NEWS/EVENTS
2024 Little Folks Festival
Now in its 21st year, this is a fun-filled community event for young children and their families. The Little Folks Festival is also a school readiness forum, with a focus on early care and education, literacy, family support and health. County organizations, non-profits and businesses set up booths featuring their programs and services making the festival a perfect venue for community information sharing. Best of all it offers a variety of fun activities for young children, indoor/outdoor activities, free food, free books, games and prizes. There is no charge for admission.
STOKES PARTNERSHIP FOR CHILDREN
JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
ADMINISTRATIVE/PROGRAM ASSISTANT
Come join a remarkable team in a pleasant, flexible, family-friendly environment! Primarily performs administrative/clerical support to the Executive Director, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and various other Board and Ad Hoc committees as needed. Secondarily acts as the Literacy Coordinator for early literacy programs administered by SPC; provides programmatic support to the Child Care Resource and Referral program and to the NC Pre-K Program and various other duties as assigned.
Position Qualifications (minimum qualifications including job experience, skills, education and training):
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High School diploma or equivalency required. A two-year degree in business or a related field is preferred.
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Computer proficient and familiar with Windows/Microsoft-based environment, particularly Microsoft Office.
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Must have a friendly professional demeanor and excellent written and oral communication skills.
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A minimum of two years of administrative assistant experience is required.
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Considerable knowledge of office and administration management functions.
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Past experience with non-profit organizations and taking board minutes is a plus.
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Additional requirements can be found at ww.stokespfc.com.
Mandatory drug screening and criminal background checks are required. Some travel is required. Competitive salary and excellent benefits package, including retirement plan, health, vision, and dental insurance. Send resume to Cindy Tuttle, Executive Director, SPC, PO Box 2319, King, NC, 27021, or via email to ctuttle@stokespfc.com by Friday, March 1, 2024, or until the job is filled. For a complete job description, including detailed position requirements, go to www.stokespfc.com. The full salary range for the position (Full-time position: 40 hours/week): $31,200 to $46,800. Note: This is the full salary range, not the hiring range. The hiring rate is contingent on experience.
SPC Receives “Ribbon of Hope” Grant
Early childhood workforce program now open to high school and early college students offering paid work-based learning.
(King, NC) Stokes Partnership for Children (SPC) is pleased to announce the receipt of a $25,000 grant from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation’s “Ribbon of Hope” grant program to expand the Workforce Innovation to Support Early Education (WISEE) program. Community partners in this initiative include Forsyth Tech Community College’s Early Childhood Department and the Stokes County Schools’ Career Development Programs.
The increased demand for WISEE is due to a new collaboration between Forsyth Tech Community College and Stokes County Schools to form an educational partnership to provide Career and College Promise (CCP) and Career and Technical Education (CTE) course work in the public school system, specifically early childhood education courses. Early childhood education college level courses were offered for the first time in the high schools during SY 2020-21. Through this partnership, Stokes County students are able to earn an Early Childhood Education Certificate and 18 college credit hours, all within one academic year. This partnership was designed with SPC’s WISEE program as a collaborating partner.
The WISEE program itself came to fruition in 2015 from a collaboration between Stokes Partnership for Children, Forsyth Tech and the North Carolina Community College System. Its goals and objectives were to increase the workforce of higher educated early childhood professionals through the use of college credits. The program expansion allows Stokes County high school or early college students who are enrolled in at least one 3 credit hour early childhood college level course the opportunity to participate in the WISEE program. WISEE will provide financial incentives, enhanced professional development and support for students with a goal to increase the workforce of higher educated early childhood professionals through the use of college credits. WISEE will help to decrease barriers and create a more seamless pathway for students interested in the early childhood field, especially from high school to college, and on into the workforce. WISEE provides a special focus on developing skills relating to professionalism, leadership and advocacy.
According to Cindy Tuttle, SPC Executive Director, “In Stokes County, as well as in North Carolina as a whole, there are not enough qualified early childhood professionals to meet the demands of the workforce. There just simply are not enough qualified teachers, especially those with higher education levels, in Stokes County. Expanding the WISEE program to be able to serve more high school and early college students is a perfectly aligned strategy based on the new partnership. The really cool thing about the WISEE program is that students can earn between $20 to $30 an hour. If students are required to complete an internship for graduation, the WISEE program will count those hours toward meeting program requirements. This equates to paid work-based learning.”
The Ribbon of Hope grant provides support for 15 additional students to participate in WISEE during the 2021-22 school year. To apply go to www.stokespfc.com to fill out an online application or call Dianne Durham or Holly Warner at 336-985-2676.
The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation is committed to embracing the entire state through their various grant programs. They seek the creative spark that makes a true difference in people's lives by supporting innovative programs promoting the sciences, health and education. The Ribbon of Hope program provides $25,000 grants to nonprofits to establish or expand local programs in the areas of science, health and education.
Stokes Partnership for Children is a non-profit organization led by local volunteers, designed to provide programs and services for families and children in Stokes County. SPC administers the NC Pre-K program and Smart Start funds from the state legislature to support programs to benefit children age birth to five and their families, is a catalyst for bringing different groups together for the sake of the children, educates the community on the critical needs of young children and helps develop solutions. For more information visit www.stokespfc.com or call 336-985-2676.