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As the summer days shorten and leaf tips begin to curl and color, we all find ourselves lacing up for what's ahead. COVID or not - we are committed to supporting young children. |
Our new online application system for Wake Pre-K programs is a historic step forward for access. There's still space in NC Pre-K for this fall - one of the three programs accessed through this single application. NC Pre-K is being delivered in person, online, or with a hybrid approach, based on each site's capacity to serve safely and parent choice.
What's the secret to the success of public programs like NC Pre-K? A commitment to excellence that begins at the top:
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Lisa Ware, Director of Bright Beginnings with Susan Perry Manning, NCDHHS Chief Deputy Secretary, and Joan Crutchfield, WCSS's NC Pre-K Program Manager (file photo from a pre-COVID site visit).
"Words cannot fully express how impactful NC Pre-K has been to our school and our community."
- Lisa Ware, Director, Bright Beginnings Child Development Center
Read Ms. Ware's extraordinary letter of support to Wake County Commissioners outlining why NC Pre-K is such a strong program.
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Kid Connect is our initiative that connects families to services by partnering with organizations already providing related AND unrelated services (think food pantries, faith outreach, and health care sites). Together, we find ways to increase access to free early childhood and family support programs and close local gaps in services, individualized based on each group's services.
The WCSS Outreach Team that manages Kid Connect is hosting a series of Lunch and Learns at pediatric practices participating in Reach Out and Read across the county to expand this partnership network. Reach Out and Read is a program that encourages reading at home when pediatricians write a "prescription" for reading and offer free books at well-visits.
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In addition to working through pediatric practices to reach families, Kid Connect will be hosting resource sharing workshops directly for family groups, piloting the family meeting model first with Semillas at Fiesta Cristiana. If a resource sharing workshop would help support your outreach efforts, please contact Nikki McDougald, Outreach Specialist. |
All of these efforts and connections are meant to weave a web of support to strengthen families. We need both our traditional partners and non-traditional partners working together to meet our community's needs. |
The WCSS Board of Directors is a group of traditional partners who we have relied on for direction and guidance since our founding. Recently, we welcomed several new faces to this cohort who are eager to continue that legacy and make a difference for Wake families. I am excited to work alongside them to strengthen our early childhood system! |
Click here to read more about each new member's personal connection to this effort and why they've chosen to give their support to Wake County Smart Start. |
I really value hearing from you, our readers. Should you wish to share your views, please feel free to write me at gheaden@wakesmartstart.org. |
Gayle E. Headen
Executive Director
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