Background Since 2009, key funders in Guilford County have explored what it would take to transform the early childhood system so that more children enter kindergarten ready for the challenges ahead. They brought together a diverse group of Guilford County leaders to form a Steering Committee to lead the work, and hired Dr. Pennie Foster-Fishman, a systems change expert from Michigan State University, to guide the efforts. In early 2015, a diverse group of Guilford County leaders issued a challenge: To provide a pathway and a plan to build a responsive, innovative early childhood system with one clear goal — for each child in Guilford County to enter kindergarten ready for school and ready for life. The Goal: Each Child in Guilford County Ready for School and Ready for Life What Does “Ready for School” Mean? Kindergarten has changed a lot over the years, and being “ready” is more than knowing your colors or A-B-C’s. In fact, there’s a lot that goes into a child being ready for school. The pathway to school success begins with healthy births, and requires focus on five key areas—or domains—in a child’s development from birth on. The five domains we need to pay attention to are: 1.Approaches to Play & Learning 2.Emotional & Social Development 3.Health & Physical Development 4.Language Development & Communication 5.Cognitive Development Source: North Carolina Foundations for Early Learning and Development, 2013 What Are Local Parents Most Concerned About? In a 2015 survey of 350+ families with a child under age 5, parents reported being most concerned about whether or not their child would be ready for school. Source: Guilford County Partnership for Children Why Should We Care? Brains are built, not born. During the first 2,000 days of life—from birth until kindergarten—a child’s brain develops more quickly than at any other time. What happens during these days at home and in other care settings builds the foundation for all future learning. Early childhood is a workforce development issue. People who have high-quality experiences during the early years are more likely to read on grade level, graduate from high school, earn a higher salary, contribute more in taxes, and are healthier throughout their lifetimes. Parents whose children are in affordable, high-quality childcare settings are also less likely to leave the workforce. How Are We Doing Today? More than 1 in 3 children entering kindergarten are not on target for being able to read on grade level by third grade. 1 in 5 requires intensive remediation to catch up with his or her peers. That’s almost 1,000 kindergarteners every year. Source: Schoolhouse Partners, 2015 A solid body of research shows the cost- effectiveness of early childhood development in helping to prevent achievement gaps, boost school achievement, promote better health outcomes, improve our workforce, increase productivity, and reduce the need for social spending. Source: James Heckman, Nobel Laureate in Economics How can we help more children get—and stay—developmentally on track in each of these five areas from birth on? That’s the question Ready for School, Ready for Life set out to answer. 1

Creating a New Vision Together Since June, 2015, hundreds of Guilford County residents have contributed to building a new vision for how our community can work together to prepare more children for success, starting with prenatal care. The resulting Pathway to Success and Framework for Change in the following pages are based on: Qualitative data. Parents, caregivers, business leaders, direct service providers, agency and non- profit leaders, teachers, early childhood professionals, health care professionals, and other community members shared their views and experiences of the early childhood system through a series of family meetings held from May through September, Quantitative data. Available local data reflecting the status of young children and families was gathered and analyzed. Best practices and emerging practices. Local and national experts in the early childhood field have also contributed the framework for change. Building Guilford County’s Pathway for School Success & Framework for Change What We Learned Regardless of their current situations, families have big dreams for their children and for themselves. Families want to prepare their children for kindergarten, but have different ideas about what that means. Of the five domains, most families said they are least confident in fostering emotional & social development. Many families with young children say they struggle to meet basic needs. Families report the cost of child care keeps them from entering the workforce or puts children at risk when they receive care in lower-quality formal/informal settings. Families and service providers reported difficulty in accessing services that would help prepare children for school: Confusion about what services and supports are available in our community. Significant barriers such as transportation, language/cultural differences, hours and location of services Many programs that help children prepare for kindergarten have long waitlists, NC Pre-K, childcare subsidy, Head Start, Parents as Teachers, etc. Difficulties with referrals and follow through means that some families can’t get what they need for their children— frustrating families and service providers alike. About Family Meetings 230 families participated in family meetings to share their experiences of raising young children in Guilford County—what’s working and what’s not working today in preparing children for school., Participants represented the racial/ethnic, geographic and socio- economic diversity of Guilford County. As part of the process, we heard from sources that may be typically overlooked, including: Grandparents raising grandchildren Fathers in a parenting program Foster parents Teen mothers Parents of special needs children Parents of children with behavioral challenges Refugees from 15 countries Undocumented immigrants Families experiencing homelessness Families with members experiencing incarceration 2