SUCCEEDING TOGETHER ANNUAL REPORT 2017-2018
Letter from Leadership Two years ago, we highlighted the necessity of working together across roles and sectors in order to ensure that our youngest children are ready together for school. Last year, we emphasized the new collaborations that the Partnership leads and participates in, honing our skills to build together. Without strong systems and adaptive structures in place that are built on mutual accountability, shared data and measurement, and continuous communication, it’s not possible to significantly move the needle on school readiness. Now, as we reflect on the 2017-18 fiscal year, we consider all the ways we are truly succeeding together! For many years, the Partnership was a lone voice in the wilderness, calling out the need for investing early and trying to win others to our cause. Then, thanks to the advancements in neuroscience and brain research, our audience grew. Leaders from the community began paying attention to the importance of the early years, those first 2,000 days between the time a child is born and the first day of Kindergarten. Today, we stand amid a large and robust chorus, enjoying the many voices that are singing the song of school readiness. Our role at the Partnership continues to be one of convening and facilitating this growing network. And we are succeeding! Read more about our shared, community-based work in the following pages and look for markers of success – increased Smart Start investments for access to child care; improved quality in centers and expanded strategies to support early educators with professional development and salary supplements; brand new literacy efforts like Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and Reach Out and Read expansion; intentional family and community engagement in Early Head Start partnerships; growing numbers of children served through high quality NC Pre-K; record numbers of professionals trained in Touchpoints, Family Connections, and Racial Equity; and gamechanging community efforts to bring new resources to the whole birth to 3rd grade continuum. School Readiness is Everybody’s Business – and we invite you to make it yours!
Laura J.S. Benson Executive Director
2.REACH OUT AND READ Reach Out and Read (ROR) is a national program that supports doctors in their efforts to foster healthy bonding and brain development. During well-child visits, pediatricians use books as part of the exam as they “prescribe” reading daily with their youngest patients. The Partnership is one of eighteen Smart Start local partnerships in NC that received new funding to provide or expand ROR in their communities. The Partnership helps strengthen ROR at Duke Children’s Primary Care Southpoint and Lincoln Community Health Center, working with these medical practices to promote early brain development, literacy, and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms and waiting rooms. This includes giving free books to children, as well as guidance for parents about the importance of reading aloud and building a strong foundation for learning. ROR also occurs at Duke Children’s Primary Care Roxboro Road clinic.
Cathy Collie-Robinson Board Chair
CONTENTS Letter from Leadership 2 Transition to Kindergarten Literacy Initiatives 2-3 Early Childhood Smart Start 4 Forum Durham Early Head Start 5 Early Childhood NC Pre-Kindergarten 6 Training Institute
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7 7 8
Our Financials 9 Staff in Action 10 Our Donors 11 Board Leadership 11 Staff & Consultants 12
Succeeding Together This year has been defined by our literacy initiatives. As needs arise in Durham, we continue to adjust our priorities, focus, and strategies to better serve children and families, keeping our mission at the forefront: to ensure every child enters school healthy and ready to succeed. Early literacy plays a key role in all Partnership programs and is a crucial part of a child’s development. It enhances vocabulary, builds important communication skills, and gives them the tools they need to be successful in school and in life! Here are 3 top literacy initiatives:
1. DOLLY PARTON’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY
During the 2017 legislative session, North Carolina state lawmakers included $3.5 million in the first year of the budget and $7 million in 1 MILLION Books the second year for the Smart Start network to offer free books through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (DPIL). Smart Start began rolling distributed out DPIL in October 2017, and the program is now available to every at the time of child in the state under the age of five. Through 75 local partnerships, publication! Smart Start continues to enroll young children to get as many books into the homes of North Carolina children as possible. Since receiving this new funding in March, 2018, the Partnership enrolled 5,564 children. In just 10 short months, the Partnership sent over 33,450 books to young children in the Durham community! Registration for DPIL is on a rolling basis and always open for children birth to age 5 who reside in Durham County. Each month, an ageappropriate book will be mailed directly to each child, at no cost or obligation to the family.
3. CAMPAIGN FOR GRADE-LEVEL READING Durham’s Campaign for Grade-Level Reading is a collaborative effort which the Partnership has co-led with Book Harvest. Part of the National Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR), this work is built upon the three pillars of school readiness, summer learning, and school attendance. This collaborative made big strides in its first year. Durham’s Campaign is founded on a strong belief in the important role of parents in achieving success for their children and is committed to engaging with families, schools, and community members to ensure better outcomes for Durham’s children. Ultimately, we hope to increase the percentage of 3rd graders in Durham reading proficiently from 45.7% to 70% by 2025.
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Smart Start The Smart Start initiative provides a broad range of high-quality services. In Durham, we allocate more than $5M annually in Smart Start funds to our partners, who in turn provide evidence-based/ evidence-informed services that are monitored and evaluated to meet state-wide benchmarks in early care and education, and health and family support.
2018 marked the 25th Anniversary of the Smart Start network envisioned as a public-private partnership by former Governor James B. Hunt. The Partnership is housed in the Jim & Carolyn Hunt Child Care Resource Center.
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION Child Care Services Association • Child Care Education & Referral Program • School Readiness Quality Enhancement • School Readiness Quality Maintenance • Smart Start Child Care Scholarship Program • WAGE$® Communities in Schools of Durham • Incredible Years - Teacher Classroom Management Program
“WAGE$ helped me maintain health insurance for myself.” -Durham Director “It will help me not only do what I love, but survive off the paycheck from what I love to do.” - Durham Teacher
HEALTH & FAMILY SUPPORT Center for Child & Family Health • Healthy Families Durham Durham County Cooperative Extension • Welcome Baby Family Resource Center El Centro Hispano, Inc. • Family Support Program Exchange Family Center • Early Childhood Outreach (EChO) Project Ribbon-cutting 2007
A child was referred to EChO due to aggressive behavior. The consultant worked with teachers to implement visuals for the daily routine as well as calming strategies for the child and her peers. Now she follows the routines, enjoys circle time. She and her peers stop and breathe when they’re upset! The child’s parent shared, “I can never thank you enough for all that you have done!” 4
Durham Early Head Start We collaborate with community partners to serve the most vulnerable children and families through Durham Early Head Start. This federallyfunded child development and family support program serves low-income expectant women and families with infants and toddlers ages birth to three. Chapel Hill Training-Outreach Project oversees the daily operation of program services; the Center for Child & Family Health provides home visiting services to 36 children; and local child care centers provide center-based care to 136 children.
DEHS is dedicated to four main goals:
1.
Children will manage feelings, emotions, actions, and behavior with support of familiar adults.
2.
Children will attend, persist, and demonstrate flexibility in learning, making discoveries, and solving problems.
3.
Children will demonstrate emerging initiative, interest, and curiosity in interactions with others and exploration of objects and people in the environment.
4.
Children will increasingly show creativity and imagination in play, learning, and interactions with others.
1 Educator to every 4 Children! All Early Head Start Teacher Assistants must have at minimum a Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) or statewide certificate.
At least 50% of teachers have bachelor’s degrees in Child Development or Early Childhood Education. The remaining must have at least an associate degree in early education.
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Children in center-based care at: Bryson Christian Montessori School, Early Start Academy, Little People Day Care, Primary Colors Early Learning Center, and Toddlers Academy.
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NC Pre-Kindergarten The statewide NC Pre-Kindergarten Program prepares eligible 4-year-olds for school by providing high-quality early education in both public and private settings. The Partnership serves as Durham County’s contract administrator and leads a universal application process with six collaborative agencies to enroll families throughout the community.
99%
100% 5-STAR FACILITIES
of children live in lowincome households (below 200% Federal Poverty Level).
84% OF LEAD TEACHERS HAVE BIRTHKINDERGARTEN LICENSES (BK)
632
children were served in 2017-2018
NC Pre-K received additional funding from Durham County to help support Teaching Strategies GOLD (TS GOLD), an online assessment program that allows ongoing tracking and documentation for a child’s learning and growth.
TS GOLD BENEFITS • Helps teachers develop informed lesson plans • Provides continual documentation of children’s growth • Allows parents tangible views of their child’s development • Aids with inclusion efforts in the classroom 6
Transition to Kindergarten Entering kindergarten is one of the most significant events in a young child’s life. The Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) Initiative, a collaboration between the Partnership and Durham Public Schools, sets the tone for a child’s entire educational experience and lays the foundation for future success in school. The TTK Initiative builds connections that prepare parents, children, and schools for a successful transition to kindergarten.
17 events were held at 8 elementary schools. Thanks to a partnership with Book Harvest, all rising kindergartners who attended took home 10 books to prevent summer learning loss.
Over 780 people were served during spring and summer TTK events: Kindergarten Here I Come, Blast off to Kindergarten, and Popsicles on the Playground.
“THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Parents and Kids seemed to throughly enjoy the morning and it helped answer questions and build comfort for the year.” - Linda Foreman, Title I coordinator
Community Early Childhood Forum On March 10th, 2018,the Partnership co-sponsored and helped convene the Community Early Childhood Forum. We presented on Pathways to GradeLevel Reading, the State of Durham’s Young Children report, and the Pre-K Task Force Report. This forum was a spring-board for ongoing work in 5 focus areas, that continues today.
96 ATTENDEES
5 Focus Areas 1. Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience 2. Birth and Maternal Health 3. Early Care and Education 4. Kindergarten to Grade 3 5. Durham Children’s Data Center
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Parents Elected Officials Community Members Business Leaders Providers/Educators
Early Childhood Training Institute/ Touchpoints ™ The Early Childhood Training Institute was established in 2015 to create an environment in Durham in which young children are raised in healthy, affirming, and supportive families. The Institute provides training informed by best practices for multi-disciplinary professionals who work with vulnerable families so that children grow up to be resilient adults who can cope with adversity, strengthen their communities, constructively participate in civic life, and nurture the next generation.
6,000
families have been impacted by and benefited from services received from Touchpointstrained practitioners.
The Durham Touchpoints Collaborative has trained providers and leaders across Durham County in the strengths-based Touchpoints approach. The purpose of the Collaborative is to bring together providers from across disciplines (education, health care, non-profit organizations, homeless shelters, children’s healthcare clinics, etc.) and provide a common language/approach to working with families during times of disorganization and vulnerability (particularly during the “touchpoint” periods of a child’s development).
Community engagement and collaboration among partners has increased through their involvement in Touchpoints training and reflective practice sessions. 8
Our Financials Statement of Receipts, Expenditures and Net Assets for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2018 Receipts Smart Start Grant
Expenditures
Early Head Start Grant NC Pre-K Grant Private Grants and Donations Multi Partnership Accounting and Contracting Grant Durham County Grant Other Receipts Sales Tax Refunds Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library Grant Program Income
Total Receipts
Child Care Services Association WAGE$ Program
$5,072,572 $2,874,705 $2,150,298 $200,987
$18,336 $15,000 $14,712 $3,164 $26,584 $1,007
Total Expenditures
Child Care Services Association WAGE$ Program
Total Contracts
Excess of Receipts Over Expenditures Net Assets at Beginning of Year
$74,595 $404,770
$479,365
Net Assets Consisted of:
$ 609,922
Cash on Deposit
$479,365
$10,987,287 * Note: During FY17-18, the NC Partnership for Children and the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) entered into a contract with and made payments to a service provider selected by Durham’s Partnership for Children. This service provider contract is not reflected in actual receipts, but is administered by the Partnership. A summary of this contract entered into by the NC Partnership for Children and DHHS is presented at left.
State Contracts
$823,581 $70,706 $68,906 $64,958 $15,234 $9,259,384
$10,302,770
Net Assets at End of Year
$10,377,365
Total Funds Administered*
Personnel and Contracted Services Non-Fixed Operating Expenses Fixed Charges Supplies and Materials Property and Equipment Services/Contracts/Grants
$609,922
$609,922
Fiscal Year 2017-2018 Receipts Early Head Start & other Federal Grants
Smart Start & Accounting Grant
• Child Care Education & Referral Program • School Readiness Quality Enhancement/ Maintenance • Child Care Scholarship Program • WAGE$® • Incredible Years • Family Support Program • Healthy Families Durham • Early Childhood Outreach (EChO) Project
NC Pre-K Grant
• • • • • • •
Professional Development Materials for classrooms Family Socialization Events High Quality Curriculum Transportation Funding for Child Care Partners Year round High Quality Child Care
• • • •
Children’s Seats • Applications Classroom Technology • Administrative Classroom Materials Staff Professional Development
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Initiatives: Literacy Transition to Kindergarten Family homelessness DELTA
Staff in Action The Partnership staff is made up of Thought Leaders in early education. On issues ranging from Child Homelessness, Pre-K application processes, Effective Collaborations, Early Childhood Mental Health, Pathways to Grade-Level Reading, or culturally responsive family engagement, the Partnership staff are experts.
Thought Leader: an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a specialized field and whose expertise is sought after!
Child Homelessness The Partnership was asked to present on a national and local stages about the impact homelessness has on a developing brain. Laura and three Durham collegues presented at both the 2018 Smart Start conference and the Beyond Housing 2018 ICHP conference.
Family Engagement Danielle serves as Director of Early Childhood Systems as well as an award-winning adjunct instructor at Durham Technical Community College. In both roles she continues to advocate for equity through a culturally responsive lens. A teacher whose pedagogy responds positively to culture by acknowledging and celebrating cultures allows a student to have equitable access to education and a positive learning experience. When applied authentically and intentionally, all of these elements support successful child outcomes and strengthens parent/family engagement.
Staff - 2019
Pre-k Application Process This year has celebrated the outstanding NC Pre-K program. We collaborated on a Pre-K management and expansion application for Durham County.
Pathways to Grade-Level Reading DPfC and DCGLR are committed to building public will to support strategies that increase the number of children in Durham reading proficiently by 3rd grade. We have convened stakeholders to think more critically about aligning resources and creating a blueprint to improve literacy outcomes for our communities young children.
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For over two decades the Partnership has been a leader in effective collaborations that work toward a collective impact in the Durham community.
Board Leadership Bob Ashley The Herald-Sun
Phillip Harris, Jr., Vice Chair Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton
Diamond Bethea Durham County Library
Brenda Howerton Durham County Commissioner
Deric Boston Durham Head Start
Ashley Taylor Jacobs Community Volunteer
Ilene Britt, Secretary Retired educator
Jason Jones Durham Parks & Recreation
Donna Rewalt Durham County Cooperative Extension
Linda Chappel Child Care Services Association
Mike Lee DPS Board of Education
Delphine Sellars Community Volunteer
Cathy Collie-Robinson, Chair Durham Technical Community College
Karen O’Mansky Self-Help
Queron Smith, Treasurer The Redwoods Group
Michael Page Antioch Baptist Church
James Spencer Local Interagency Coordinating Council
Drew Cummings Durham County Government
Joanne Pierce Durham County Department of Public Health David Reese East Durham Children’s Initiative
This list represents all board members who served during FY 2017-18
Elizabeth Erickson, MD Duke Children’s Primary Care
Our Donors Individuals Bob & Patricia Ashley Laura Benson & Walt Sliva Leslie Bronner Robert Campbell Linda Chappel Cora Cole-McFadden Cathy Collie-Robinson & Daniel Robinson Douglas Cook David Covington John Cox Richard Dansky Elizabeth Erickson Christopher & Darlene Farina Tiffany Foster Phillip Harris Mark Higgins Ashley Jacobs Casey Lafferty Kristin Meloa Patrick Mucklow Jenna & Steve Nelson Conor O’Byrne Karen O’Mansky & Andrew Barron
Charles Reece Lucy Rozier Chris & Belinda Sliva James Spencer Paulette Stephens Carl Webb Linda Wilson Elaine Zuckerman
Businesses, Foundations, Grants & Organizations AmazonSmile Bertsch Family Charitable Foundation Blue Cross Blue Shield (Employee Campaign) City of Durham’s 7 Stars (Employee Give) CCSA Duke University’s Office of Durham and Regional Affairs Durham County Environmental Federation Exchange Club First Steps of Lancaster County
Give with Liberty Housing for New Hope IBM (Employee Campaign) Keeping Children Safe (KCS) Liberty Mutual Foundation (Employee Campaign) Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors, LLP Morgan Creek Foundation North Carolina Division of Child Development & Early Education North Carolina Partnership for Children (NCPC) Network for Good Oak Foundation The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation Triangle Community Foundation Triangle Day Care United Way of the Greater Triangle Urban Ministries of Durham U.S. Office of Head Start Vanguard Charitable
Thank you to the following individuals, corporations, and organizations that so generously support our mission! High-quality early childhood programs have a lasting impact, and investing in a child’s early years is one of the best investments we can make.
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STAFF
INTERN
Debbie Abdallah
Danielle Johnson
Operations Specialist
Director of Early Childhood Systems
Laura Benson
Mae Karim
Executive Director
Contract Bookkeeper
Candice Blount
Deidre Morgan
NC Pre-K Program Specialist
Program Coordinator
Jeffrey Cabrera
Melissa Radice Peguero
Temp Program Assistant
Program Support Specialist
Mary Jane Dunn
Sandra Roberts
Contracts & Accounting Coordinator
Finance Director
Brittany Gregory
Jameka Wells
Program Coordinator
Program Coordinator
Nicole Gonzalez
Elaine Zuckerman
NC Pre-K Specialist
Alaya Reynolds UNC student
FUQUA ON BOARD Sebastian Abud Rebecca Morgan
CONSULTANTS OpenSource Leadership Strategies Paula Renee Parks-Bryant RAPHA Red Broom & Associates Randy Rogers
Communications Manager Staff listing from July 1, 2017 - June 30, 2018
@DurhamsPartnershipForChildren
Durham’s Partnership for Children
Jim & Carolyn Hunt Child Care Resource Center 1201 S. Briggs Ave. Suite 210 Durham, NC 27703 919.403.6960 (p) 919.403.6963 (f) www.dpfc.net
@DPFC_NC THE BLOG
www.dpfc.net/category/blog the_partnership_dpfc