This week the Partnership invited community members and volunteers on an Early Childhood Bus Tour, a three-hour event that invites participants to learn about our work through engagement.  This event was one in a series of bus tours that we host, each having a different focus and set of goals.  With National Volunteer Week recently behind us, we wanted to focus this bus tour on engagement and volunteerism by honoring our many volunteers and showcasing strategies for involvement at the Partnership. 

It is impossible to feature every volunteer opportunity or every one of our community partners on a bus tour, thus, each tour looks very different.  This makes for an exciting journey for participants! 

Wednesday's Early Childhood Bus Tour was unique in that we kicked off the event by simulating a volunteer experience; we put our guests to work as soon as they arrived at the Partnership office!  Moments after we greeted each bus tour attendee we asked that they join us around the table to build Transition to Kindergarten Blast-Off Kits.  These kits require about five minutes of assembly each, but are produced in large quantities so that the Partnership can distribute them widely to young children entering kindergarten in Durham County.  They include items such as crayons, shapes for building, a "Draw A Picture/Tell A Story" activity, an emotion identification game, and other critical pieces that are important for rising kindergartners.

After introductions and a welcome, participants loaded the bus as we headed out into the Durham community.

Destination A: The outdoor learning environment at Early Start Academy
Participants were able to walk through Early Start Academy's naturalized outdoor learning environment designed around best practice that stimulates young children’s play and contributes to healthy development – intellectually, emotionally, socially, spiritually and physically.  These state-of-the-art outdoor classrooms have so many benefits, including connecting children to nature, but require extra attention and upkeep to maintain quality.  Child care centers rely on volunteers to help with routine weeding, organization, clean-up, material donations, and more.

Destination B: Welcome Baby
Welcome Baby Family Resource Center, a funded program of the Partnership, offers an amazing variety of parent education and support services in Durham County.  These include developmental newsletters and parenting workshops, the car seat safety program, multi-vitamin distribution, Cribs for Kids, and the Giving Closet. 

Bus tour attendees had the opportunity to tour the Giving Closet and see many of the resources that Durham families utilize.  Von Brown, Volunteer Coordinator at Welcome Baby, spoke to the need for volunteers within the agency that help accomplish all the great work being done.

Destination C: Readers as Leaders program, Primary Colors Early Learning Center
The final site we visited during the tour was Primary Colors Early Learning Center, a 5-star child care center in Durham that participates in the Partnership’s Readers as Leaders volunteer reading program.  Monnie Griggs, Technical Assistance Director with Child Care Services Association, was able to inform bus tour attendees about why reading aloud to young children – even infants – matters so much.  Children who are exposed to print-rich materials early on are able to build their language and vocabulary skills, gain knowledge about the world around them, and develop an interest in reading.
We also had the opportunity to listen in on a classroom story time and see just how excited young children get about reading. 

All participants left the bus tour with a much deeper understanding of the Partnership's role in the early childhood world, and each person expressed interest in additional Partnership volunteer opportunities.  If you are interested in helping us drive our mission forward, please contact Krissy Dunn, Operations Specialist at the Partnership.  Krissy manages our volunteer program and can help folks navigate our different opportunities like: building kits, reading to children, donating items, visits to child care centers, joining a committee, and many more.  She can be reached at krissy@dpfc.net or 403-6960.

Research tells us that fathers who express warmth, responsibility, nurturance and use of language to their children stimulate brain development in a way that is unique from all other learning.  Children with engaged dads will grow up to be more emotionally secure, have lower rates of anxiety and depression, and be less likely to exhibit violent and defiant behaviors. Language ability is much higher in children with engaged fathers. These children are ready to hit the ground running when they enter school and tend to have higher educational attainment.

So why is there still so little father engagement?  Current U.S. statistics show that roughly one out of three children nationwide is living without his or her biological father. That’s nearly 23.6 million children.

This issue is a big part of what the Partnership’s Early Childhood Faith Initiative sought to address during last week’s faith event, “Congregations, Fatherhood, & Clyde Edgerton,” held at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church.

Clyde Edgerton, author of critically acclaimed books The Night Train and The Bible Salesman, read from and signed copies of his newest book, Papadaddy’s Book for New Fathers: Advice to Dads of All Ages.

Jeff Quinn, research analyst for Duke’s Center for Child & Family Policy and key Partnership volunteer, is a leader in the fatherhood movement and was present at the event to address why fathers have such a unique impact on child development and how to support father involvement. 

The No. 1 thing we can do to encourage father engagement is to get dads hooked early, prenatally. We are already seeing more fathers doing so now more than in the past by taking part in activities like attending ultrasounds, buying baby supplies and talking to the baby bump.  Additionally, we need to consistently ask the question: “What about dad?” to ensure that fathers and male caregivers are not excluded from the parenting equation.

Kenny Robinson, Infant Toddler Specialist with the Durham Early Head Start program, shared how each dad and his parenting experience is different and that male caregivers and role models serve a much greater purpose than just doing “heavy lifting.” 

Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr. of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church offered ideas for father engagement within congregations, including involving fathers in planning children’s activities at churches, holding events specifically targeted toward fathers, and dedicating time within men’s groups to the topic of fatherhood/grandfatherhood.

» Read the event coverage by the Herald-Sun.

Durham’s Partnership for Children is pleased to announce the launch of the Durham Touchpoints Collaborative that will provide training in the evidence-based Touchpoints approach to 100 Durham-based providers over the next two years. The Partnership received funding from Oak Foundation for the implementation of the Durham Touchpoints Collaborative early in 2013.

Touchpoints is an evidence-based theory of child development based on the work of Dr. T. Berry Brazelton that is used by providers across disciplines (e.g. pediatrics, home visiting, early education). Once implemented by providers, this method helps parents understand regressions that accompany their children’s developmental spurts, which occur often during the first years of life. The Touchpoints approach gives providers tools to support parents during these challenging times and to strengthen the parent-child relationship. Touchpoints also helps to break down silos by building relationships among providers across disciplines to create a more unified community.

Yesterday we celebrated this news with a public launch held at the Durham County Library where Dr. Ann Stadtler, Director of Touchpoints Site Development & Training, Brazelton Touchpoints Center (Boston, MA), delivered the keynote address to Durham-based early childhood, health and human service, and education stakeholders interested in adopting the Touchpoints philosophy in their work.

We extend deep gratitude to community members and representatives from key agencies that were a part of our launch, and to the dedicated members of our Durham Touchpoints Planning Group who have provided much vision to this process.  We look forward to the next steps in building this network in Durham.

In 1993, lawmakers created Smart Start as an innovative solution to address the problem of young children entering school unprepared. This thoughtful investment and creation changed the trajectory of generations of children to come and became a nationwide model. This year we celebrate 20 years of Smart Start programs, which increase learning and the healthy development of children birth to five throughout the state. Durham’s Partnership for Children is one piece of a network of local partnerships led by The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC). Smart Start gives local communities like ours the freedom and responsibility to determine how to increase the health, well-being and development of our children based on the needs and resources of our local communities.

20 Years of Producing Results: Highlights

• Third-graders in NC have higher standardized reading and math scores and lower special education placement rates in those counties that had received more funding for Smart Start when these children were younger.
• In 2012, North Carolina’s graduation rate exceeded 80%. These graduates were the first to benefit from North Carolina’s investment in early education.
• In 1993, NC had the worst child care standards in the nation. Today, 70 percent of all children in early care and education attend high-quality 4- and 5-star programs, up from 33% in 2001.
• NC has fifth highest rate of childhood obesity in the country. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation awarded $3 million to NCPC to create Shape NC, a groundbreaking initiative that is tackling the childhood obesity epidemic by focusing on young children in child care and community settings. Although only in its second year, changes are already being seen. More children are getting at least 90 minutes of active play and being served healthy fruits, nutrient-dense vegetables and lean protein daily.
• Smart Start works with doctors to increases the number of children who receive appropriate developmental screenings, referrals and follow-up to detect and treat developmental delays early. Today, North Carolina has the highest rate of developmental screenings in the nation.
• In 1993, more than 65 percent of North Carolina mothers with children under the age of six worked outside the home—one of the highest percentages of working mothers in the United Sates. There weren’t enough high quality child care options for working families. Today, early learning programs allow 380,000 parents to work in North Carolina. Together, these parents earn almost $12.5 billion every year.

Yesterday, the Partnership collaborated with MomsRising, The First 2,000 Days campaign, and White Rock Child Development Center to host a successful Giant Chutes & Ladders event that welcomed elected officials, advocates, parents, and young children to learn about the investments necessary to help young children thrive.

The Durham Herald-Sun provided great coverage in today’s newspaper. Click here to read more.

MomsRising will continue to travel across the state with the Chutes & Ladders game to bring attention to policies and budget cuts that affect young children in North Carolina.

“When we invest in kids, it makes a difference,” said Beth Messersmith, campaign director for NC MomsRising. “If we want North Carolina to compete and children to compete, we need to be investing in them.”

On Monday, April 22^nd from 10 am to 12 pm, members of the Durham community are invited to join us at White Rock Child Development Center (3400 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27707) to play a GIANT Chutes & Ladders Game in an event organized by MomsRising, The First 2,000 Days Campaign, and the Partnership.  Children and families are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Based on the classic children’s board game, the 40-foot-long Chutes & Ladders board highlights the public investments that are essential to ensuring all of NC’s children get the strong start they need to succeed. These include:

•  quality, affordable early learning programs such as Smart Start and NC Pre-K;
•  child care subsidies that allow parents to work and contribute to the economy;
•  quality public K-12 education;
•  infant mortality prevention programs; and
•  access to health care for children provided through programs such as Medicaid and NC Health Choice.

Help us spread the word that giving NC’s young children a solid foundation is not a game.  This free event will feature a press conference to remind our community and leaders that investing in kids means investing in NC’s future, as well as the life-size game, crafts, hula hoops, bubbles, and more.

"Our community has abundant resources, and we have deep needs,” said Laura Benson, Executive Director of the Partnership. “We make difficult choices every day of how to use our money and our time. I am convinced that the best decision is to make the early years our number one priority. When we invest in our youngest children, they will thrive - now, and for years to come."

Along with playing the game, families will be invited to write notes sharing their thoughts on why investing in NC’s children matters, create their own mini-game pieces, and decorate baby onesies with messages and drawings about why building strong kids builds a strong North Carolina.

» For more information, contact: Felicia@momsrising.org or (919) 812 -3937

» To learn more about MomsRising, visit MomsRising.org.

The Partnership invites the Durham community to come together for young children during the Week of the Young Child (April 14-20, 2013). We will be organizing a number of community-wide events in honor of our youngest learners.

To kick off festivities, we will announce the winners of our “Week of the Young Child” poster contest on Sunday.  More than 300 children birth to age 5 in Durham County submitted decorated posters for the chance to win a library of 15 early childhood books.  Visit our Facebook page or Northgate Mall (1058 W Club Blvd, Durham, NC 27701) anytime during the Week of the Young Child to see the winning posters and many other favorites on display. 

On Monday, April 15th at 7PM there will be a reading of the Week of the Young Child Proclamation at the City Council meeting (City Council, 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701). The Board of County Commissioners also read this proclamation at their Monday, April 8th meeting. We applaud the City and County for recognizing this week, and for their commitment to raising awareness of the needs of the birth to five community and their families.

Throughout the week, several Durham businesses and supporters will be teaming up with the Partnership, contributing time, monetary donations and/or talent to the Partnership on behalf of Durham’s youngest children. On Wednesday, April 17th, the Durham County Library will be building a love for books with our youngest readers by hosting story times at Durham child care centers and encouraging library card registration.  Also on Wednesday, April 17th, a 2013 Child & Family Day will be organized at Halifax Mall, North Carolina General Assembly (16 W. Jones Street, Raleigh) from 10 am to 12 pm. The day will include an issues briefing, rally and opportunity to visit legislators, plus the MomsRising life-size Chutes & Ladders game.  On Thursday, April 18th, the local restaurant Vita will be hosting a fundraising day in which they will donate a portion of proceeds to the Partnership; just dine at Vita (2200 W Main St, Durham, NC 27705) anytime that day to help us celebrate.

We thank local businesses and volunteers for their sponsorship and the opportunity to bring greater community awareness to our cause.

Please join us for the Durham’s Early Childhood Faith Initiative event
“Congregations, Fatherhood, and Clyde Edgerton” on Thursday, May 9th at 4 pm.

The event will be an opportunity to hear from novelist Clyde Edgerton as he reads from his new book, “PAPADADDY’S BOOK FOR NEW FATHERS: Advice to Dads of All Ages.”  As the 68-year-old father of children ranging in age from five to 30, Edgerton gives voice to a growing demographic of older fathers and shares what his three decades of fatherhood have taught him.

Edgerton is the author of 10 novels and one previous nonfiction book. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, and five of his novels have been New York Times Notable Books. His love of his little ones inspired him to write PAPADADDY’S BOOK FOR NEW FATHERS.

Also speaking at the event will be Jeff Quinn, research analyst at Duke’s Center for Child & Family Policy, who is deeply involved in the Fatherhood movement and serves as Co-Chair of the NC Fatherhood Development Advisory Council and is an active member of the Fatherhood Policy Committee.  Quinn will present on the “Father Factor” of early child development, and will show how the most effective strategies for supporting fathers are focused on prevention and early intervention by engaging with fathers during pregnancy, at the time of the birth of their child, or very early in the child’s life.


» Visit the Partnership’s Early Childhood Faith Initiative online.

» Visit the Prevent Child Abuse NC “Fatherhood Virtual Resource Center”

» Visit the National Fatherhood Initiative’s Father Resource Page.

The Great Human Race is tomorrow, April 6^th, and we hope you are planning to walk or run with us!  Donations to the Partnership's Great Human Race fundraising campaign are still being accepted. We can reach our goal of $1,000!  Don't forget that for every $10 you contribute, one more child will be equipped with the tools they need for proper dental health.  Donate now to help give a kid a healthy smile and a happy life.

If you’re joining the Partnership team tomorrow, here are a few final pieces of helpful information:

• The Volunteer Center is expecting all walkers to be at the Main Stage (at Northgate Mall near Sears Automotive) by 8:15 am for Opening Ceremonies (We will be there holding up our Partnership sign and wearing these lovely bright blue shirts)
  
  
  
  
• If you are running, be at the Start line by 8:30 am
  
  
• After the race, you can enjoy entertainment by The Durham Divas, Bull City Sliders Line Dancing Club, and a live DJ.  Children can meet Wool E. Bull, McGruff the Crime Dog, Booker the Fox and the Chick-fil-A cows.  Kids will also be able to explore a real Fire Engine and Sheriff's patrol car. Other activities include face painting and crafts.  

If you have any questions, please contact Krissy Dunn at krissy@dpfc.net or (919) 403-6960.  Thank you to each of our supporters and we look forward to seeing you tomorrow!  It should be a fun, rain-free event.

The Partnership's "Week of the Young Child" Poster Contest has begun!  We had more than 300 children birth to age 5 enter the contest this year.  The talent and imagination of Durham County's youngest artists is amazing. 

Please participate in this contest by voting now through April 8th.  Go to our Facebook page, become a fan if you aren't already, and 'like' and/or comment on your favorite posters.  There is no limit to how many you can 'like,' but you need to be a fan of the Partnership's facebook page for your vote to count. 

At the end of the voting period we will pick a winner from each age category, based on popularity on Facebook and with the help of a panel of judges.  Good luck to all the entrants - fabulous work by all!

Albums by age (click on each one to be directed to the album online):

One-year-old Poster Contest entries

Two-year-old Poster Contest entries

Three-year-old Poster Contest entries

Four-year-old Poster Contest entries

Five-year-old Poster Contest entries

Each winner will receive a library of 15 hardcover, paperback, and board books for readers birth to five selected by the Partnership. Winning posters will also be featured in the Herald-Sun newspaper, and on the Partnership Facebook and blog. Furthermore, the entries will be displayed at participating outlets and agencies, including Northgate Mall, during the Week of the Young Child (April 14-20, 2013).

To read the official contest rules, click here.