children without internet access could fall behind their peers. Along with leading the new R4R work, WCSS's System Improvement and Public Engagement (SIPE) program is partnering with CMARC at Wake County Human Services and Centro para Familias Hispanas at Catholic Charities to distribute tablets to families in need and link them to programs.
- Our Early Childhood Initiative (ECI) program is recruiting licensed family child care home sites for the Wonderschool project that provides dedicated technology, training, ongoing mentorship, and community to operate and grow family child care home programs. This valuable sector of early care and education is getting a needed boost.
More information about the CARES Act funded projects and how to apply for them can be found on our website.
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SIPE staff, working in continued partnership with SAFEchild’s Child Abuse Prevention Program and ACEs/Resilience Initiatives, offered the third Community Capacity Building Forum this month. This virtual seminar focused on Trauma Informed Care and is the first in a series on the topic, identified through the input of WCSS partners. Themes of virtual services delivery and supporting vulnerable families underpin all Community Partner Forums, and the next one will focus on self-care. Over 40 attendees participated in this event. |
This month, ECI staff held another curbside supplies pick-up. One hundred fifteen Wake childcare providers participated to receive needed supplies. Special thanks to Lakeshore, Kaplan, and Discount School Supply for their support! |
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WCSS represents a broad network of programs and people - a community that has gone above and beyond to meet the additional needs presented by COVID-19. We are excited to share that we are a recipient of this past quarter's Target Circle giving! WCSS received 69,540 votes which translated to a $3,449.62 donation for early childhood. |
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Recently, Waltye Rasulala, a Past Chair of the WCSS Board of Directors, was honored at WakeEd Partnership’s 2020 Stars of Education gala with induction into the Wake County Public School System Hall of Fame for her contributions in the field of Arts Education. Congratulations, Waltye! |
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Meeting children's needs remains our focus and guiding beacon as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters together. Please write me directly at gheaden@wakesmartstart.org should you have thoughts about these unique times and how we can move through them more effectively - and compassionately. |
Gayle E. Headen
Executive Director
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