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Ready for School
Ready for Life

Building a connected system of care for our youngest children and their families.

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We Are
Ready

to address structural inequities in Guilford County.

Read our statement
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We Are
Ready

to help every child get a great start in life.

Ready for School, Ready for Life is building a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families. We want every child born here to enter kindergarten on track – ready for success in school and in life.

And then we’ll coach other North Carolina counties how to replicate our results.

Every child deserves a great start in life, but not every child starts from the same place.

News

Pritzker Children’s Initiative Awards Ready, Ready $500,000 for Early Childhood Care

“This investment from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative will allow us to expand our data-driven approach to building an integrated system of early childhood care, beginning prenatally, in Guilford County and share what we’re learning with other communities in North Carolina and beyond.”

Ready Ready Invests $250,000 in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)  to Strengthen Guilford County’s Early Childhood Support System

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is pleased to announce a substantial investment of $250,000 in grants to five distinguished programs across Guilford County, awarding each $50,000.

Ready for School, Ready for Life gathers community leaders to champion early childhood development

Registation is now open for the Ready for Success annual gathering on October 25, 2023, at Koury Convention Center from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m

Katina Allen

Katina Allen elected to national steering committee

Ready Ready is excited to announce that Katina Allen, a dedicated member of Ready Ready’s Board of Directors and the Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) has been elected to serve on the national Parent Leader Network steering committee.

High Point children hold books and look at produce

Fueling minds and bodies: The Power of Produce

Ready Ready and The Basics Guilford have teamed up with the High Point Public LIbrary and Growing High Point to offer free books to children in the Power of Produce (POP) club, thanks to a generous donation from the High Point Community Foundation.

Black parent holds newborn

Ready for School, Ready for Life awards funding for Guilford County doula program

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has awarded Every Baby Guilford nearly $38,000 to establish a countywide doula program to reduce the high infant mortality rates in Guilford County.

Families camping at Oak Hollow Park Lake in High Point, NC

Fathers Ready to Camp

“Campers have s’more fun,” they say, and a group of Guilford Parent Leader Network (GPLN) families spent a night under the stars at Oak Hollow Park Campground in High Point, N.C. on June 24, 2023. It was the first Fathers Ready to Grow campout.

Group photo of Ready Ready and WJWI staff at Revolution Mill iin Greensboro, N.C. on 5-23-23

William Julius Wilson Institute visits Ready Ready

“When WJWI expressed interest in coming for a visit, we asked them – how much time do you have?” said Charrise Hart, Ready Ready’s chief executive officer.

Partner Spotlight: YWCA Emergency Family Shelter

The YWCA Greensboro Emergency Family Shelter offers housing, food, case management, and support for families experiencing homelessness.

Ready Ready gives nearly 1,000 books to High Point pre-K students

In partnership with Book Harvest of Durham, N.C., Ready Ready distributed nearly 1,000 books to children in pre-K classrooms in High Point in May 2023.

Felcia Evans, Stephanie Skordas, and Yuri Alston

Ready for School, Ready for Life staff members graduate from local leadership programs

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) staff members have graduated from Guilford County leadership programs.

Text reads News - graphics of text bubles, tablet, laptop with Ready Ready logo

Ready for School, Ready for Life receives Leon Levine Foundation support

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has received a $100,000 grant from The Leon Levine Foundation (TLLF).

Partner Spotlight: Child First – Family Service of the Piedmont

Since June 2022, Family Service of the Piedmont has offered Child First in Guilford County.

Adult reads to two young children/toddlers

Early childhood development through reading aloud

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is mentioned in an article about how reading aloud promotes early childhood brain development.

Partner Spotlight: Child First

Child First helps families build strong, nurturing relationships that heal and protect young children from the devastating impact of trauma and chronic stress. The program uses a two-generation approach, providing mental health services to parents and children through home visits and connecting them with resources, information, and support to make healthy child development possible. “We […]

adult reading to baby

Ready for School, Ready for Life expands family’s access to books

Ready Ready’s Coretta Walker and Megan LeFaivre discuss how our organization promotes early literacy.

Charrise Hart, CEO of Ready for School, Ready for Life

Hart joins inaugural 2023 Rockwood Fellowship

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) Chief Executive Officer Charrise Hart has been named to the inaugural class of the Rockwood 2023 Prenatal-to-3 Leaders Fellows.

Partner Spotlight: GuilfordWorks

GuilfordWorks is a public-private organization that helps businesses with various workforce needs, such as locating, screening, selecting, or training workers.

Anchor Brad Jones and Literacy Coordinator Megan LeFaivre prepare for an interview at WGHP-TV on 2-14-23

Maximize Love, Manage Stress – Basics Guilford tips from the heart

Ready Ready’s Literacy Coordinator Megan LeFaivre shared science-based tips about the Basic Guilford’s Maximize Love, Manage Stress for Valentine’s Day. She was interviewed on Fox 8 WGHP.

Text reads News - graphics of text bubles, tablet, laptop with Ready Ready logo

Ready for School, Ready for Life receives Pritzker Children’s Initiative Grant

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has received a $50,000 grant from Pritzker Children’s Initiative. The grant will create a plan to share Ready Ready’s core approaches, strategies, and lessons learned with other North Carolina communities and states developing a comprehensive prenatal-to-three system.

Partner Spotlight: Thriving at Three

Thriving at Three, a program of the Center for New North Carolinians, assures that Latino/Hispanic immigrant children in Greensboro have a positive and strong foundation from birth to age three.

preschool aged kids in a classroom

Ready for School, Ready for Life Adds Strategies Focused on Children Ages 3-5

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has selected community partners to pilot strategies focused on families with children ages 3-5 in Guilford County.

The Duke Endowment visits Ready Ready

The Duke Endowment Trustees, Ready for School, Ready for Life Board of Directors and staff gathered on August 29, 2022 for a site visit focused on the early childhood ecosystem.

Text reads News - graphics of text bubles, tablet, laptop with Ready Ready logo

Ready for School, Ready for Life Awards Continuous Quality Improvement Grants

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has awarded $652,000 in grants to programs from 13 organizations serving families in Guilford County to participate in its second cohort of the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process.

Partner Spotlight: Greensboro Bound

Greensboro Bound’s vision is to bring outstanding writers of poetry, fiction, non-fiction, young adult, and children’s books to our community and into our schools. While it may be best known for the annual Greensboro Bound Literary Festival, the organization’s efforts to connect authors and Guilford County Schools students are highly praised. “We find local authors, […]

Guilford county health department logo

Partner Spotlight: Care Management for At-Risk Children

Guilford County’s Health Department has a number of programs designed to support children and their families with healthy development. One of them is Care Management for At-Risk Children, also known as CMARC.

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The Pritzker Children’s Initiative Supports Ready for School, Ready for Life’s Equity Focus

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has received a $50,000 grant from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative to support the organization’s three-year Equity Action Plan.

young child reads book on library floor

Ready for School, Ready for Life Receives Lincoln Financial Foundation Grant

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is honored to receive a $25,000 grant from the Lincoln Financial Foundation to promote early literacy and kindergarten readiness for Guilford County children.

photo of a woman on a virtual meeting

Town Hall meeting explores community needs

Parent leaders held a Town Hall meeting on April 24 to ask families how our community could offer more support.

text says partner spotlight, logo of Guilford County Partnership for Children

Partner Spotlight: Guilford County Partnership for Children

Now GCPC is participating in the Child Care WAGE$ program, which provides education-based salary supplements to child care educators working with children ages birth to five.

many hands holding plants and dirt. text reads happy earth day

Celebrate Earth Day with your children

Looking for ways to celebrate Earth Day with your children? Here are some fun crafts, books to share, and activities to try.

A vision ‘as breathtaking and groundbreaking as public school’ for early childhood

“Yes, we want to invest in job training and workforce development … we want to invest in schooling and preschool programs, but the more we can invest in the early years — in supporting women, children, and families prenatally up to age 3, and then shifting that focus to ages 3 to 8 — it’s going to yield a higher return,” said Charrise Hart, the CEO of Ready for School, Ready for Life.

Cemala Foundation funds a collaboration of four organizations to support maternal health and reduce infant mortality in Guilford County

The American Heart Association, Every Baby Guilford, March of Dimes, and Ready for School Ready for Life are proud to be co-recipients of a one-year grant from the Cemala Foundation focused on cardiovascular health and maternal health to reduce infant mortality in Guilford County.

Ready for School, Ready for Life seeks partners for Phase II work

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready), is seeking responses from local partners to lead the initial implementation of community-wide strategies designed to improve outcomes for children ages three to five in Guilford County.

Logo of Say Yes Guilford

Partner Spotlight: Say Yes Guilford

Say Yes Guilford is an educational nonprofit committed to providing access to support services and scholarships designed to prepare Guilford County Schools’ students for success in college, career, and life.

Partner Spotlight: High Point Public Library

The mission of the High Point Public Library is nurturing the joy of reading, sharing the power of knowledge, strengthening the sense of community, and enhancing cultural and economic vitality. It’s a mission that Children’s Services Manager Jim Zola takes to heart.

Parents as Teachers logo with text reading Partner Spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Parents as Teachers Guilford County

Parents as Teachers Guilford County (PATGC) believes all parents can be empowered to interact with their children in a way that encourages healthy well-rounded development while enjoying their parenting journey.

Image of NC state flag

N.C. invests in early childhood development

The newly-signed North Carolina budget includes $1.2 million in funding for Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) and its mission to build a connected, innovative system of care for Guilford County’s youngest children and their families.

logo of the High Point Housing authority

Partner Spotlight: Housing Authority of the City of High Point

The mission of the Housing Authority of the City of High Point (HPHA) is to provide affordable housing to low-income to moderate-income families. What you may not know is that the organization also offers housing counseling services to the public. These services include financial budgeting, preparing for a home purchase, and financial literacy.

Photo of a room with play mat, colorful rug, books and toys - the new interactive learning center

New resource for High Point families with young children

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has partnered with the Housing Authority of the City of High Point (HPHA) to provide early childhood development resources to its residents.

Every Baby Guilford logo under the words Partner Spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Every Baby Guilford

Every Baby Guilford is a 30-year public-private partnership with the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services. As part of its 30th anniversary, the organization – formerly the Coalition on Infant Mortality – launched with a new name and a five-year strategic plan.

a pregnant woman, male partner, and young child stand with an ultrasound photo held up

We are ready to address systemic inequities in Guilford County

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has outlined our equity statement. The creation of this statement was the work of our Equity Strategies Committee of the Board of Directors. They sought the input of many stakeholders, including our parent leaders, staff, equity consultants, and the Board

Parent and toddler with book

Ready Ready partners with Guilford Parent Academy for three-part series on early education

To help families prepare their preschoolers for school and for life, Guilford Parent Academy (GPA) and Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) have teamed up for three virtual literacy workshops.

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11 Parent Leaders graduate from COFI Phase 2 training

Eleven parent leaders from the Guilford Parent Leader Network have graduated from Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) Phase 2 training.

Partner Spotlight: Greater High Point Food Alliance

The Greater High Point Food Alliance (GHPFA) is a grassroots organization formed to address food insecurity. When it started in 2014, the Greensboro-High Point Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was number two in the nation in food hardship. The following year, it moved to number one. Since that time, it has moved to number 14, according […]

Reach Out and Read logo with text saying Partner Spotlight and an illustration of a spotlight

Partner Spotlight: Reach Out and Read

Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) partners with Reach Out and Read, HealthySteps, Family Connects, and Nurse-Family Partnership through our Navigation system. Navigation ensures every pregnant person and their family has information and support as their family grows.

Photo of a spotlight with the CSSP logo

Partner Spotlight: Center for the Study of Social Policy

The Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) works to achieve a racially, economically, and socially just society in which all children, youth, and families thrive. Through community partners like Ready for School, Ready for Life ….

Child plays inside Greensboro Children's Museum

The Basics Enhance Tot Spot at Greensboro Children’s Museum

The new Tot Spot features The Basics Guilford, five fun, science-based parenting and caregiving concepts that anyone can do. Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is pleased to present The Basics.

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Community Survey launched

Working with our partners at UNC-Greensboro, Ready Ready is developing a community survey to gather information on how best to prepare children for school.

Cover of 2020 impact report

Read our 2020 Impact Report

We are pleased to share our organization’s first annual report.

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Parent leadership training

Seven parent leaders in the Guilford Parent Leader Network have attended the Spiral of Transformative Change Equity Webinar Series. This education series is similar to the training Ready Ready staff and board members received through the Equity Strategies Committee.

adult and child in child care setting

Worthy Wages for Worthy Work

See what these early child care teachers and administrators are experiencing daily. We collaborated with EQuIPD to create this video focused on Guilford County’s early child care teachers.

Partner Spotlight: EQuIPD

When the organization that became Ready for School, Ready for Life was a grassroots effort in Guilford County, we were glad to have partners like EQuIPD by our side, even as EQuIPD was starting its important work. EQuIPD’s mission is to nurture and empower early care and education professionals with sustainability and success tools. “We’re […]

logo for backpack beginnings

Partner Spotlight: BackPack Beginnings

By Stephanie Skordas, Director of Marketing & Communications A news story shown on Washington D.C. television about a teacher in Texas who was slipping food into children’s backpacks stuck with Parker White as she moved back to Greensboro and started raising her family. “I couldn’t get it out of my head,” White, the executive director […]

3 kids reading

Coaching for Literacy awards grant

Teaming with the North Carolina A&T State University men’s and women’s basketball teams, Coaching for Literacy has awarded Ready Ready a grant as part of its #Fight4Literacy initiative.

Cover of child trends report

The National Institute for Children’s Health Quality featured contributions from Ready Ready and Program Manager Michelle Chapin in its new brief, “Embedding Equity in Early Childhood Initiatives.” 

partner spotlight graphic nceec logo

Partner Spotlight: North Carolina Early Education Coalition

The North Carolina Early Education Coalition (NCEEC) works to ensure that all children have access to high-quality early care and learning experiences. Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) has partnered with the Coalition on the Think Babies NC Alliance.

Project LLIFE logo

Partner Spotlight: Project LLIFE

Project LLIFE aims to increase skills and performance in language and literacy for children between the ages of 1-4.

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Partner Spotlight: Guilford Child Development

Guilford Child Development was one of Ready Ready’s first partners, heavily involved in the 100-day challenges that helped coalesce the community effort into the growing nonprofit organization we are today.

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Guilford Parent Leader Network

The Guilford Parent Leader Network was established as a decision-making body of Ready for School, Ready for Life. The goal of the group is to ensure that family voice is brought into every key decision as we work together to build an innovative, connected early childhood system in Guilford County.

Headshot of Ready Ready CEO Charrise Hart. Click to see her bio.

November: CEO Message

Dear Ready Ready Friend, Governor Roy Cooper has designated November as Family Engagement Month in North Carolina. It couldn’t come at a better time. While November traditionally brings a focus on family and gratitude, this year may include some extra stress. An important presidential election in a country deeply divided by politics happened this week. […]

Zero to Three Healthy Steps logo.

Partner Spotlight: Healthy Steps

Partner Spotlight: Healthy Steps Science shows that 80% of brain development occurs by age three, making the first few years of a child’s life critical to their health and future well-being. But often times, these years are overwhelming for parents and caregivers as they face challenges integrating a new child into their lives. These challenges […]

Keep Your Child’s Development on Pace During the Pandemic

KEEP YOUR CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT ON PACE DURING THE PANDEMIC Benefits of Reading with Your Child         While they use different terms, Guilford Basics (Read and Discuss Stories) and Read Charlotte (Active Reading), both offer great tips for engaging your child while reading. Below are a few suggestions from them: Commit to Read Every Day Try to set aside […]

Our Priorities

Routes To Ready

Routes to Ready links parents and caregivers with trusted community partners to contribute to healthy development for Guilford County’s youngest children. Beginning prenatally and continuing through age 3, Routes to Ready navigates families to the unique combination of community resources and information families want, and children need. 

The Basics

The Basics Guilford logo.

The Basics Guilford are five, fun, science-based concepts any parent or caregiver can do to promote healthy development for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.

The Basics Guilford are Maximize Love, Manage Stress; Talk, Sing and Point; Count, Group and Compare; Explore Through Movement and Play; and Read and Discuss Stories

Our Funders

Blue Meridian Partners logo.
Logo for The Duke Endowment.
The Cemala Foundation logo.
The Joseph M Bryan Foundation logo.
Logo for The Leon Levine Foundation.
VF
Pritzker Children's Initiative logo.
Logo for The Edward M Armfield Sr. Foundation.
The Weaver Foundation logo.
Cone Health logo.
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation logo.
Lincoln Financial Foundation logo.
Hillsdale Fund logo.
The Foundation for a Healthy High Point logo.
Duke Energy logo.
Logo for Mackey and Susan McDonald.
logo for the Hayden-Harman Foundation, a funder of Ready for School Ready for Life
Cone Health Foundation logo.
Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro logo.
Guilford County Partnership for Children logo.
Logo for The Stanley and Dorothy Frank Foundation.
Ellison Foundation logo.
Center for the Study of Social Policy logo.
Photo says Mary Lynn Richardson foundation
Tannenbaum Sternberger Foundation logo.
National Collaborative for Infants and Toddlers logo.
Bobby Labonte Foundation logo.