spring 2014 newsletter for the alamance partnership for children and the alamance alliance for...
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Spring 2014 joint newsletter of the Alamance Partnership for Children and the Alamance Alliance for Children and Families.TRANSCRIPT
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SPRING, 2014
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3
Childcare Connections A joint newsletter of the Alamance Partnership for Children and
the Alamance Alliance for Children and Families
Over 140 child care providers
joined the Alamance Partner-
ship for Children at the Spring
Day of Training on Saturday,
March 15th, at Alamance Com-
munity College. Providers re-
ceived 820 hours of training
and spent a great day together
learning and laughing.
Congratulations to Dr. Rosemary Stein Appointed to the
NC Partnership for Children Board of Directors
Dr. Rosemary Stein was officially sworn in as a member of The North Carolina Partnership for Childrens (NCPC) Board of Directors on Janu-ary 17th. NCPC is the organization that leads Smart Start across the state. As part of the 26-member board, Dr. Stein will provide over-sight to ensure that all North Caroli-
na children have access to the high quality early care and edu-cation, health, and family support services they need to thrive.
This is an outstanding group of new members that will fur-ther enhance Smart Starts ability to ensure that every child arrives at school healthy and ready to succeed, said Dr. Nan-cy H. Brown, Board Chair of NCPC. We are very pleased to welcome these community leaders to our dedicated Board of Directors. Dr. Stein is a pediatrician with over 26 years expe-rience and is the owner of International Family Clinic (IFC) Pediatrics in Burlington, NC. She graduated from Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena a Medical School in the Do-minican Republic.
Shape NC: Healthy Starts for
Young Children is a six-year, $6
million partnership, started in 2010,
between the Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) Foundation and The North
Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. (NCPC) created to in-
crease the number of children starting kindergarten at a
healthy weight.
Shape NC assists communities across the state to promote
healthy eating and active play among North Carolinas youngest
children, from birth through age five. The initiative works with
child care programs to instill healthy behaviors early on, cre-
ating a solid foundation for a healthy life. In its first three years,
Shape NC has engaged 19 communities spanning 27 counties to
improve healthy eating and active play for our states youngest
children.
If you have an interest in participating in Shape NC-phase two,
please contact Carey Ann Watkins at (336)513-0063 X108 or
Spring Day of Training a Roaring Success!
http://www.smartstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ShapeNC_FactSheet_1_6_2012.pdf -
CHILDCARE CONNECTIONS PAGE 2
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CARRIE THEALL
The Alamance Partnership for Children is pleased to welcome Penny Scott who
has joined the staff as Executive Administrative and Program Support Assistant.
Penny will oversee the day to day operations of the Partnership office, offer assis-
tance to the Executive Director and Finance Director and work as staff liaison to
the Alamance Partnerships Board of Directors.
Penny comes to the Partnership after thirty years in education at the Burlington
School. Her experience includes teaching in the elementary and middle schools,
Director of Admissions, Division Head of the Kindergarten, Assistant to Head of
School and accounting and finance. Penny graduated from Elon University with
a B.A. in Education and Business Administration. Welcome Penny!
Lately it seems the popular topic
of discussion is the weather.
With the recent ice storms, snow,
and constant rain showers, all an-
yone can talk about is when will
spring arrive? I remember grow-
ing up and being told, March
comes in like a lion, but out like a
lamb. I dont think that will be
the case for 2014.
Probably the most difficult part of
all this bad weather is the disrup-
tion it caused in our day to day
lives. Schools closed for a day or
a half a day and parents had to
scramble to make arrangements.
Meetings got cancelled and then
had to be rescheduled. Trees fell,
power was lost, cable was out and
we all had to adapt to doing with-
out these services. These circum-
stances can certainly put us all
under a tremendous amount of
stress. The question is does it
have to?
My mother used to tell me that
my attitude was all in my per-
spective. If you view the past
few weeks as a terrible crisis,
then your body and mind will re-
act in accordance. However, if
you can see the weather for what
it is something we have abso-
lutely no control over then there
can be some positives. For exam-
ple, I was definitely able to catch
up on some reading when my
power and cable were out. Of
course I was reading by flash-
light, but that was kind of remi-
niscent of childhood. The power
outage forced me to clean out my
refrigerator, which has needed to
happen for a while now. Friends
came over and helped me clean
up my yard and even pushed a big
limb off of my car. We then sat
on my porch and relaxed while
catching up with each other.
Here at the Partnership we actual-
ly gave out a prize to a staff
member for the worst weather
story. And no, my story was defi-
nitely not the worst.
So lets look back on the last few
weeks and be glad we made it
through some minor and even
some major inconveniences. Its
taught us all to appreciate switch-
ing on a light and having a hot
shower, but most of all its shown
us that there are positives every-
where we look. We just have to
look in the right places.
Looking for child care? Call Referral Central toll free at 855-327-5933 or visit www.childcareservices.org/fs/finding .html.
Meet Penny Scott
http://www.childcareservices.org/fs/finding.html -
The next Motheread session will be held
April 1st - May 20th. This 8-week session will
meet Tuesdays at Eastlawn Elementary School
from 5:00p7:30p. Dinner and child care are
offered free of charge and a free childrens
book is given each week of class. The class will be exploring chil-
drens books and learning essential pre-
literacy skills to help prepare children for
kindergarten. Techniques will be offered
to strengthen the bond between parent
and child and sharpen listening, speaking
and writing skills in a fun and relaxing at-
mosphere with other families. To enroll
contact Shonna Trinidad at 336-513-0063 ext. 103.
Twenty eight parents completed the Incredible
Years sessions in Fall 2013 impacting over 45
children in Alamance County. Three classes were offered at Eastlawn
Elementary and Alamance Partnership for Children.
The Partnership is currently conducting three Incredible Years sessions
that began in February for parents of children ages 3-12. The program
has over 50 parents enrolled for the classes at Eastlawn Elementary,
First School of Elon, and Alamance Partnership for Children. Included is
a Spanish class for parents of 3-5 year olds.
The Incredible Years Program is now taking applications for the Fall
2014 sessions. Classes will begin September 2nd and 15th for parents of
children ages 3-12. Please contact Kim Morabito at 336.513.0063, ext.
118 or [email protected] to register or for additional
information.
Classes, dinner, and child care are provided at no
cost. Funding for the Incredible Years Program is
made possible by the Department of Health &
Human Services, United Way of Alamance Coun-
ty, and Smart Start.
Program Updates: PAGE 3 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3
Parents as Teachers (PAT) is currently serving 93 families
with 126 children age birth to five in Alamance County
with a minimum of one home visit per month. Each
month, PAT educators provide at least one group
meeting to the families they serve. This quarter PAT
group meetings included playing in the Outdoor Learning
Environment, learning about healthy shopping habits at
Just $ave Foods and learning from
nurse midwife, Karen Saxer, at the
Alamance County Health Department.
NC Pre-K applications
are now being accept-
ed for the 2014-15
school year. NC Pre-K,
ABSS, and Head Start
will all accept the same application. Parents only need to
fill out one application to be considered for all of the Pre
-K programs. To qualify a child must turn four years of
age on or before August 31, 2014. Parents may pick up
an application by contacting the Alamance Partnership
for Children, ABSS, or Head Start. The application is also
available on our website. www.alamancechildren.org
For more information, contact Kristie Kylander at
336.513.0063 or [email protected]
http://www.alamancechildren.orgmailto:[email protected] -
Events and Trainings
CHILDCARE CONNECTIONS PAGE 4
4th Quarter Training Calendar Register at http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/training.html
The following workshops are being held at the Alamance Partnership for Children, 2322 River Road, Burlington, NC 27217, unless otherwise noted.
Date Workshop Title Time Cost Credits Trainer_______
Mon., Apr. 7 Choice and Preference: Preventing Power Struggles With Preschoolers 6:00p-8:00p $5.00 2 Gwen Adair-Howell
Thurs., April 10 Big Movement, Small Spaces 6:00p-8:00p $5.00 2 Carey Ann Watkins
Thurs., April 10 Its SIDSAlamance Co. Health Dept. 6:00p-7:30p $5.00 1.5 Kelley Kimrey To register call: 570-6273
Thurs., April 24 Best Practices in the Outdoor Learning Environment 6:30p-8:30p $5.00 2 Carey Ann Watkins
Thurs., May 1 CPRAlamance Co. Health Dept. 6:00p-8:00p $37.00 2 Kelley Kimrey To register call: 570-6273
Tues., May 15 Motor Skills and Movement Concepts 6:00p-8:00p $5.00 2 Carey Ann Watkins Thurs., May 29 Gardening With Children 6:30p-8:30p $5.00 2 Carey Ann Watkins
Thurs., June 5 First AidAlamance Co. Health Dept. 6:00p-9:00p $32.00 3 Kelley Kimrey To register call: 570-6273 Tues., June 10 Literature in the Outdoor Learning Environment 6:00p-8:00p $5.00 2 Carey Ann Watkins
Thurs., July 10 *Be Active Kids Movement Guide Training-Health Dept. 6:00p-8:00p FREE 2 Kelley Kimrey To register call 570-6273 *The NEW Movement Guide is aimed at improving childrens physically active life experiences as they develop motor skills through various activities. Over 80 developmentally appropriate lesson plans for infants, toddlers, twos, and preschoolers are available.
The following training is offered through Alamance Community College. Register at http://www.alamancecc.edu/continuing-education-site/registration/
Apr. 5, 2014 BSAC-Basic School Age Care 9:00a 2:00p $20.00 .5 CEUs Lisa Rettie
To register for the conference go to
NC Smart Start
Join us for
The School Ready Child Tuesday, April 8th
11:30a1:30p National Agents Alliance Event Center
1214 Turrentine Street Burlington, NC 27215
To register: 336-513-0063
For more information call 336-513-0063
http://www.childcareservices.org/ps/training.htmlhttp://www.alamancecc.edu/continuing-education-site/registration/https://ww2.eventrebels.com/er/EventHomePage/CustomPage.jsp?ActivityID=9873&ItemID=38556 -
Our Board of Directors:
Board Chair-Stephanie Williams
Vice Chair-Ron Waters
Treasurer-Eddie Boswell
Secretary-Jeremy Ireland
Barry Bass Martha Krall
Tim Beshel Kris Moffitt
Rachel Blunk Susan Osborne
Patsy Byrd Jeannie Proctor
David Carter Stacie Saunders
Chris Clemmons Granville Simmons
Mark Cryan Davina Woods
Bryan Hagood
..
Board Meetings are held on the second Wednes-
day of every month at noon. These meetings are
open to the public. Should you have an interest
in attending, please contact the Partnership at
336.513.0063.
Dolly Partons Imagination Library
In 1996, Dolly Parton launched a reading program to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of
reading among her countys preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that
books can create. In Alamance County, eligible children receive a free book in the mail per month until they reach their fifth birthday. The
books, distributed by the Dolly Parton Foundation, are carefully selected to be age-appropriate and to deliver positive, developmentally im-
portant skill opportunities for children. Alamance Partnership for Children is currently providing this service to the Eastlawn, Newlin, Andrews,
Haw River, Grove Park, Pleasant Grove, and North Graham school zones. To be eligible, a child between the ages of birth to five years of age
needs to reside within one of these districts.
Please mail in the completed enrollment form above, if you are interested in enrolling your child.
Our Staff:
Carrie Theall-Executive [email protected]
Tamatha Kohler-Program [email protected] Melinda McGuire-Finance & H.R. [email protected]
Penny Scott-Executive Administrative and Program Support Assistant [email protected]
Kim Morabito-Incredible Years [email protected] Kristie Kylander-NC Pre-K [email protected]
Shonna Trinidad-Literacy [email protected]
Bonita Brown-Lead Early Childhood [email protected] Lisa Rettie-Early Childhood [email protected]
Jessica Johnson-Lead Parents as Teachers [email protected]
Gaby Quinteros-Parents as Teachers [email protected] Jessy Estrada-Parents as Teachers [email protected]
Nelgi Moreno-Parents as Teachers [email protected]
Mary Erwin-Outreach [email protected] Carey Ann Watkins-OLE [email protected]
Contact us:
2322 River Road, Burlington, NC 27217-8359
Phone: 336.513.0063 Fax: 336.226.1152
Website: www.alamancechildren.org
Alamance Partnership for Children VISION : All children arrive at school healthy, happy and ready for success in school and life.
DOLLY PARTONS IMAGINATION LIBRARY REGISTRATION FORM
VOLUMN 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 5
http://www.alamancechildren.org/ -
As Spring approaches (or at least
we think it will be here soon!) we
at the Alliance automatically begin
to think about a very important date May 8th, Chil-
drens Mental Health Awareness Day! Since the grant
began we have planned at least one major event to cel-
ebrate this day and to raise awareness within the com-
munity of the importance of positive social and emo-
tional health.
This year, as part of Childrens Mental Health Aware-
ness Day activities, we have expanded our
project to make available to the community during
the months of April and May, an 18 minute video, high-
lighting the struggles and successes of three families
served through the Alliance and the community artists
who worked with them. The video is accompanied by a
self-facilitated discussion guide. The discussion guide,
entitled Behind the Seen: A Conversation about Young
Child Mental Health, is available to church, agency and
civic groups interested in learning more about young
child mental health. If you or someone you know is
willing to facilitate a discussion at your church, agency
or civic group contact Mary Erwin, outreach specialist
for the Alliance, at [email protected] for
more information.
And remember to wear
your green ribbon on May
8th, Childrens Mental
Health Awareness Day!
A System of Care Newsbrief In Alamance County, North Carolina
PAGE 6
IF YOU NEED HELP...
The Alamance Alliance for Children and Families supports the
social and emotional health of young children and their families in
Alamance County. A community-wide initiative, the Alamance
Alliance partners with local child-serving agencies, the communi-
ty, and most importantly, with families. The end result? Keeping
families safe, healthy and together.
Infants2 year olds, CDSA: Phone: 336-449-4055 ext. 201,
Fax: 336-449-7368
35 year olds, Alamance-Burlington School System:
Phone: 336-570-6130, ext. 37819
Clinical Coordinator at the Alamance Alliance:
Phone: 336-202-3188
Classroom Management in Child Care:
Alamance Partnership Early Childhood Specialists:
Phone: 336-513-0063, extensions 107 and 116
Andrew Cline, Family Solutions, 336-899-8800, ext. 27
Parents looking for child care: Toll Free: 855-327-5933 or
http://ncchildcaresearch.dhhs.state.nc.us/search.asp
Alamance County Health Department: 336-570-6273
Alamance Department of Social Services: 336-570-6273
Visit the Alamance Alliance for Children and Families website at
www.alamancesoc.org for more information.
From the Director: Connie Windham
CHILDCARE CONNECTIONS
Whats Up Breakfast
Friday, April 11th. 2014
Whats Up with Young Children
Kernodle Senior Center
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM RSVP to
mailto:[email protected]://ncchildcare.nc.gov/parents/pr_sn2_ov.asphttp://alamancesoc.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected] -
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 PAGE 7
New Resource for Alamance County! ABCD: Assuring Better Child Health and Development
ABCD is a quality improvement project helping pediatricians and Health Departments serve chil-dren birth five years old by providing assistance with developmental screenings and referrals to early intervention and other community services.
Our goal is to help you better serve young children and, in the process, increase your compliance with
Medicaid requirements regarding screening, referring, and moni-toring children at risk.
What Do We Offer?
The ABCD Coordinator assists staff and providers through individ-ual and group meetings, phone calls and emails, and biannual chart reviews. Contacts can range in frequency and duration from brief calls as-needed, to weekly visits. You set the pace de-pending on your needs. Resources include:
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3), a validated, standard-ized developmental screening tool for use at well child visits:
Training on administration and scoring;
How to talk to parents about positive screens;
Problem-solving the case of borderline scores.
Secondary Screening Tools, including
Autism in young children (MCHAT) (required at 18 and 24 month WCCs for Medicaid clients)
Social Emotional Assessment (Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Social-Emotional)
Maternal Depression (Edinburgh)
Technical assistance for medical providers and staff about:
Referring children at risk for developmental delay to early intervention services
Information about services available to children through community agencies.
Follow-up and tracking of at-risk children.
Anticipatory guidance materials including parent handouts on child development and behavior issues for children 0-5 in English and Spanish.
ABCD is supported by the Chatham County Partnership for Chil-dren, in partnership with AccessCare of Community Care of North Carolina.
Contact: Sara Garrison Alamance & Caswell Counties ABCD Coordinator (919) 255-9756, [email protected]
Behind the Seen: A Conversation about Young Child Mental Health is available for training credits for child care providers. It can also be shown at parent meetings as a program. Training is FREE! Con-tact Mary Erwin, 336-513-0063, to schedule a workshop or email merwin@alamancechildren,org.
Hello! I am grateful for this opportunity to serve children
and families in Alamance County as an Early Childhood
Mental Health Consultant (ECMHC). My primary focus is
facilitating the social and emotional development of pre-
school-aged children in their school and home environ-
ments using short-term, needs-based interventions. I
work side-by-side with teachers in the classroom, helping them learn and
utilize strategies for managing individual and group behavior. I also act as
a behavior coach for children, helping them resolve conflicts and use
positive behaviors with their peers. This work includes helping children
understand and express their feelings, practicing coping skills, and maxim-
izing opportunities for success at school and home. I also provide re-
sources and consultation for parents looking to learn new behavior man-
agement strategies and ensure a successful partnership with their childs
educators.
If you are interested in these support services for your child or student,
please contact me at 336-899-8800 (x27) or by email
[[email protected]]. I look forward to working with you!
Meet Andrew Cline: Early Childhood Mental Health Consultant
The WRCAC will host a one-
time session of Parenting
Under Two Roofs on Satur-
day, April 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The ses-
sion will be held at the WRCAC, located at 411-B W.
Fifth Street in Burlington. To register, you must
come to the WRCAC to complete and sign your ap-
plication during business hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. Spaces are limited and are
offered on a first-come, first-served basis. The
WRCAC will pay the $40 fee for those who qualify.
http://www.famsolutions.org/index.php -
CHILDCARE CONNECTIONS PAGE 8
Resources for Young Children
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You Decide: What is your Cultural and Linguistic Competency IQ?
Cultural and Linguistic Competence is the ability to
understand, appreciate, and effectively interact
with persons whose native language, culture, and/
or belief systems differ from ones own (Modified
from Segen's Medical Dictionary). The Alamance
Alliance for Children and Families Cultural and Lin-
guistic Competence (CLC) Committee, in partner-
ship with the North Carolina Collaborative for Chil-
dren, Youth, and Families, developed two FREE 90-
minute online cultural competence modules to sup-
port the provision of culturally responsive services
from the individual and organizational perspective.
Self-awareness is explored through the individual
module through an examination of the individuals
cultural identity and the impact that it has on their
personal and professional values and beliefs. The
organizational module examines how an organiza-
tion and its personnel can become more culturally
and linguistically competent in their service deliv-
ery. After completing these FREE 90-minute mod-
ules and a short evaluation, participants can down-
load a training certificate. These modules can be
accessed at https://nccti.org.
For questions, contact Dr. Teresa A. Smith at
[email protected] or Linda Jones at
https://www.pnc.com/content/gug/en/resources/kits.htmlhttp://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/challengeshttp://frizzleblog.scholastic.com/post/repeated-read-alouds-may-lead-reading-success-young-children?cid=PAR/smd/20140324/facebook/frizzleblogrepeatreadalouds//CORP/content/1pmhttp://www.zerotothree.org/about-us/areas-of-expertise/free-parent-brochures-and-guides/https://nccti.orgmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]