Our Collaboration Effort with The Pre-K Priority
Pre-K Model Cohort Classroom Initiative
Smart Start of Forsyth County is proud to be a community partner of The Pre-K Priority. Learn more about our collaborative work supporting children, families and educators.
The Pre-K Priority: The Power of Collaborative Impact
The Pre-K Priority is a community coalition working together to improve the quality, accessibility, and number of Pre-K classrooms in Forsyth County in order to eliminate the persistent educational disparities among students entering Kindergarten. Its mission is to educate, engage, and mobilize the public and secure the commitment of civic leaders to support the establishment of a high-quality system of Pre-K programs available to all four-year-olds in Forsyth County.
As a systems change coalition, The Pre-K Priority includes parents, providers, business and philanthropic partners, healthcare organizations, higher education institutions, faith-based groups and community agencies that are child- and family-focused, including Smart Start of Forsyth County.
The Pre-K Priority’s work is guided by 19 recommendations issued in conjunction with the Forsyth County Early Childhood Education Task Force and now led by The Pre-K Priority Steering Committee.
Community Awareness & Building Public Support
Community Awareness & Building Public Support
The Pre-K Model Cohort Classrooms
The Pre-K Model Cohort Classrooms
Pre-K Registration
Pre-K Registration
Be First
Pre-K Works
Pre-K Works
Family, Friend & Neighbor Caregiver Network
Family, Friend & Neighbor Caregiver Network
Pre-K Model Cohort Classrooms
In 2023, the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners and the City of Winston-Salem invested $4 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for a unique two-year community initiative to support increased quality standards in a model cohort of 30 Pre-K classrooms representative of the Pre-K landscape across Forsyth County. Coalition partners of The Pre-K Priority collaborating to deliver distinct, critical components of the pilot include Smart Start of Forsyth County, Child Care Resource Center, Family Services, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, Forsyth Futures, and the Hispanic League.
Together, we are providing specific high-quality supports that were either limited or nonexistent to these 30 model cohort classrooms, teachers, students and families. Our work impacts nearly 400 Pre-K students and their families along with 60 Pre-K teachers across WS/FCS, Head Start, NC Pre-K, and independent/private Pre-K providers.
As part of the Pre-K Model Cohort Classroom initiative, Smart Start of Forsyth County provides administrative oversight and support of classroom- and teacher-focused deliverables in multiple ways:
- Provide Success Coaches and related resources to teachers and teacher assistants in each of the 30 classrooms
- Address issues of professional compensation by issuing annual teacher retention bonuses (aligned with those issued by WS/FCS) and through salary supplements that align compensation with WS/FCS salaries based on credentials and years of experience.
- Encourage ongoing professional development by providing scholarship and tuition funding for educators working in model classrooms to obtain higher-level professional credential
- Oversee monthly reporting to highlight project progress, facilitate service partner meetings and serve as fiscal agent for the initiative.
“Our work with The Pre-K Priority complements Smart Start’s existing community programs to help address disparities in teacher compensation and support families of young children,” said Dr. Louis Finney President & CEO of Smart Start of Forsyth County. “The Pre-K Priority takes a much-needed collaborative, community-wide approach to addressing the systemic nature of the child care crisis. ”
Glynnise Highsmith, Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives for Smart Start of Forsyth County, leads our team in coordinating the efforts of The Pre-K Priority service partners and our participating Model Cohort Classrooms.
Together We’re Making a Difference
Learn more about our collaborative, systems-change work by reading Our First Priority – A Year One Impact Report on Investing in the Children of Forsyth County. This report details our Pre-K Model Cohort Classrooms’ Year 1 milestones including improvements in teacher retention, Kindergarten readiness, and family engagement.
Watch the Video
“We are so grateful for the involvement and partnership of Smart Start as we work to structure an accessible, equitable, high-quality Pre-K system for Forsyth County,” said Leslie Mullinix, Project Director for The Pre-K Priority. “It is only through the collaboration of parents, child care leaders and experts in our community that this work is possible.”
Add Your Voice
Sign The Pre-K Priority pledge and affirm your commitment to providing equitable high-quality early learning opportunities for all children in our community.
Have any questions? Reach out to Glynnise Highsmith, Vice President of Early Childhood Initiatives, [email protected]. You can also contact Leslie Mullinix, Project Director for The Pre-K Priority, at [email protected].
