Tuesday marked the Partnership’s first oral health kit building day at which volunteers constructed 109 kits for young children (birth to age 3) that included toothbrushes, toothpaste, child flossing tools, an early dental health instruction booklet, coloring pages, crayons, and a Dr. Seuss book on teeth.

Our volunteers worked fast and furious to collate activity and education packets, label books and bags, wrap toothpaste in washcloths (for infant gum care), and assemble and sort the kits.  They were nothing short of amazing – with both positive attitude and energy.  Thank you volunteers for your commitment!

Efforts to create the dental kits first began in early spring during our 2013 Great Human Race campaign where - through many generous donations – we raised $1,050 in funds to put toward planning, kit supplies, and implementation.  We would like to recognize those donors and our sponsors in the dental health field who contributed to the cause:  DenTek Oral Care, Duke Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Gary Hill, and Southpoint Pediatric Dentistry.

The Partnership’s mission in participating in this year's Great Human Race was to address the crisis of poor dental health in young children.  In Durham County, 17% of kindergartners have untreated tooth decay.  Preventive dental care beginning with infants is the best way to ensure proper oral hygiene is a part of a child’s daily routine and that children are receiving dental cleanings at age one.  Data from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion indicates that early tooth loss caused by dental decay can result in failure to thrive, impaired speech development, absence from and inability to concentrate in school, and reduced self-esteem.  Additional research shows that children with cavities miss more school days and have poorer school performance than children with no cavities.

By providing these young children with some of the most basic supplies necessary for proper oral health, the Partnership hopes to combat this crisis starting at an early age.

Our next step is community distribution, scheduled to take place in July.  Stay tuned for more news on the impact made in Durham!

In early spring, the Partnership announced the 11 recipients of our Transition to Kindergarten mini-grants. These are projects created collaboratively between elementary schools and child care centers that support rising kindergartners and their families so they are best equipped to enter kindergarten.

Many of the transition-themed activities created through the mini-grant process are currently being implemented in preschool and kindergarten settings across Durham.  We are proud to see these creative projects unfold and are grateful for funding from Wells Fargo and Morgan Creek Foundation that make our TTK Initiative possible. 

One of the mini-grant projects, a full day kindergarten experience designed and implemented by Toddler’s Academy, Inc. and Pearsontown Elementary – was featured in today’s Herald-Sun.

» Read the article in full here.

The TTK Initiative is a collaborative project of the Partnership and Durham Public Schools that provides specific experiences that prepare children for successful entrance into kindergarten and that prepare schools to receive children and their families.  For more information on TTK, visit our Web page and look for the launch of our rebranded TTK Web site in July!

This infographic, created by the First Five Years Fund, very accurately and clearly illustrates how funding high-quality, evidence-based early childhood programs produces both short and long-term returns on investment.  It was too good not to share.  So glad we stumbled upon this resource!

“When men do care for children, decades-old research informs us, they nurture, interact with, and rear children competently but differently from women. Not worse, not better—differently.”  - Zero to Three

We often share information on the positive effects of male involvement on young children's development; those conversations are critical to have because the father-child relationship is so important to healthy development during the first five years and beyond.

But today, less than a week before we celebrate Father’s Day, we want to share some thoughts on what fathers get from their children, as we know that the father-child relationship is mutually advantageous.

Some of the most respected and recognized research about father involvement comes from Dr. Kyle D. Pruett, the Yale Child Study Center, and Zero to Three.

This research has shown some interesting things regarding how fathers feel about their babies and how they feel about themselves as parents.  Here are some highlights:

• Every father and co-parenting situation is different.  Thus, fathers develop a powerful attachment to their babies and a sense of themselves as caregiver at different stages. 
• Anywhere from 10 days to a few months after assuming the role of primary caregiver (i.e. when mom returns to work), fathers begin to think more independently and less often question, "What would my wife do?" The mental self-portrait of being a “Mr. Mom” fades and they begin to recognize their own unique caregiving style.
• Fathers tend to be amazed at how quickly attachment to their babies forms. Equally so, they are surprised that their babies see them as so significant.
• Fathers report that the experience of primary caretaking vastly changes their behavior, concerns, and self-image as adults. One negative change reported was the problem of loneliness.  Dads greatly benefit from having peers with whom to discuss their babies and their world.
• On the positive side, fathers are more aware of the emotive world, spending so much time simply watching their children sleep or eat, and are better equipped to "not sweat the small stuff."
• Wives of primary caregiver fathers found their husbands more patient not only with their children but with them and more emotionally available.

As one of the Partnership’s most dedicated volunteers and a leader in the Fatherhood movement, Jeff Quinn, once said, “At the end of the day, children need their fathers and fathers need their children.”  We couldn’t agree more.

The Natural Learning Initiative at College of Design, NC State University is offering a one-day symposium, Healthy Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Environments, to early childhood professionals within the Triangle Area.

During the symposium, ideas will be shared on how to design, plan, and manage the outdoor environment for early childhood through plenary presentations, hands-on sessions, and tours of the POD-3 Lab Site, First Environments Early Learning Center.

Event details:
• Registration: Click this link to access the online registration form
• Event Date and time: June 21, 9:00am to 4:00pm
• Location: EPA Conference Center, 109 TW Alexander Drive, RTP, NC
• CEU credit will be available to all attendees upon completion of an online evaluation of the event
• Event cost is $15, which includes continental breakfast and coffee breaks
• Registration Deadline: Friday, June 14. Maximum participants: 125
• Please bring your own lunch or enjoy the Lakeside Cafe in the conference center

» Below is a Flyer with the event details. The flyer is also available by clicking this link.

We encourage professionals in Durham to take advantage of this opportunity!

Photo: The outdoor learning environment at Early Start Academy in Durham.

Just what does happen during the first 2,000 days of a young child’s life?  Check out this infographic developed by the First 2,000 Days Initiative that shows how investing in the earliest years produces a lifetime of results.

Through the generous contributions of 20 donors, the Partnership raised $1,050 during the 2013 Great Human Race campaign!!!  We extend a tremendous thank you to every single donor who made this possible; this year’s campaign represents a huge success for us as it is the first time we have met our GHR fundraising goal!

The Partnership’s mission for participating this year was to address the crisis of poor dental health in young children.  Our goal is to provide 100 dental kits to young children in Durham County. Each dental kit will include a toothbrush, toothpaste, child flossing tool, an early dental health instruction booklet, coloring pages, crayons, and a Dr. Seuss book on teeth.

The Partnership would also like to recognize our sponsors in the dental health field who contributed to the cause:  DenTek Oral Care, Duke Pediatric Dentistry, Dr. Gary Hill, and Southpoint Pediatric Dentistry.

Before kits can be distributed, they must first be assembled.  We are seeking volunteers to help us put together 109 kits and have scheduled an official kit building event here at the Partnership office to facilitate this effort.  If you are interested in joining us on Tuesday, June 18th at 3 pm, please contact Krissy at krissy@dpfc.net or (919) 403-6960 ext 230.  (Volunteer time commitment: < 1 hour)  

Stay tuned for more news on dental health kit distribution and the impact made in the Durham community!

Calling all NC business leaders!  Are you willing to stand with over 300 others to vocalize your support for increased funding to early care and education?

An open letter from business leaders working in collaboration with ReadyNation has been sent to the President and Congress to acknowledge the value of investing in quality early education.  Bill Millett (Scope View Strategic Advantage), Tsegga Medhin (IBM), and Steve Reinemund (PepsiCo) are among some of the leaders in NC who have already signed the letter.

An excerpt from the letter:
“Overwhelming amounts of research and evidence show the return on investment from giving young children a good start in life.  We have examined the research and drawn our own conclusions:  quality early childhood programs have a significant and positive impact on the skilled workforce, customer base, economy and nation we need. Behavioral skills highly valued by employers, such as self-discipline, persistence and cooperation, start in the youngest years and last a lifetime.
We rarely have the luxury of making business investment decisions with as much evidence as we have to support the economic value of investing in early care and education.”

ReadyNation continues to build the momentum in the business community and will continue to collect business leader signatures in order to release an updated version of the letter in late summer.

» To sign the letter, click here.
» To download the letter as a PDF, click here.

Federal officials will be receiving a copy of the letter directly from ReadyNation, but it will make an even bigger impact if they receive it from community members and business leaders.  Please consider sending a copy of the letter to your Members of Congress and your state and local policymakers to voice your support for early childhood investments. The goal is that everyone steps forward and calls on Congress to act.


Senator Richard Burr
217 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510   (202) 224-3154

Senator Kay Hagan
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510   (202) 224-6342

Congressman G.K. Butterfield (District 1 - Beaufort County, Bertie County, Chowan County, Craven County, Durham County, Edgecombe County, Franklin County, Granville County, Greene County, Halifax County, Hertford County, Jones County, Lenoir County, Martin County, Northampton County, Pasquotank County, Perquimans County, Pitt County, Vance County, Warren County, Washington County, Wayne County, Wilson County)
2305 Rayburn HOB, Washington, DC 20515    (202) 225-3101

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (District 2 - Alamance County, Chatham County, Cumberland County, Harnett County, Hoke County, Lee County, Moore County, Randolph County, Wake County)
426 Cannon HOB, Washington, DC 20515    (202) 225-4531

Congressman Walter Jones (District 3)

Congressman David Price (District 4 - Alamance, Orange, Durham, Wake, Harnett, Chatham and Cumberland counties)
2162 Rayburn Building, Washington, DC 20515   (202) 225-1784

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (District 5)

Congressman Howard Coble (District 6 - Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Caswell, Person counties and portions of Alamance, Guilford, Orange, Durham and Granville counties)
2188 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515-3306    (202) 225-3065

Congressman Mike McIntyre (District 7)

Congressman Richard Hudson (District 8)

Congressman Robert Pittenger (District 9)

Congressman Patrick McHenry (District 10)

Congressman Mark Meadows (District 11)

Congressman Mel Watt (District 12)

Congressman George Holding (District 13 - Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Nash, Vance, Wake, Wayne, and Wilson counties)
507 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515    (202) 225-3032

Project BUILD.  4-H Youth Development.  Cribs for Kids Durham.  ServSafe.  EFNEP.
What do all these programs have in common?

They are all provided and managed by the Durham County Center of the NC Cooperative Extension and are of tremendous value to the growth and vitality of our community.

The Durham County Cooperative Extension creates opportunities that improve the well-being of families living in Durham through services ranging the spectrum of life: early childhood development, youth development, consumer and family education, food and nutrition, agriculture and horticulture and community capacity building.  Durham’s Partnership for Children is deeply committed to the work of the Durham County Cooperative Extension; we know and value their programs, including Welcome Baby Family Resource Center, a funded partner of the Partnership.

Community members had the opportunity to engage with staff and support teams of the Durham County Cooperative Extension on Tuesday, May 21st, when the center provided their 2013 Report to the Community.

Staff kicked off the event with an interactive scavenger hunt that represented all extension programs, followed by a formal presentation that included testimonials from several program participants. It was an enriching experience and a reflection of the successes of the Durham County Cooperative Extension.

Some of the many accomplishments of 2012 as overviewed during the presentation:

• Kids Voting Durham engaged nearly 15,000 Durham students in civics education and the voting process, including a youth-led candidate forum for the County Commissioners and School Board.
• Project BUILD helped 15 high school dropouts reenter school, 4 youth obtain employment, 20 youth open their first savings accounts, and 3 obtain a GED.
• Cribs for Kids Durham raised more than $5,400 and distributed 149 new and 24 used portable cribs to parents as part of their safe sleep training, SIDS awareness program.
• Through the Incredible Years curriculum offered through Welcome Baby, challenging behaviors of participants’ children decreased by 33%.
• Welcome Baby’s Giving Closet provided free children’s clothing and equipment to more than 1,524 Durham children in need.
• The Durham County Extension Master Gardeners donated a total of 1,064 hours of continuing education.
• The ServSafe Restaurant Managers Certification training was completed by 120 participants in Durham and Orange County to ensure food safety for consumers.
• The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) provided lessons to 193 adults and 200 youth to help with improved diet and selection of low-cost, nutritious foods.

Research shows that students who read more often, read better; additionally, they write better, spell better, have larger vocabularies, and have better control of complex grammatical constructions.  Reading is critical to building those competencies.  Research also tells us that increased summer reading, specifically, reduces summer learning loss. 

The most innovative reading programs are successful because they find novel ways to get books into the hands of children during the summer months and motivate kids to read, read, read!  At the Partnership, we advocate for these programs because they enhance literacy and foster a life-long love of reading. 

» Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program: Imagination’s Destination
Now in its 17th year, the program includes a Summer Reading journal sheet to help children track books read. Barnes & Noble encourages summer reading by providing children in grades K-6 the opportunity to earn a free book by reading eight books and turning in a completed journal sheet. All children need to do is bring the completed journal to a Barnes & Noble store between May 21st and September 3rd, 2013 and choose a FREE book from the list.  Too many children spend their summer with no books to read.  Any program that encourages reading and rewards success with increased access to new materials is a tremendous benefit to the community.

» Durham County Library program
The Durham County Library is one of the best ways to access reading throughout the year, and each summer invites the community to participate in an exciting reading program.  “Dig Into Reading” is the theme of the Durham County Library’s 2013 Summer Reading Program, which will kick off on Saturday, June 15th at Northgate Mall.  The event is from 10 am to 1 pm.  Be sure to attend!

» Partners in East Durham
As an East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) partner organization, Durham’s Partnership for Children understands that summer learning loss affects disadvantaged students disproportionately and that the 120-block East Durham zone is a critical area to target resources. 

The Partnership will be providing books for elementary students and their younger siblings living in the EDCI zone to be distributed during the end-of-school year celebration at Y. E. Smith Elementary School. EDCI is organizing this fantastic event to encourage summer reading and participation in additional summer engagement opportunities.