When Mebane Foundation President Larry Colbourne saw a plea in the Enterprise for sponsors for Davie County’s 4-H summer camps he immediately asked himself, “What would Allen (Mebane) do?” — then he wrote a check. “Allen read the paper every morning and I remember vividly how he’d call me into his office and tell me […]
Drumroll please! Smart Start of Davie County is proud to announce that the $10,000 Mebane Foundation Challenge Grant has not only been met but exceeded! Thanks to generous contributions from the Davie County community, Smart Start has raised $33,345 to fund its family support and literacy programs. “We are humbled by the donations from local […]
“Deep,” says Susan Shepherd to her first-graders. “Deep,” they repeat. “Replace the /p/ with /l/,” she says. “Deal,” shouts her students. Shepherd is guiding her students through their daily Heggerty Phonemic Awareness lesson. Phonemic awareness is the ability to understand that spoken words are made up of individual sounds called phonemes, and it’s one of […]
Once the camera is ready, Stephanie Nelson begins to record another learning video for Davie County’s preschool teachers and the families of children who are learning from home. Nelson, Davie County’s preschool collaborative teacher, was hired with funds from DavieLEADS (Literacy Empowers All in Davie to Succeed), a five-year, $2.5 million grant initiative between Davie […]
Instead of kicking up their heels, Davie County residents are being challenged to click a link. In lieu of its 10th Annual Hometown Hoedown, Smart Start of Davie County is partnering with the Mebane Foundation to promote early education initiatives in Davie County. Through this partnership, any donation made to Smart Start of Davie County […]
Although it looked a little different this year, Dream Big 2021 was just as joyful and exciting as ever, according to Book Harvest Founder Ginger Young. Every year on MLK Day, Book Harvest celebrates the power of community and their big dream of books and literacy for all kids with Dream Big. This annual celebration […]
By Jeanna Baxter White When Davie County Schools launched DavieLEADS four years ago, they could not have known that the initiative’s professional development component would provide a lifeline to teachers as a pandemic forced them to quickly adapt to new ways of teaching. “No one could have been prepared for a pandemic. However, a lot […]
Susan*, a single mom with two children, temporarily lost her job as a waitress when the pandemic hit and was evicted from her basement apartment because she could no longer pay her rent. She didn’t qualify for unemployment and her ex-husband, who also lost his job, was no longer required to pay child support. The […]
By Jeanna Baxter White Anyone who has ever looked into the eyes of a child entranced by the soothing cadence of Goodnight Moon knows that shared reading is magical. “One of the best ways to engage with young children is through looking at books together. Every time a parent or caregiver snuggles with a child […]
During the day, Lindsay Harper teaches kindergarten at Courtney Elementary School in Yadkinville, NC. But one evening a week, she becomes the student as part of the Yadkin Wolfpack Literacy Partnership (YWLP) between the NC State College of Education and Yadkin County Schools (YCS) designed to improve reading proficiency in the district by helping teachers […]
Rebecca Boyles likes to say she was born to be a teacher because her birthday typically falls on the first day of school. “I became a teacher because I believe that every child deserves an adult that will never give up on them and understands the power of connection between a teacher and student. I […]
Sitting cross-legged on the library floor, Madison Sandy carefully examined the blueprint on the iPad in front of her before selecting the corresponding legos to add to her remote control car. Soon the rising 5th-grader was gleefully maneuvering it in a circle in front of her, experiencing that math and science are fun. Flexible Funding […]
Although Book Harvest’s Book Babies team can’t visit families in person right now, that doesn’t mean they’re not keeping in touch, shared Ginger Young, the Durham-based organization’s founder and executive director. Launched in Durham County in 2013, this groundbreaking evidence-informed home visiting program provides 20 new age-appropriate books to participating children every year starting at […]
Apply Now! Mebane Foundation Offers 35 $1,500 Classroom Start-Up Grants to 1st Year Teachers – Grades K-3 Setting up a classroom is expensive, ask any veteran teacher who has spent years scouring thrift shops and yard sales looking for books, educational toys, craft items, and decorations to turn an empty classroom into a warm and […]
Discussing Music and Movement in the Preschool Classroom “What types of music and movements help children to calm? What helps them get their energy up?” Stephanie Nelson, Davie County’s preschool collaborative teacher, asked teachers during February’s community preschool professional learning community (PLC) meeting on Monday night. A lively discussion followed as the preschool teachers shared […]