WILL YOU JOIN US ON MAY 5?
Presented by
MOST OF US PUT A LOT OF THINGS “ON HOLD” OVER THE PAST YEAR.
THE CRITICAL NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY ARE NEVER PUT “ON HOLD.”
By this time last year, we had already booked a return visit by Harvard University’s Robert Putnam, reserved our space at the convention center, and printed the sponsorship programs for our annual Raising Every Child Benefit Luncheon. We lost our largest in-person fundraiser two years in a row.
We missed seeing all of our generous supporters and friends. We didn’t get a chance to honor Joe Crocker for his lifetime of service. And we missed a chance to tell you all of the exciting things we were doing. But that didn’t mean our work stopped. Despite the pandemic — and in some cases, because of it — we adapted and changed tactics, but we kept moving, kept helping, and kept the Vision in Motion. We’ll be back next year — to do all the things we didn’t get to do — Putnam, Crocker, a communal lunch — all of it. But for now, we need to keep the conversation going virtually. And we need champions more than ever. We didn’t stop, but we do have some catching up to do. We’re ready to work as long and as hard as it takes to make up for what we lost, but we can’t do it without you.
BECOME A SPONSOR
DELIVERING ON A PROMISE
JUNE 2014
A group of local early childhood professionals comes together to form the Universal Pre-K Steering
Committee to explore how to improve the quality and expand the capacity for four-year-olds.
MARCH 2015
Universal Pre-K Initiative Steering Committee convenes a forum for professionals involved in early childhood education work to discuss the factors that need to be considered in creating a quality Universal Pre-K system.
MAY 2015
Harvard University study finds that Forsyth County is among the worst counties in the U.S. for helping poor children escape poverty.
OCTOBER 2016
Robert Putnam presents his groundbreaking research on the “opportunity gap” and begins a
community conversation.
The Universal Pre-K Initiative position paper is published and shared with community.
MARCH 2017
Billionaire philanthropist George Kaiser speaks to local leaders about how Oklahoma introduced
Universal Pre-K.
JULY 2017
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust grants funds to Family Services to hire a coordinator to aid the work of the Universal Pre-K Steering committee.
Workgroups form and make a plan.
OCTOBER 2017
Geoffrey Canada of the Harlem Children’s Zone in Harlem, NY, teaches us that “what happens by age 5 lasts a lifetime.”
JUNE 2018
Community listening sessions are held at various locations to better understand the perception of Pre-K.
OCTOBER 2018
The Universal Pre-K Steering Committee names its effort The Pre-K Priority and launches the PreKPriority.org landing page.
NOVEMBER 2018
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust grants funds to Family Services for community-wide advocacy awareness campaign launched in fall 2019.
APRIL 2019
Pre-K Priority reports its findings and recommendations in “Building the Foundation for the
Future of Forsyth County.”
MAY 2019
Third annual Raising Every Child benefit luncheon and community conversation with Dr. Ken Dodge.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Public awareness and advocacy campaign will launch on the community-wide,
long term benefits for child, family and community.
2021
Will the promise be fulfilled?