Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads is a non-profit organization created by business and community leaders to address the issue of school readiness in our region.
We serve Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Virginia Beach.
Our Vision is that all children in South Hampton Roads arrive at kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed in school, and in life.
Our plan is to improve our early childhood system.
Our motivation is that the Commonwealth of Virginia provides little support to preschool children despite the fact that 90% of brain development occurs in the first five years of life. The result is too many children entering school are unprepared. Studies show that a child that starts kindergarten behind often stays behind.
Our role is to maximize the potential of every child in our region and ensure that every child has access to high-quality early care and education by:
- Raising awareness about the importance of the early years;
- Advocating for greater investment in our youngest citizens;
- Encouraging regional collaboration to improve our early care and education systems; and
- Working with South Hampton Roads cities to garner the resources and support necessary to improve their current systems.
Get Involved Today
You can make a difference to early education in South Hampton Roads.
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READINESS CHECKLIST
Is your child ready? Use this great tool to find out.
Learn More About Us
Did You Know?
- 1 in 8 children in our region arrives at kindergarten not ready.
- Kindergarten retention costs SHR taxpayers over $6 million per year.
- Employee absenteeism due to childcare arrangements costs American businesses over $3 billion per year.
- The seeds of desirable workforce skills - critical thinking, teamwork, effective communication-are planted before the age of 5.
- 3rd grade reading level is a powerful predictor: for those who fail the 3rd grade reading test, half will also fail in 5th grade.
