Guilford County Partnership for Children

NC Pre-K ProgramGuilford County Partnership for Children strategically directs the NCPre-K program for over 2,000 children in Guilford County. NC Pre-K isa free high quality pre-school program for children age 4 whosefamilies meet eligibility requirements. The program prioritizeschildren with economic, language or developmental challenges andchildren who have no prior preschool experience. It is offered at 45participating Guilford County Schools, Head Start, and licensed four andfive-star private child care providers.

Family SupportWith Smart Start funding, Guilford County Partnership for Children invests in evidence based programs and strategies that support and guide children ages prenatal to 5 and their families. Services include parent education, home visiting and early literacy activities. Parents As Teachers Guilford merged services with PAT-YWCA High Point by the end of the year and both served 50 families with 340 home visits by a certified parent educator, group support activities and linkages to community support. The Healthy Start program served 243 families susceptible for abuse or neglect by 1,529 home visits and five group activities aimed at reducing family stress, enhanced parenting skills and knowledge of child health and development and improve access to needed services. Learning Together and Family Literacy/Language Development supported 74 families using early literacy skills and reading strategies. Reach Out and Read provides pre-literacy opportunities for children and parents by incorporating a prescription by the pediatrician for reading and a book provided at more than 2,900 well-child checkup visits. The Partnership directly supports families through our Awareness and Engagement program with 446 parents participating in engagement efforts promoting awareness of the importance of early childhood and utilization of related resources.

Health and Early InterventionWith its Smart Start grant, Guilford County Partnership invests in programs that support healthy development and learning each year. The Every Baby Guilford Adopt A Mom Program provided financial support for 135 prenatal care for women who do not qualify for Medicaid and are under/uninsured. Guilford Family Connects offers nurse home visits to all deliveries in Guilford County. The Partnership funded roughly 30% (1,416) of the nurse home visits providing support, education, and early identification and referral of health & safety concerns. The Family Support Network of Central Carolina Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) program provided support, education, and connections to 337 families who have a child with special needs or experience a NICU stay. Bringing Out the Best provided coaching and education services for 167 children struggling with social/emotional and behavioral challenges in both the home with 1,087 family contacts and early child care education settings through 778 on site visits. Child Care Health Consultant nurses provide technical assistance to child care providers to identify and resolve health and safety concerns as well as supporting children with special health needs. 8,432 site visits were completed. Guiding Healthy Behaviors provided 330 technical assistance contacts working with early childhood professionals to create an environment where children are active, eating well, and engaging in outdoor learning. Guiding Healthy Behaviors, using the Shape NC framework of interventions to provide comprehensive prevention of early childhood obesity, oversaw development and build out of a comprehensive outdoor learning environment.