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News / Events
(scroll down for the
newsletter)
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Stokes Partnership for
Children participates in the national Week of the Young Child
Learn more at the The National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Website
www.naeyc.org/about/woyc/
then select a PDF document below for local info.
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Howard Mabe Childrens Book Fund
Stokes Partnership for Children is pleased to announce the Howard Mabe Childrens Book Fund. Howard Mabe, a former Stokes County Commissioner, was an active board member of Stokes Partnership for Children for many years. He served as Treasurer of the board and was an energetic SPC committee member. He was well liked and respected by SPC staff and fellow members of the SPC Board of Directors. In order to honor his memory, Stokes Partnership for Children has established the Howard Mabe Childrens Book Fund. Donations to the fund will be used to purchase new books for young children in Stokes County, in order to encourage the love
of reading beginning at an early age. Labels will be placed in the front of each book informing the recipient that the book was given through the Howard Mabe Childrens Book Fund. Howard Mabe valued the well-being of young children and appreciated the importance of literacy as it relates to school readiness and future success. This ongoing initiative will be a way for the community to continue to give back to a cause that was so important to Howard Mabe and to help honor his memory.
Donations may be made to Stokes Partnership for Children, Howard Mabe Childrens Book Fund, PO Box 2319, King, NC 27021. For more information contact SPC at 336-985-2676 or buildingfoundations@stokespfc.com.
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| Left to Right:
Sue Evans, Ann Watts,
Cindy Tuttle & John Erickson |
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Stokes
Partnership
for Children
Holds Annual Meeting |
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To celebrate the end of a successful year, Stokes Partnership for Children (SPC) held its Annual Meeting at YMCA Camp Hanes on Tuesday, December 11. Approximately fifty people came to enjoy a meal and listen to reports given by members of the SPC Board of Directors, committees and staff. Highlights of the meeting included the approval of new
board members and officers. Sue Evans, SPC Board Chairperson, brought the meeting to order and introduced the speakers and requested a motion to approve the new 2008 Board of Directors. Newly appointed board members include Velvet Kitzmiller, Diane Blakemore, Angelina Melvin and Jude Dooley. Those renewing their board terms were Carolyn Byerly, Jo Ann Larkins, Polly Goolsby, and Sharon White. Officers elected for
2008 were Perry Carroll, Chairman; Janelle Kent, Vice-Chairperson; Carolyn Byerly,
Treasurer; and Joan Sherif, Secretary.
Cindy Tuttle, Executive Director, spoke about the importance of an investment in early childhood because children who arrive at school healthy and prepared require less grade repetition; outperform others on achievement tests; are more likely to graduate high school; are more likely to be employed at age 40; are more likely to own a home or have a savings account; are less likely to be arrested or commit crimes; and also because an investment in early childhood is an investment in economic development. Tuttle pointed out that these factors are important to all walks of life including those with young
children, to those whose children are older, to those who have no children and even to our senior citizens. Tuttle then called for a moment of silence to remember why the work of the Partnership is important. She stated, We care about the future of our youngest citizens. We want to see them succeed and we want them to carry on our work and our vision. But, I believe their vision is far greater than ours and much wiser than ours. They have hard work and great work ahead of them. We need to give them the support they need to succeed in every way possible. We need to keep building strong foundations for
them.
The first annual Champions for Children recipients were recognized within two categories. In the first category a business, civic group or organization is recognized and in the second category an individual is recognized, both for having exemplified exceptional support to the young children of Stokes County through monetary donations, time or talent. In the first category, the Champions for Children Community Partner award was given to the Knights of Columbus, Good Shepherd Council, who have granted over ten years of service to SPC by providing volunteer time and food to SPCs Breakfast
with Santa and the Little Folks Festival. At this past Breakfast with Santa ten volunteers assisted with the event by providing a full breakfast for children with special needs and their families. John Erickson accepted the award on behalf of the Knights. Ann Watts was given the Champions for Children Individual Partner award for having been a founding board member of Stokes Partnership for Children, for her role as a current board member and for acting as the current chairperson of the Strategic Planning Committee. Watts was recognized for exercising her passion for early childhood education through her tireless service to the young children of Stokes County.
Sue Evans was recognized as the outgoing SPC Board Chairperson and was presented with a plaque by Cindy Tuttle. Tuttle recognized Evans for her years of service to SPC and her devotion to the young children of Stokes County. |
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Announcing a new program – Outreach for School Readiness |
Family Support Program Welcomes Changes
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The bulk of the county’s population is located in the King
area. Not only are more services available in this area of
the county but families are offered the convenience of nearby
Hwy. 52 enabling them the opportunity to arrive in
Winston-Salem within a few short minutes. This convenience is
not as readily available in other regions in the county due
to its geographic nature. Therefore services are sparse and
simply unavailable in some locations. Also, in Stokes County
less than 20% of the approximately 3,600 children under the
age of six are in regulated child care. Based on an average
13% retention rate in kindergarten it has become clear that
additional services are needed to support success in
kindergarten in Stokes County. Based on the described
barriers it has become even clearer that outreach is a
potentially successful means to locate and reach out to
families in more remote regions of the county.
Additionally, many families do not have the opportunity to
provide adequate socialization and learning opportunities for
their children, age birth to five. The vast majority of
families rely on other family members, neighbors, friends, or
other adults in their support network for care of their
children. The lack of formal, regulated child care settings
in certain parts of the county is only a partial cause of
families’ decisions to use informal child care arrangements.
Families prefer and choose informal care for many reasons –
affordability, accessibility, familiarity, beliefs and values
– and in a lot of instances they feel it fits their child
care needs better than formal, regulated care.
Due to the above stated need, Stokes Family Support Network
will be undergoing some changes effective July 1, 2007,
including a new program name and focus. The new program,
Outreach for School Readiness, will offer outreach play
groups for children, age birth to five, not in regulated
child care and their caregivers that will feature educational
and enrichment activities to enhance school readiness; to be
held in at least two locations within the county. Sandy Ridge
and Francisco have been identified as the target locations.
Each group will meet at least twice monthly for nine months
during the year. Field trips or other educational and
enrichment outings will be offered on or off site during the
other three months of the year. Incentives including books
and school readiness materials will be provided. Home visits
may be provided as needed or requested. This program will
also offer resource and referral services to families with
children with special needs or determined at risk; offer
parent trainings; host the annual Breakfast with Santa; will
assist with the publication of an annual comprehensive
resource guide listing all available services for young
children and families in Stokes County; will coordinate the
First Book program through UNC-TV in order to help support
the literacy needs of Stokes County’s young children; will
coordinate a bi-monthly support group, Circle of Parents, a
program of Prevent Child Abuse NC.
If you would like to learn more about this exciting program
please contact Donna Wishon at Stokes Partnership for
Children, 336-985-2676 ext. 167. |
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Stokes Partnership for Children Newsletter |
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