Smart Start of Pender County Quarterly Newsletter January, February, March | Volume XIX, Issue II

Inside this Issue: CCR&R Page Provider Page Parent Page Early Intervention Page Donation Page Calendar of Events Come and Help us Celebrate Read Across America. Each child present from birth - 10 years of age will receive two FREE books.  Hosted by: Child Care Resource and Referral of Pender County  Time: Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Location: Smart Start of Pender County      600 N Timberly Lane    Burgaw, NC 28425 *The book distribution is for age’s birth-10 years of age. *All children must be present.

Our CR&R Page Come & Check Out Our Resource Library!

Kids are welcome too!  We have a children’s table set up in the front of our Resource Library (Kids Zone) where your child can do crafts while you are working in the workroom or checking out your materials.   Our membership fees increased effective July 1, 2019! ¨   $ 25 .00 annually for Preschool Teachers, Teacher Assistants and early education staff  members serving infants, toddlers and youths up to age 5.   ¨   $ 30 .00 annually for Teachers, Teacher Assistants and staff members serving school-age children beginning at Kindergarten level.   ¨   $25.00 annually for individuals and families with children birth to preschool.   ¨   $ 30 .00 annually for individuals and families with school age children or no children.   ¨   $30.00 annually for registered child care homes.   ¨   $40.00 annually for registered child care centers with a licensed capacity of 40 children or less.   ¨   $50.00 annually for registered child care centers with a licensed capacity of more than 40 children.    ¨   $ 60 .00 annually for nonprofit agencies, PTO's/ public and home school groups, church groups, and family resource centers with up to 10 secondary members ($5.00 for each    additional member).

For Our Providers Steps to Health: In Schools, Head Starts, and Child Care Centers

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO   NC State's Steps to Health program partners with schools to increase students' nutritional knowledge and to make the school environment a healthier place. We offer evidence-based nutrition and physical activity education that includes taste tests and engaging activities. We also support changes to the school environment. Whether it's improving school-wide food and beverage policies or implementing healthy practices in classrooms, Steps to Health helps teachers, administrators, and students make the healthy choice the easy choice.   ·   Steps to Health is offered for free to qualifying schools, Head Starts, and childcare centers   ·   Steps to Health curricula align with North Carolina essential standards   ·   Students have the opportunity to taste healthy food and bring home recipes to share with their families   ·   With technical assistance from Steps to Health, students and teachers can contribute to school-wide change   If you are interested in learning more about the Steps to Health program or becoming a partner, please contact Nutrition Educator, Breyana Davis, bddavis5@ncsu.edu

For Our Parents

BESST TRAINING FOR PARENTS This workshop presents excellent tools to assist parents in raising awareness about and potentially reducing through education and   prevention strategies, the incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). Workshops are held by appointment.   This workshop is FREE and open to PARENTS ONLY. Please call  Angel  Parker, Early Literacy Consultant to schedule your appointment for this training at (910) 259-9978.

Re-Introducing Car Seat Safety Classes   Held on the last Thursday of the month. Where: Smart Start 600 N. Timberly Lane, Burgaw NC Time: 9:00AM   Class Registration COST $25.00 (includes appropriate seat for your child) You must Qualify and Pre-register for the class   For more information please call 910-259-9978 Ask for Shelly Martin, Angel Parker, or Candice Dillard Car seats can be checked for proper installation free of charge by appointment

Stop by Smart Start and ask about our Ready Readers program!   Free books for children ages birth-10. You do not have to be a member of our Resource Library to receive this service!    Children must be present to receive their free books if you are not a member for the first visit only.   Children may receive two books per month and more books when they attend our outreach events.

SMART START OF PENDER COUNTY IS INTRODUCING PARTY RENTAL TOTES FOR OUR 0 TO 8 YEAR OLD PATRONS!! The party tote rentals will be $5.00 per tote for members and $8.00 for non-members. The party totes shown are: The Princess, The Pirate, The Cowboys and Cowgirls tote, The Safari Tote and The Happy Birthday Tote, there is also a Space Adventure tote (not shown). Please check with staff members to get rental details. We also have child size tables with chairs available for rental for our 0 to 8 year old patrons, $5.00 for patrons, $8.00 for non-patrons. Do you need table cloth paper? Check out our supply.

Who Can Apply? Any child in Pender County who will be 3 or 4 years old before August 31, 2020 What Will You Need? Bring the child's birth certificate, up-to-date immunization record and Medicaid, Health Choice or Insurance Information Bring the family's: Proof of residency (current utility bill, lease/mortgage paperwork), Income verification (1040/W2/1099 for 2019, DSS income report, Supplemental Security Income letter, TANF) parent/guardian picture identification and guardianship papers (if applicable). Submit the documents and application to the preschool administration office at 210 E. Fremont Street in Burgaw from 8:30-2:30 PM Monday-Friday. Call 910-259-7603 with any questions.

Register Here!

Register Here!

Early Intervention

Exceptional Children's Aassistance Center (ECAC) will be offering a mix of webinars and in person training's in 2020. We are introducing workshops on new topics and also offering our most popular mainstays such as "Special Education Basics" and "Being the Best Advocate for your Child" . Please visit our online calendar to view a FULL LIST of events. We are adding new events all the time. Let us know if you’d like us to visit your neck of the woods!   Keep an eye out for ECAC's Transition Summits for high schoolers and their parents, coming to Winston-Salem and Fayetteville in February and April. Participants will be provided a stipend to attend and space is limited.

Our Donation Page

Join Goodsearch.com to raise funds for Smart Start of Pender County.  Goodsearch donates money to your favorite cause when you search the Internet, shop online or dine out at local  restaurants! Use Goodsearch.com to search the Internet and they donate a penny per search to your cause. It's really easy; it's free and turns simple everyday actions into a way to make the world a better place. Please sign up today to support Smart Start of Pender County.   Go to   www.goodsearch.com   to get started and help Smart Start of Pender at here .

Smart Start of Pender County, Inc., is a public-private non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible. Any form of contribution is greatly appreciated. If you would like to make a contribution to Smart Start of Pender County please complete this form and return it to our office. Make checks payable to Smart Start of Pender County, Inc. All contributions are used to enhance services to young children.     DONATE HERE

Please consider supporting Smart Start of Pender County.   When you shop at AmazonSmile,  Amazon will donate to Smart Start of Pender County.   www.smile.amazon.com

Calendar of Events

January

Wednesday January 22 nd - Environment Rating Scale Fundamentals In this session we will review and practice scoring indicators in the scales. We will define commonly used terms, and identify resources available when using the scales. (2 Credit Hours) Fee: $10.00 Presenter: Shelly Martin, Quality, SSPC 6:30-8:30 Wednesday January 29 th – Building Resilience in Children The Intro to Resilience training was to introduce the participants to the definition of the Resilience Model. Building Resilience will help participants recognize children that demonstrate adverse childhood experiences (ACES) and give them tools to actively direct the child and family to the resources needed to overcome hardships. These activities will also help the childcare provider show children in the classroom different examples of how they can overcome the ACES in their life.    (2 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenters: Regina Bass-Corley, Resource Library Coordinator Jasmin Johansen, Program Coordinator Evaluator, SSPC 6:30-8:30 pm.

February

Monday February 10 th - Rewire for Resilience This training will explain how trauma and toxic stress impacts the brain. You will gain trauma informed skills you can utilize with your children and/or youth you work with. (2 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Franchon Francees, LPC, CTP Founder, Healing Your Almond, SSPC 6:30-8:30 pm.   Tuesday February 18 th - IT’S SIDS  Learn the steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of SIDS. We will review NC Child Care Laws and Regulations regarding SIDS and Safe Sleep practices. ( 2 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Shelly Martin, Quality Program Manager, SSPC 6:30-8:30pm   Tuesday February 25 th -   What Does a Pyramid Have to do With Challenging Behavior: A Pyramid Model Overview Are you hearing about a pyramid model and not really sure what that means? Do you wonder how a pyramid relates to challenging behaviors? Are you considering attending a CEU-level learning event about social-emotional development but are afraid to make the time commitment until you know a little more? If you answered yes to any of these questions, come to this overview of the Teaching Pyramid Model. During this session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of healthy social-emotional development in young children, factors that influence behaviors, and the causes of challenging behaviors in young children. A variety of activities will help participants understand each component of the Pyramid Model and how it can be used to promote healthy social behaviors and prevent challenging behaviors in preschool classrooms . (2 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Susan Deans, Region 4 CCR&R  Healthy Social Behaviors Specialist, SSPC 6:30-8:30pm

March

Wednesday March 11 th – Plan It Out This training will focus on creating lesson plans that meet the activity requirements. We will also discuss how elements of scheduling and planning are addressed in the environment rating scale and what to look for.  (1.5 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Candice Dillard, Quality Consultant, SSPC 6:30-8:00pm.   Thursday March 26 th - Play Safe Be Safe Come to this session to learn about children’s perception of fire. We will discuss children’s misuse of fire and practical approaches to teach young children fire safety. Each facility that is represented at the training will receive a Play Safe Be Safe kit to use with the children. The number of kits for distribution is limited, so register early! Kits and activities are designed to be used with children age 3-5. (2 credit hours) Cost: $10.00 Presenter: Shelly Martin, Quality Program Manager, SSPC 6:30-8:30pm

About Us

Board of Directors James “Jimbo” Robbins - Board Chair Sharon Willoughby - Secretary Donald Hall - Treasurer Leslie Green – Vice Chair Angela Beacham Dr. Charles Aiken Stacie Poulin Rev. Dean Walker Shontel Kirby Rachel Willaims Joan Taylor Elizabeth Peterson William Marchburn Edith Meza S. Eugene Jordan Tonya Hooks Cathy Guidry                                 If you are interested in serving on the Smart Start of Pender County Board of Directors, or volunteering with our agency, please contact our office at (910) 259-9978 or stop by and visit with us .

Hours of Operation    Mon, Tues, Thurs 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Wednesday 8:00 AM-6:00 PM Friday 8:00 AM-1:00 PM First Saturday of every month 9:00 AM-12:00 PM (Closed the first Friday of every month)   Phone: (910) 259-9978 1-866-606-0909  Fax: (910) 259-9728 E-mail: info@pender4kids.com www.pender4kids.com   The staff of Smart Start of Pender County would like to thank our board members, child care providers and our local community for investing in early care and education.   We also want to give a special thank you to our volunteer Charles Corley.

SSPC Team                       Connie Carr-Costin, MSW Executive Director ccarr-costin@pender4kids.com   Ext: 31   Angel Parker Early Literacy Consultant aparker@pender4kids.com     Ext: 24   Shelly Martin Quality Program Manager smartin@pender4kids.com     Ext: 36   Regina Bass-Corley, M.A.Ed Resource Library Coordinator rbasscorley@pender4kids.com   Ext: 27   Candice Dillard Quality Consultant rcdillard@pender4kids.com    Ext:22   Jasmin Johansen Program Evaluation Coordinator   jjohansen@pender4kids.com    Ext: 26

Smart Start of Pender County | www.pender4kids.com

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The mission of Smart Start of Pender County, Inc. is to support services that provide opportunities for every child to grow into his or her potential as a person.