Real Lives, Real Stories

Child Care Resource and Referral

During fiscal year '08- '09,

Our Resource and Referral offered 90 workshops for Early Childhood Professionals
There were 1,641 attendees at these workshops. Some of the following comments were made about the trainings:
- "Great trainer! Very personable"
- "I really didn't know much but thanks to you I have learned a lot - thanks"
- "Wish I could take the trainer with me to work"
- "Excellent Presentation"
- Good news is the new training calendar is out. Bad news is only a few openings left"
Parents and teachers are very pleased with the recent changes to the resource room. The new materials are a welcome addition with the kiddies treadmill being a big favorite. Customers report that the materials are better organized and easier to find. The room is warm and welcoming.
The 2009 Early Childhood Professional Educators Conference:
- Conference attendance maxed out at 250 this year. We had a waiting list of over 40 people.
- Our conference committee made up of 15 Early Childhood Educators (teachers, directors, owners, family childcare providers).
- The Conference Committee raised over $500 for door prizes and decorations.

Child Care Subsidy Program

This program assists parents with paying for the cost of child care services and allows parents to either work, attend school, or receive assistance for a special need or a crisis. Eligibility for the program is based on need, income, and family size. Most families who qualify for the program are expected to also pay a portion towards their child care expenses. One parent wrote:

"I am very pleased with the services you give to mothers like me. I work very hard 5 days a week and am not allowed any overtime, yet don't get paid enough to keep ahead. I can't afford child care. If it wasn't for you doing what you do, I would be working two jobs to afford child care or be out of work and scraping to get by. My worker has been wonderful. I can see that she sincerely cares for those she works for. She was very attentive and personal with me, my family, and our situation. My husband and I are grateful to know there are people who are concerned for families like us that can barely get by with bills. My worker made sure she reviewed everything and covered every aspect of expenses and income. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all of you who single us out and show us how much you care. My kids are in a daycare because of the program. I know I can trust who is caring for them and not worry while I am at work; are they safe, are they being fed well, are they learning new things; this keeps me sane. Thanks again."

Education for the Stars

During fiscal year '08- '09,

131 child care providers received payments for coursework completed toward a degree in Early Childhood Education
There was a total of 1,430 semester credit hours earned in Early Childhood Education
The amount paid out to providers was $110,900 for the semester credits earned.
This year we had 51 individuals to complete professional development plans. This helped them in their journey to start back to school or complete their degrees in Early Childhood Education.
Also our Professional Development Coordinator had 75 consultations that assisted individuals with information regarding: college choices, financial aid assistance, and the registration process.
Many Early Childhood Professionals completed their Associates Degrees and One finished their Bachelors Degree!

Journey to the Stars

During fiscal year '08- '09,

A center we have worked with was on the verge of closing its doors. They applied for our Journey to the Stars program and became 100% involved in the process. Their director and staff willingly accepted changes that needed to be made. They also received new equipment as a result of their participation in the program. They had the Environment Rating Scale Assessment completed and did a fabulous job. This resulted in their Star Rated License increasing from a 2 Star to a 4 Star license. They are now participating in our Quality Maintenance Program and will be receiving funds to offset the cost for providing quality care.
We also worked with the Davidson County Schools Early Childhood Classrooms to increase their star ratings. 4 out of 5 sites increased their Star Rated License to either 4 or 5 stars. The other classroom will apply for a higher star-rating in the fall of 2009.

More at Four

Quality early learning in Davidson County is bursting at the seams! The More at Four early childhood professionals are going above and beyond the call of duty. While a 5.0 is the required score for a More at Four classroom to be considered high quality, our classrooms are reaching above and scoring, on average, a 5.46! Everyone deserves a thank you: Parents, teachers, administrators, and technical assistance staff. Way to go!

Quality Maintenance Program

During fiscal year '08- '09,

One child care director that we worked with this year has improved ways to show parents that children learn through play. The director conveyed a concern about parents wanting to see worksheets to prepare children for Kindergarten. The Center Management Specialist provided the director with several ideas to implement that would help parents to see what their child is learning on an everyday basis. Some of the suggestions were to implement a written daily report that describes what they children learned that day. Use dry erase boards to communicate daily / weekly objectives. Also, revise the parent handbook to include yearly objectives that each class will be working on.
Another center had a situation to occur that gave the Center Management Specialist the opportunity to work with the director to implement a policy concerning conflict management. They now have a policy in place that all staff should follow. In addition, the Center Management Specialists also provided directors with strategies they could implement to ensure that the Environment Rating Scales are being incorporated in the daily classroom environment.
This year we offered the Business Institute Trainings to all Family Child Care Providers and we had 20 to participate. Many participated in more sessions than was required.
Two of the participating Family Child Care Homes were due for their reassessment for their Rated License, with the assistance of their Family Child Care Specialist, one maintained their 5 star rating and the other increased from a 4 to a 5 star license.

School Readiness Specialists

During fiscal year '08- '09,

By June 30th, 2009, 223 Davidson County Families received at least 9 home visits from a School Readiness Specialist.
There were 90 families that attended at least 3 group meetings hosted by the specialist.
At the end of this last fiscal year, 475 parents of children birth to age 5 received parent education support and information.
At least 65% of 78 children identified in need of follow-up services received those services.
Of the 383 parent who received a referral to a community resource, 78% were linked to the referred service.
It has been a good year for the School Readiness Specialist. During the 2nd quarter our program was privileged to be a pilot site for the nationally acclaimed "Blockfest" event. This event provided over 600 children and parents exposure to the benefits of block play and how it increases a child's capacity to learn early math skills.
We are most proud of the fact that 95% of the children that we serve long-term (30 or more) are entering kindergarten scoring at least average on the K-Seals or the Kindergarten Screening tool provided by the schools.

Ready Schools

In 2008, the North Carolina Partnership for Children awarded Smart Start of Davidson County a $7500 grant to assist area elementary schools with the implementation of Ready Schools projects and activities designed to prepare children for school, and schools for children.
In 2009, the North Carolina Partnership for Children and Duke Energy awarded Smart Start of Davidson County a $5000 grant to continue the Ready School work local elementary schools began in 2007.
In an effort to expand ways for parents to learn about kindergarten registration, several schools have purchased signs announcing registration and have placed them in a variety of locations around their community.
Several schools had evening events where rising kindergarten children and families were invited to tour the school, see the classrooms, and learn what to expect when school starts in the fall. The goal is to get everyone excited about kindergarten, ease fears about the transition, and answer questions that both parents and children have.
Smart Start of Davidson County has hosted several professional development opportunities for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers. The goals have been to increase communication and to share knowledge between these two groups of teachers, to share state and national information about best practices for educating young children, and to discuss local issues.

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