Future brighter for children, speaker tells local Partnership
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on December 28, 2014 1:50 AM
Cindy Watkins, president the N.C. Partnership for Children, said she is more optimistic than ever about the future for young children.
At the annual meeting of The Partnership for Children of Wayne County, the keynote speaker said she is hearing a growing number of references about the importance of early childhood education in political circles, for the country as well as the state and Wayne County.
"We have got a long way to go but only through positive change are we going to get there," she said.
She said it has been exciting to hear more conversations about the value of making children a priority.
"We know that when a community thrives, children will thrive," she said. "Building communities that take care of children is what we in early childhood education do."
There has been increasing evidence of what goes on in a child's brain and early development, she said, with agencies like the Partnership recognizing the importance of the first 2,000 days from birth to the start of school.
"The most rapid period of development happens the first early years of life," Tracy Zimmerman, director of strategic communication, N.C. Early Childhood Foundation, said.
Mrs. Zimmerman was the other featured speaker at the breakfast gathering at Lane Tree Conference Center.
She said there are many reasons to care about the concept of those early years.
"Brains are built and not born," she explained. "Birth to (age) 8 is a critical development period, and how strong they are or how weak they are is determined by what happens in those early years."
Creating "Champions for Children," the event's theme, is the mantle being picked up across the state.
"We have more than 100 champions across the state -- business leaders, law enforcement, faith leaders," she said.
Grassroots efforts are also needed, she said, suggesting three easy ways to take on the charge -- make a commitment to talk to someone about the importance of a child's first years, keep up on issues by signing up for First 2000 Day alerts, at www.first2000days.org and host a First 2000 Day presentation to spread the message.
Charlie Ivey, executive director of the local Partnership, also recognized local "champions for children," including Dr. Dave Tayloe of Goldsboro Pediatrics; Bill Edgerton, who volunteered with the Partnership's Safe Kids program; and Dr. Betty Slowinski, a professor in the early childhood education program at the University of Mount Olive.
He also shared the year in review, which he entitled "by the numbers."
"The world is increasingly becoming a numbers game," he said, citing school test scores and agencies documenting numbers of what has been done.
Among the highlights for 2013-2014, Ivey said the agency had made more than 660 on-site visits to child care facilities; did 210 car seat checks; and served 674 children in a quality N.C. Pre-K classroom.
Likewise, 450 providers participated in training, 59 parents and 82 children received home visits as part of the Parents as Teachers program, and the Born Learning event drew more than 1,400 from the community.
Praising the efforts of his staff, Ivey said in the Partnership's 15-year history, it has given Wayne County's youngest segment the "smart start" they need to get ready for school.
Ivey also paid tribute to Gina Meadows, who had worked at the Partnership for 14 years. The manager of the Partnership's lending library passed away in June after a battle with cancer.
"We certainly miss her smiling face and that wonderful English accent," Ivey said, before introducing a slide show in her memory.
"At the staff's request, we're also doing something different. We're renaming the lending library the Gina M. Meadows lending library," he said, then presented a commemorative plaque to Mrs. Meadows' husband, Bryan.