The Partnership, in collaboration with Durham Public Schools, is offering competitive mini-grants to support planning and implementing transition activities targeted to families with children who will be heading to kindergarten. The goal of these grants is to foster collaboration between elementary school and early childhood educators around transition to kindergarten.
 
Sample transition activities might include:

• Summer Transition Camp
• Spring/Summer Open Houses
• Creating introductions for rising kindergartners
• Build “going to kindergarten” into the pre-school curriculum
• Kindergarten Classroom Visits
• Registration Events
• Child Care/Pre-k Visits

 
The application process for these mini-grants is underway and applications must be received by Wednesday, March 19th at 5 pm.  Eligible applicants include kindergarten teachers, elementary school principals, PTAs, and child care teachers and directors. Click here to download the Transition Mini-Grant now.
 
For questions, please contact Pat Harris at 919-403-6960, Extension 224 or email pat@dpfc.net. To learn more about our Transition to Kindergarten Initiative, click here.

 
Durham’s Partnership for Children received funding from Wells Fargo and Morgan Creek Foundation to support rising kindergartners across Durham County through Transition Mini-Grants and additional Transition to Kindergarten activities.

Over the past two years of the North Carolina School of Science and Math’s Food Drive to benefit the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, the school has collected a total of 879,875 pounds of food.  Last year’s efforts made history, as the school surpassed the Guinness World Record for the largest food drive in 24 hours by collecting 559,885 pounds of food. This year – on March 3, 2012 – the NCSSM Food Drive will attempt to collect 120,125 pounds of food to surpass a three year total of ONE MILLION pounds! The one million pound mark equates to roughly 857,000 meals for those served by the Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC.

Because we at the Partnership know what a full stomach means for families and for young children, we want to help.  We are asking for your help in being part of food drive history.

From now until March 2nd, we will be collecting items for the drive here at the Partnership office and we will deliver them to NCSSM on Saturday, March 3rd.  For those who wish to contribute, a collection box will be placed in the lobby at 1201 S. Briggs Ave., Durham, NC.  Just drop off items and we’ll do the rest! See below for a list of most-needed items.

There is also an option for online donation through the NCSSM Virtual Food Drive. Every dollar donated through the NCSSM Virtual Food Drive will enable the Food Bank to directly purchase approximately 2.5 pounds of food, which will be added to the food collected at the NCSSM Food Drive.

For further questions, please contact the NCSSM Event Coordinator, Sue Anne Lewis, at ncssmfooddrive@gmail.com.

Thank you for helping NCSSM fight hunger across North Carolina!

On this Valentine’s Day we at the Partnership would like to ask you to Show Your Love for Durham’s Children by viewing our just-released public service announcement! 

Under the guidance of a Los Angeles-based director, we worked this past November with community partners to create this short commercial feature. We connected with local parents and children ages 0-5, elementary schools, child care centers, churches, and pediatrician’s offices to make this PSA something that accurately reflects Durham. These are real Durham families and locations, and we thank each person who helped made this PSA come to life.

Durham is the community in which we live, work, and play. This is the community in which our young children are planting their feet and growing into thriving learners and leaders. We hope that you will take a moment to view this PSA and see the vision of the Partnership.  Please share this link with those who care about young children and the future of Durham County.

Did you know that within the first year of a child’s life, he or she should see a doctor for a well-child visit seven times?  These frequent but critical visits – known as preventive care – are the optimal way to track children’s growth and development, to administer required shots that keep children healthy, and to provide an opportunity to ask the doctor questions about children’s health.

A guest column (“Preventive care very important for healthy kids”) by Partnership Board Member and social worker at Duke Children’s Primary Care David Covington appearing in today’s Herald-Sun makes the case for preventive care. The piece promotes the importance of ensuring families have health insurance and a regular health care provider; ensuring primary care providers use standardized developmental screenings during well-child visits; and, educating parents on developmental milestones during routine well-child visits. 

Click here to read the column in full.

Link to our brochure online: Healthy & Ready: A Guide to Preventive Care.  Spanish version.

Click here to read more about the Partnership’s Kindergarten Health Assessment (KHA) Project.

Though young children may not understand divorce, they are certainly aware of the significant changes to their family structure.  Even lacking comprehension, young children are affected in tremendous ways when they witness upset parents, unstable environments, and shifting living conditions (if a parent moves out). 

Infants may experience changes in their eating, sleeping, and digestive habits while their behavior may become more fretful, fearful, and anxious. Toddlers may express heightened emotions and be more likely to cry, cling to parents, and display anger or frustration. Their sleeping and toilet habits will change and they may express more baby-like behavior. Preschoolers may feel loss/sorrow, fear abandonment, feel rejection, blame themselves, have physical symptoms (tummy aches) and can become angry and attack the parent they blame.  They might even turn their anger inward and become depressed or withdrawn.

What can parents do:

• With infants:  Keep a normal routine, remain calm in front of the baby, rest while baby sleeps, ask family or friends for help, & both parents need contact.
• With Toddlers: Parents can nurture, reassure, continue routines, allow some “baby like” behavior but set clear limits/consequences, keep daily stress to minimum, provide alone time with child, spend time with same sex family member as the parent who does not live at home.
• With Preschoolers: Encourage questions & concerns about separation/divorce, encourage expression of feelings by talking, physical play & art work (including anger), reassure them both parents understand and love her/her, tell repeatedly if needed he/she is not responsible for the divorce.
• Overall suggestions:  Keep consistent routines, set reasonable limits & enforce consistently & lovingly, provide reassurance surrounding transitions, reassure both parents love them & will always be their parent, have open communication with other parent & with caregivers, and take care of self.

For more information, check out the February 2012 issue of Congregations & Early Childhood, a monthly newsletter from the Early Childhood Faith Initiative.

The Faith Initiative is a collaborative initiative between Durham’s Partnership for Children and End Poverty Durham that recognizes the role that the faith community plays in providing support to families and children.  Click here to read more about this initiative.

The Great Human Race is a 5K walk/run held annually that allows area nonprofits to raise money for their cause.  We invite you to join the Partnership this year in our efforts to raise $1,000!

The race takes place on March 24, 2012 at Northgate Mall and begins at 8:30 am.  You can participate and show your support for young children by joining us on race day, donating to the Partnership's fundraising efforts, or by helping us spread the word.

With donations received through the Great Human Race, the Partnership will purchase resources that foster healthy and active learning environments for young children. We will donate these items to child care centers and pre-kindergarten classrooms in Durham to help promote proper nutrition and physical activity as part of a child's healthy development.

Every contribution helps.  Five dollars can provide a jump rope or a hula hoop for a young child.  Ten dollars can provide an athletic ball or a bicycle helmet.  Twenty dollars can provide a set of garden tools. One hundred dollars can provide a tricycle. 

Click here to check out our online fundraising page or to donate now.

If you wish to join us on race day or if you have any questions, please contact Jameka by phone at (919) 403-6960 ext 214 or by email at Jameka@dpfc.net.

Great Human Race runners, 2011

Each year, Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA) awards Seed Money grants to emerging projects that offer approaches to growing needs in the Durham community.  We are honored that the Partnership's Early Childhood Faith Initiative has been selected this year among the following new programs, which were announced as grant recipients during the DCIA Annual Meeting on January 24. 

• Achieving Health for a Lifetime, in collaboration with Healing with CAARE, will be offering new, free fitness and sports programs for families and adolescents in Northeast Central Durham.
• Circles of Support and Accountability will be organizing volunteer teams from faith-communities to provide social support and reflection with sex offenders in the Durham area, to support rehabilitation and prevent recidivism.
• Durham Crisis Response Center's Faith Based Initiative will be equipping faith-communities for ministry with domestic violence victims, and extending its network of contacts and support for victims.
• Durham Economic Resource Center will be extending its workplace training and job-placement service for chronically unemployed adults.
• Durham’s Partnership for Children's Faith in Books project will be providing bilingual board books for young children to congregations in Northeast Central Durham.
• John Avery Boys and Girls Club will be building its coaching staff and improving accessibility for Latino youth in its programs.
• Latino Educational Achievement Partnership will be providing pre-Kindergarten readiness services for Latino children and families.

DCIA is an interfaith, inter-racial organization of 62 congregations. The DCIA mission is to bring together congregations to promote understanding across boundaries of faith, race and ethnicity and build an inclusive community of justice and peace.

How to Apply
Beginning January 30, 2012, you may call 919-403-6950 ext. 6820 to set an appointment time between February 6 and April 6, 2012. 
You may also visit one of the following Durham County Head Start offices beginning February 6, 2012, where a family counselor will assist parents in filling out the application.
• 215 Seminary St. (across from McDonald’s and the YMCA)
• 1313 Halley St. (Lyon Park)
• 908 Liberty St.  (Leathers Meacham)

Click here to download the NC Pre-K flyer for more information. [En Español]

For more information about financial assistance for child care, contact Child Care Services Association at 919-403-6950 or contact Durham County Social Services at 919-560-8360.

Durham County’s NC Pre-K program is working to provide high-quality early educational experiences for 4-year-olds who are not attending preschool for various reasons. The program is community-based, voluntary, and designed to prepare 4-year-olds for kindergarten. The NC Pre-K program operates in private class rooms, Durham Public Schools, and Head Start.

The Durham County Universal Pre-K Application project is supported in part with funding from Duke’s Doing Good in the Neighborhood giving campaign. This process ensures that at-risk four-year-olds are matched to proper pre-kindergarten education services.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 24 million children in America -- one out of three -- live in biological father-absent homes. Children who live absent their biological fathers are, on average, at least two to three times more likely to be poor, to use drugs, to experience educational, health, emotional and behavioral problems, to be victims of child abuse, and to engage in criminal behavior than their peers who live with their married, biological (or adoptive) parents.  Source: The National Fatherhood Initiative

The Early Childhood Faith Initiative seeks to address this critical issue through its upcoming Lunch & Learn session, "Getting Fathers Involved with Young Children," from 11:30 am to 1 pm on Tuesday, February 7th.  Jeff Quinn, MPH, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University will present an overview of the importance of father involvement in early development as well as suggestions on how fathers can get involved in their child's life.  He will be joined by a panel of ministers who will share their suggestions of how congregations can help fathers get involved in their children's lives as well as their own personal experiences as fathers.  The session will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church (2620 Weaver Street) in the fellowship hall.  Bring your lunch.  Beverages provided. 

Registration is encouraged by contacting Winnie Morgan (winniewmorgan@juno.com or 919-732-1524), Early Childhood Faith Initiative Coordinator for the Partnership.  This session is free and open to the public.

The Faith Initiative is a collaborative initiative between Durham’s Partnership for Children and End Poverty Durham that recognizes the role that the faith community plays in providing support to families and children.  Click here to read more about this initiative.

Parents of rising kindergartners have many questions in the months leading up to the start of school, when their child will begin their journey into the public classroom.  Starting kindergarten is one of the most important transitions a young child will experience.  On top of the doubts and fears that parents may have, they are also faced with important choices.  Some of the most frequently asked questions by parents include:

How do I locate my child’s assigned school?
Go to the Durham Public School home page at www.dpsnc.net and click on the Student Map Assignment symbol and follow the directions to locate schools assigned to your address. You may also call Student Assignment at 560-2059.

What are my child’s choices for elementary school at DPS?
Attend your Neighborhood School, apply to a Year Round School, or apply to a Magnet School.

What is a Neighborhood School?
A Neighborhood School is a school that is close to your home, which usually begins in August and ends in June. Call 560-9403 if unsure which is your Neighborhood School. Registration for Neighborhood Schools begins at the school in March.

What is a Year Round School?
The Year Round School calendar begins in July and ends in June. Instead of one big summer break, students in Year Round Schools have three week breaks in September, December, and March.  There are three elementary schools in Durham (Holt, Easley, and Pearsontown) that are Year Round Schools. Every address in Durham is assigned to one of the three Year Round Schools.

What is a Magnet School?
Durham Public Schools has seven Magnet Schools, which are schools that have a special focus such as the arts or foreign languages. For example, Burton Elementary is a Geo-World Magnet that helps children learn about the world and society and Sandy Ridge Elementary is an Arts Magnet, allowing students to take art, music, dance, and performing arts or drama classes.

What resources are available to assist parents in making this decision?
DPS is hosting a Choice Fair on January 21, 2012 from 9 am to noon at Hillside High School. At the Choice Fair, parents can learn about assigned neighborhood schools, year-round schools and magnet schools in Durham and how to apply. Call 560-9403 with any questions or visit the Schools of Choice page on the DPS website.

DPS will host its final Kindergarten Welcome Session of the year on March 6, 2012 from 6 to 7:30 pm at the DPS Staff Development Center (2107 Hillandale Road).  Kindergarten Welcome Sessions cover how to register your child for kindergarten, opportunities for magnet and year-round programs in DPS, information about before and after school care, and conversations with kindergarten teachers.  Call 560-9403 to reserve a seat.

Visit the Partnership Transition to Kindergarten web page or the DPS kindergarten website with additional questions.