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Dear
Smart Start Friend,
 We
have been busy, busy here at the Smart Start Office. We hosted the 1st
Annual Parents
As Teachers Graduation at Baptist Children's Home
in June. We had over 80 children graduate from the parent education
program.
Smart Start along with Thomasville Medical Center, All
About Education in Lexington, and Thomasville Pediatrics hosted a Parent Education Dinner
in late June. We had over 80 parents come to hear Dr. Thompson from
Thomasville Pediatrics speak on Surviving Parenthood. He gave
parents some helpful guidelines for discipline.
Our Child
Care Centers and Homes have been busy as well. The
following centers and homes maintained their 4 or 5 star rating:
Davidson County Community College, Kid City, Tyro Learning Center,
Robert Idol CDC, Evans CDC, New Beginnings, Fleshman Pratt, Martha Best
Children's Center, and Barbers Learning!
We also have these centers that increased their star
rating: Kids World Bilingual in Lexington is now a 4-star facility,
Boys and Girls of Lexington increased their star rating to a 5, and
Reeds Elementary Preschool went from a 1 to a 5 star! Congratulations
to all of these facilities for their hard work and dedication to our
children!
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Surviving
Parenthood Series
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 Smart Start of Davidson County will host a
series of parent trainings in the fall.
Our
first class will focus on the Love Languages of
Children. Learning and knowing which love language your child speaks
will help build a close and personal relationship.
This
class will be held on Tuesday, August 17th at the Smart Start
Office. We will also host one more parent training on August 26th. This
class will focus on play, why it is so important and tips for
parent-child playtime.
For
more information or a full list of parent trainings, please visit our website or
call our office to register at (336) 249-6688.
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Love
them, Protect them
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According
to the latest research from the National SAFE KIDS campaign, at least
25 children die each year after being left in a hot car. Remember,
that on a warm day, the temperature inside a closed vehicle can quickly
rise to 120 to 140 degrees, leading to heat stroke and death in young
kids.
Many
times we think it's okay to run into a store for a minute, pay for gas,
or other errands while our children are asleep in the car. The fact is
that it's dangerous and against the law to leave a child unattended in
the car.
Please don't
leave your children alone in a car. It sounds simple, but it
happens all too often. Even if you are just jumping out for a
quick minute or to see a friend for a second, take them with you!
More Information
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Want to
increase your star rating?
Journey
to the Stars Applications
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 If you would like to:
- Improve the quality of
care you provide for children,
- increase the stars on your
license,
- receive new equipment for
the and children...
Then
we would like to provide:
- Support,
- assistance,
- training, and
- if eligible, grant money
to attain these goals.
Program Flyer
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Last
Minute Reminders for Early Childhood Folks
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 The Early Childhood
Training Calendar will be out soon! Watch your mail, our website and
email. - Education
for the Stars- Summer Semester Applications are here. These
applications must be submitted by July 29th, 2010. Click here for
the link to the application!
- A new
website for parents: www.commonsensemedia.org
will help parents select appropriate movies and television shows
that are appropriate for the age of your children.
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About Smart Start of Davidson County
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What is Smart Start of Davidson County?
- Smart
Start was launched in 1993 by Governor Jim Hunt; Smart Start of
Davidson County was created in 1994. Our mission is to engage the
community to ensure that all children reach their potential.
We work to do this in a variety of ways through the many different
programs we offer. There are three key areas in which we try
to target our services: Quality Early Education, Family Support,
and Preventative Health.
- Quality
Early Education-We work with child care center and family
child care homes to help strengthen
their programs through classroom visits, teacher
trainings and workshops and through financial support.
- Family
Support- We offer monthly parent trainings at the Smart Start
office, other parent trainings for child care facilities and other
agencies as needed, help parents find quality childcare, and
offer training series for businesses to help with a work-life balance.
- Preventative
Health-At our office we provide Health Choice applications and
have other informative handouts for families regarding various
health issues.
It's hard to remember who we are, and all that we
do. The
main thing to remember is that we invest in programs and services for
young children and their families. We are
committed to ensuring children have all that they need to be successful
in life!
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Featured
Article
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Smart
Start of Davidson County is focused on partnering with businesses in
Davidson County. In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, we managed to reach many
business leaders in the county to spread the word about what we do. We
have made many connections and plan to keep transmitting our message
until each and every person understands the importance of early
childhood. Starting in August we will offer a lunch and learn series
for businesses in Davidson County as well. Please call our office for
more information.
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Upcoming
Events
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- EDUCATION FOR THE STARS-
July 29th: Application Deadline
- PARENT TRAINING-
August 17th: Love Languages of Children
- PARENT TRAINING-
August 26th: Why Play is so Important
- PARENT TRAINING-
September 9th: Bringing the Outdoors In
Smart Start Full
Calendar
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