Smart Start of Forsyth County (SSFC)

SSFC, Inc., mobilizes resources, forges partnerships, and shapes public opinion to assist the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County community to build and sustain an affordable, comprehensive, high-quality system of early childhood development and learning.

Reach Out and Read is an evidence-based nonprofit organization of medical providers who promote early literacy and school readiness in pediatric exam rooms nationwide by giving new books to children and advice to parents about the importance of reading aloud.

Imprints Cares

Imprints Cares has a vision to unlock the potential of all children for success in school and in life.  We do this through our mission to enrich children’s development while supporting their families on the journey of parenthood.   We run Ready for School Programs for children birth to 5 years old and their families in need thanks to funders like Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, MDC, Smart Start of FC, United Way of FC, Wake Forest Baptist Health, and The Winston-Salem Foundation.

An important part to our Ready for School programs is influencing a child’s future in these early years through literacy initiatives, as we know that children who hear fewer words during early childhood start school developmentally behind their peers and may never catch up.  Thanks to the Junior League of Winston-Salem’s BookWORM project, you have become an important part of our literacy and school readiness for these young children in need.  We have already seen a difference.  Children and families are reading together. Children are initiating time to read on their own.  Children are building their first libraries at home.   Thanks for continuing to support Imprints Cares with beautiful books for children birth to 5 years old and their families in need so they may discover the magic of reading!

Augustine Literacy Project

The Augustine Literacy Project mission is to improve the reading, writing and spelling abilities of low-income children and teens who struggle with literacy skills.

The Augustine Project/Winston-Salem trains and supports volunteer tutors who provide free, long-term, one-to-one instruction using the Orton-Gillingham approach and Wilson Reading System® materials.  Our tutors work with students in the Winston-Salem area.

In addition to receiving free tutoring, each student in our program receives 2-3 books a year to take home. Books at home that are appropriate for the child’s reading level create easy access and help nurture a love for reading.

El Buen Pastor

El Buen Pastor Latino Community Services (LCS) is a family-based agency partnering with first-generation immigrant families in the Old Town neighborhood of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Since its founding in 2006, LCS has employed two-generation solutions to bridging the achievement gap between low-income students and their middle-class peers, providing space for families to equip themselves to fulfill their educational and economic potential, with hope for a positive and healthy future for each member. Because the path to high school graduation begins in infancy, El Buen Pastor helps mothers discover how to prepare their babies for kindergarten.

Reading well by third grade is a marker for future academic success, so LCS’s Family Literacy Initiative focuses on parents and children on that goal. And because the transitions to middle school and then high school are danger zones for immigrant students with low socioeconomic status, LCS helps students and parents navigate those waters. Health and well-being are critical to academic success and a positive future, so LCS provides opportunities for family members to exercise and discover new healthy eating practices. Since communities with shared values and social capital are more likely to thrive, El Buen Pastor serves as both an anchor of stability and a hub of activity for families and individuals of all ages.

Amos Cottage

The Therapeutic Day Program, located at Amos Cottage, is for children ages 3-7 who experience behavioral, emotional or social problems. Children come daily to an on-site program specializing in behavior management strategies, development of appropriate social skills, academic instruction, and community outings to provide practice for reintegration to the child’s school/home setting.

The CDSA (Child Development Services Agency), also housed at Amos Cottage, is a family-focused organization that provides evaluations, service coordination, and home visits for infants and toddlers, birth to age 3. The CDSA staff serves families in Forsyth, Stokes, Davie, Surry and Yadkin counties.