Supporting A Strong Start for Children

As part of The Duke Endowment’s summer literacy program, rural churches found creative ways to help young scholars despite COVID.

In North Carolina, researchers are testing a promising program designed to help vulnerable families build nurturing relationships.

Imagine trying to learn the alphabet when it’s a struggle to see the letters. In the Carolinas, Impact America is helping preschoolers receive vision care during their crucial formative years.

Reading on grade level takes not just a great teacher, but a whole range of health, education and family supports. Enter NC Pathways to Grade-Level Reading, a collaborative effort aimed at helping North Carolina improve outcomes for children and their families.

The pandemic has stressed hospitals across the Carolinas both medically and financially. We speak with Michelle Fortune, head of St. Luke’s Hospital in Columbus, N.C., to see how one small rural hospital has fought its way through the challenges.

As executive director of Guilford Community Care Network, Lisa Duck sees firsthand how COVID-19 is exacerbating health disparities in historically marginalized communities.

Carole Swiecicki, head of the Dee Norton Child Advocacy Center in Charleston, S.C., discusses how her organization has shifted to provide much-needed therapy, training and outreach services.

From providing space for telehealth counseling to delivering meals to families in need, churches across North Carolina are putting faith into action to support their communities.

Thanks to a new initiative coordinated by Read Charlotte, families now have access to free online resources to help their children gain literacy skills at home.

As director of the S.C. Department of Social Services, Michael Leach wants to take the agency to “a standard of excellence for the country.” We asked him how.