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 49participating Guilford County Schools, 9 Children and Families First sites (Head Start), and 29 licensed four and five-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 County served 60 families with 385 home visits by a certified parent educator, group support activities and linkages to community support. The Healthy Start program served 225 families susceptible for abuse or neglect by 1,708 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 107 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 2,906 well-child checkup visits. The Partnership directly supports families through our Awareness and Engagement program with 2,305 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 269 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% (of the nurse home visits providing support, education, and early identification and referral of health & safety concerns for approximately 1191 participating parents/guardians). The Family Support Network of Central Carolina Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) program provided support, education, and connections to 366 families who have a child with special needs or experience a NICU stay. Bringing Out the Best provided coaching and education services for 172 children struggling with social/emotional and behavioral challenges in both the home with 1,301 family contacts and early child care education settings through 92 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. 1,133 on site visits were completed. Guiding Healthy Behaviors provided 359 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.