Spencer Swain, Author at Families First

Families First Awarded $250,000 by Cabarrus County

December 19, 2022

Families First Childcare Community Network Initiative fills a gap in services for families with children 0 to 3 years of age and builds a more robust childcare ecosystem in Cabarrus County, including formal and informal childcare. With over 2/3 of our young children not returning to childcare since the pandemic, and unable now because there is zero capacity in the county, this initiative aims to increase resources for home providers and builder stronger system supports.

Families First’s proven record of adapting, setting attainable goals, and scaling those services has assisted 1000’s families in achieving positive outcomes, supporting and reinforcing the county’s 2020 StrategicPlan and vision: “where our children learn, our citizens participate, our dreams matter, ourfamilies and neighbors thrive and our community prospers.”

Families First Awarded $15,000 from Corning Foundation on behalf of Corning, Midland!!

December 19, 2022

For Release 7/22

The childcare industry is experiencing a market failure for providers, families, our community, and the country. A new team member at Corning moved to Cabarrus County and, to this date, months later, is unable to find care for their children- Mom and dad both work.

In 2021 we received a grant awarded by the Corning Foundation to start the hard work of change/recovery. The grant partially funded 1) a strategic planning event with stakeholders and 2) training for Families First to become NC’s first agency to implement an evidence-based model of visiting home-based providers twice-weekly. Learn more about Parentchild+ Home-Based Child Care Model.

Families First Awarded Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation Grant $50,000 (Year 2)

December 19, 2022

For Release: 7/1/22

ZSR’s Community Progress Funds Families First in Cabarrus County in Year 2 to grow its ParentChild+ program, which addresses gaps in services for 2-3-year-olds by working with caregiver/child together. ZSR funding will support the program’s growth into several new communities in Cabarrus County, with an overall goal of reaching 50 families.

https://www.zsr.org/articles/zsr-announces-community-progress-fund-grant-awards

Welcoming Back Teachers & Back to School Supply Drive!

August 9, 2022

First and foremost, we would like to welcome back all our outstanding teachers for this upcoming school year! Although summer is ending, we look forward to seeing all your bright faces as we transition back into the academic year. (Those not pictured- we see you!).

At our 5-star immersion preschools, we pride ourselves in providing a safe and conducive environment for all students to enhance readiness and success in life. Children are embarking upon new adventures in the world of learning at this age! With the help of our wonderful staff, we facilitate a unique approach where the “image of the child” is how we determine optimal lessons for development, honoring each child’s uniqueness and passions.

Thanks to our incredible teachers and their love for bettering education, our work is carried out through new and long-lasting connections with the children!

“Teaching kids to count is fine, but teaching them what counts is best” -Bob Talbert.

We wish our families, students, and staff a wonderful year. Let’s make this a positive and well-rewarding year for all!

Families First has been Nurturing Bilingual Kids for more than 10 Years

August 8, 2022

Author: Ruby Durham

Published: 2:15 PM EDT July 29, 2022

Watch the news clip here at WCNC

Families First in Cabarrus County Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General

June 22, 2022

Families First in Cabarrus County Receives $10,000 Grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to support the whole Family through Literacy

Concord, NC – June 22, 2022 – The Dollar General Literacy Foundation recently awarded Families First in Cabarrus County a $10,000 grant to support the whole Family through Literacy. This local grant is part of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation’s recent award of $10.5 million donation to support summer, family, and adult literacy programs, representing the organization’s largest one-day grant donation in its 29-year history.

“When I enrolled my daughter in Families First’s Bilingual Preschool, I didn’t know, but in a year I would pass my GED and obtain my Citizenship with their help! My daughter is so proud of her mom and tells everyone! My relationship and conversation with her are about school and dreams coming true now!”

We use parenting, home-visiting, and early childhood programs to significantly improve school readiness, family engagement, and economic mobility in low-income and predominantly Hispanic and Black neighborhoods. This grant funds a comprehensive literacy approach to break cycles of poverty!

This grant helps us serve children and their families in two bilingual preschools, GED, ESL, and tutoring classes, and, visit more than 25 families (ages 18-36 months) twice weekly in their homes with a book in hand for them to keep (for 48 weeks!), so children access preschool ready to play and learn!

“For nearly 30 years, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has been proud to invest in literacy and education programs in our hometown communities,” said Denine Torr, executive director of the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. “The recent and significant shifts in the educational landscape have made the Foundation’s mission more critically important. As we work to create access to high-quality instruction for all individuals, we share our gratitude for the educators who are working to uplift and empower others. We hope these funds will have a meaningful impact on students and teachers across the country and look forward to seeing the positive impact they have on learners.”

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation supports organizations that increase access to educational programming, stimulate and enable innovation in the delivery of educational instruction and inspire a love of reading. Each year, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation awards funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store or distribution center to support adult, family, summer, and youth literacy programs. The Foundation also offers a student referral program for individuals interested in learning how to read, speak English, or prepare for the high school equivalency exam. Referrals to a local organization that provides free literacy services are available online here or through referral cards found in the Learn to Read brochures that are available at the cash register of every Dollar General store.

About Families First in Cabarrus County
Our mission is to use education, parenting, and early childhood programs to nurture children, empower parents, and strengthen whole families to flourish for generations. Families First’s trusted reach in marginalized neighborhoods furthest from opportunities began in the home and is a whole family approach that works.

About the Dollar General Literacy Foundation

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation is proud to support initiatives that help others improve their lives through literacy and education. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $216 million in grants, helping more than 15.4 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy, a general education diploma or English proficiency. Cal Turner, Jr. founded the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to honor his grandfather and Dollar General’s co-founder, J.L. Turner, who was functionally illiterate having dropped out of school in the third grade to support his family. The Foundation aims to provide support to schools, libraries and nonprofit organizations that seek to improve adult, summer, youth and family literacy initiatives. To learn more about the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, visit www.dgliteracy.org.