Smart Beginnings is a comprehensive public/private approach to make our community a place where children grow up healthy and arrive at school prepared to succeed.
On March 16, 2009, Kathy Glazer, Director of Virginia’s Office of Early Childhood Development; Miriam Rushfinn, Coordinator of the Smart Beginnings Program; and Jon Nafziger, United Way Vice President for Community Initiatives spoke to a Women United group on the progress of the Smart Beginnings Initiative and how their $36,000 grant is being utilized. The Seal of Quality Child Care received $12,500 of the grant to be used in Child Care Scholarships and as incentives for providers to join the Seal system; family support received $5,000 for parent resources and Latino family resources; $6,500 went to transition to kindergarten pilots including the School Readiness Report; and $12,00 towards the Smart Beginnings Director and business/community engagement. Today Smart Beginnings continues to work on making kids “Ready for school. Ready for life.”
