FY 2012 Annual Reports are now available
 
The Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties FY 2012 Annual Reports are now available.
 
Pick up locations are The Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties office, The Gaston County Chamber of Commerce, The Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce and The Montcross Area Chamber of Commerce.
 
The Partnership is proud to present the accomplishments achieved in another year.  

A recent promotion to engage candidates and representatives on why early care and learning is important was held at the Partnership for Children.
 
A 2000 Days postcard, which was provided by the North Carolina Partnership for Children was distributed to each family served at local child care centers and homes in Lincoln and Gaston Counties. Parents were encouraged to answer the question, “Early childhood programs are important to my family because..,” and provide contact information located on the reverse side of the postcard. Postcards will be used to help communicate/educate our policymakers in Raleigh regarding the value of early childhood education. The postcards emphasize the significance of the 2000 days between birth and the first day of kindergarten.
 
A drawing was held at the Partnership to help encourage and thank centers/homes for their assistance.
 
Sylvia Corry, Family Child Care Provider at Kids ‘R’ Home Child Development in Mount Holly was the winner of a $50 gift card. She is excited to use the money towards gifts for her day care kids.
 
Diane Rippy, Director at Carolina Kids Club in Gastonia was the winner of a $200 gift card. She will purchase teacher supplies.
 
Lisa Austin, Director at First Baptist Day Care Center in Stanley won a $100 gift card which she plans to use on multicultural books and books on children with special needs.
 
Sonjia Lee, Director at All About Me Learning Center, LLC #1 in Belmont won a $50 gift card. She will also buy supplies for the classroom.
 
The Partnership would like to thank all the centers/homes in Gaston and Lincoln Counties who participated in this promotion.
  

The Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties fourth annual Family Spooktacular was held on Saturday, October 27, 2012 and had an attendance of approximately 1,300 people. Patrons came to enjoy the day’s festivities at the WoodMill Festival Grounds in Vale, which included trunk or treat, face painting, a fitness trail and an ambulance, fire truck and Inmate Transport Van for children to learn about.
 
The event was geared toward families with young children and helped raise awareness of the Partnership’s services.
 
Parents were able to learn more about the different Smart Start funded projects which include the Adolescent Parenting Program in Lincoln County and the Very Important Parents Program in Gaston County.
 
“The fourth annual Family Spooktacular was a huge success and we are thrilled with the amount of support that we received from the community,” said Mike Linker, Executive Director of the Partnership. “It was great to see all the smiles on the faces of the children and family members who came out to enjoy the day.”
 
Various activities returned this year including the Tumblebus and Seamore, a fun-tastic inflatable provided by Twist and Tuck in Lincolnton. New activities included a live reptile exhibit from the Schiele Museum and a “Field Hospital” for bandaging fake injuries. Children also enjoyed the fitness trail with a treat of fresh fruit at the end! A free hotdog lunch was provided again this year.
 
We would like to thank our Sponsors that helped make our event a success! They are:
 
5 star/event sponsor: Röchling Engineering Plastics
4 star: WoodMill Winery
3 star: Watson Insurance
2 star: Aaron’s Sales & Lease; Carolina Specialty Transport; Chiquita; Park Sterling Bank; T.J. Solomon, Attorney
1 star : Abbott Building Service, Inc.; Carolina Trust Bank; Dallas Optimist Club; Early Childhood Professionals; GiGi Sampson, Send Out Cards; Houser Transport, Inc.; Lincoln County Parks & Recreation; Lincoln Times News; Mast, Evans & Isenhour, L.L.P.; McAlister OB/GYN Associates; Northstar Seafood Restaurant; Parkdale Mills-Charles Heilig; In Honor of Partnership Staff; Pediatric Medical Associates; Pepsi Bottling Group; Sentry Drug Center; Truliant Federal Credit Union
 
In addition, Thanks to our other contributors:
Allstate Insurance-Brenda P. Byrd Agency; BI-LO; Carolina Federal Credit Union; Dr. Alex Pham, D.D.S., P.A.; Dr. W. David White, D.D.S., P.A.; Food Lion; Harris Teeter; Jamco Beauty Supplies; Kaplan Early Learning Company; Rhyne Financial.
 
Thank you to our volunteers, some which include:
Our direct service providers (Lincoln & Gaston Health Departments, Lincoln County Library, etc.), child care centers and homes, Emergency services (Lincoln County Sherriff’s Department, Union Fire Department, Lincoln County EMS, etc.), National Guard, Boy Scouts and Explorers, community businesses (Truliant Federal Credit Union, Gaston Family Dental, McAlister OB/GYN, etc.) and others for helping to make this year’s event a resounding success.
 
For more information about the Partnership for Children and Smart Start please call 704-922-0900. 

The Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties would like to thank and acknowledge Röchling Engineering Plastics for their generous donation to be an event sponsor for the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties’ Annual Spooktacular event. As an event sponsor, Röchling joins the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties in their vision of a community where young children will reach their full health and educational potential.
 
“Röchling is a proud supporter of the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties promoting their work with the children and future of our community,” said Lewis Carter, President of Röchling Engineering Plastics.
 
Röchling, with its headquarters in Germany, is a plastic manufacturer with multiple locations in North America of which one is located in Dallas, NC in the Gastonia Technology Park.
 
Don’t miss our Spooktacular event on Saturday, October 27, 2012 at the WoodMill Festival Grounds in Vale. The event is geared towards families with young children and helps to raise awareness of the Partnership for Children’s funded projects.
 
The event will be held from Noon to 4 p.m. at the WoodMill Festival Grounds, located at 1350 WoodMill Winery Lane.  
 
There will be games and activities for children of all ages, including a bounce house, a petting zoo, a fitness trail, and trunk or treat. A fire truck, police car and ambulance will be on site for the children to view. A FREE hotdog lunch will be provided! 

On Saturday, October 27, 2012 the Partnership for Children will hold the fourth annual Family Spooktacular at the WoodMill Festival Grounds in Vale. The event is geared towards families with young children and helps to raise awareness of the Partnership for Children’s funded projects.

The event will be held from Noon to 4 p.m. at the WoodMill Festival Grounds, located at 1350 WoodMill Winery Lane.

“We are excited to host the fourth annual Family Spooktacular for families and children,” said Mike Linker, Executive Director of the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties. “This event allows us the opportunity to educate families of the programs we offer and to stress the importance of the first 2,000 days of a child’s life.”

Each direct service provider of a Smart Start funded project will have a booth that has a free children’s activity. Parents will be able to learn more about the different Smart Start funded projects which focus on raising the quality of child care and education, supporting families and advancing child health for children 0-5 years old.

There will be games and activities for children of all ages, including a bounce house, a petting zoo, a fitness trail, and trunk or treat. A fire truck, police car and ambulance will be on site for the children to view. A FREE hotdog lunch will be provided!

For more information about the Partnership for Children and Smart Start please call 704-922-0900.

5/24/2012

Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties’ Travel to Raleigh to Ask Gaston and Lincoln County Legislators to Maintain Investments in Early Childhood Programs


Raleigh, NC – On Tuesday, May 22, child advocates from Lincoln and Gaston Counties traveled to the North Carolina General Assembly as part of Smart Start’s statewide “Tuesdays for Tots” initiative. The constituents met with the legislative delegation from each county and asked members to restore $18.8 million to Smart Start. In 2011, Smart Start funding was reduced by 20% ($37.6 million), disproportionately more than any other component of the education system. As a result thousands of children are no longer benefiting from much-needed early childhood programs.

“There are only 2,000 days between the time a baby is born and when that child shows up for the first day of kindergarten,” said Michael Linker, Executive Director of the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties. “We’re meeting with legislators to discuss the needs of children in our community, the research that supports programs like Smart Start, and why investing in our youngest citizens is a wise investment for families, the economy and our society as a whole.”

State funding for Smart Start has been cut by $80 million over the last decade. These cuts are occurring at the same time that economists, military leaders, law enforcement and business leaders are advocating that investments in young children are one of the strongest investments for sustained growth and job creation, protecting our national security, and providing children with the opportunity to reach their potential.

Created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1993, Smart Start is a network of 77 nonprofit local partnerships led by a state-level organization, The North Carolina Partnership for Children, Inc. working together measurably to measurably increase the health and well-being of young children, building the foundation for all future learning, by:
•Improving children’s early care and education programs so that they are safe, healthy and provide opportunities for children to learn skills they need for success in school.
•Providing parents with tools that support them in raising healthy, happy, successful children.
•Ensuring that children have access to preventive health care.

Local residents traveling to the North Carolina General Assembly included: Michael Linker, Executive Director of the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties, Amy Wadsworth, Public Information Coordinator of the Partnership for Children of Lincoln & Gaston Counties, and Amy Simmons, Director of the Grace School in Stanley and PFCLG Board member. The group met with the following members of the Lincoln and Gaston County legislative delegation. They included Representative William A. Current, Sr., Representative Kelly E. Hastings, Representative John A. Torbett, Representative Jason Saine, Senator Chris Carney and Senator Kathy Harrington.




Author: Amy Wadsworth