Smart Beginnings South Hampton Roads’ roots go back to 2004 when business, civic and philanthropic leaders in South Hampton Roads became concerned by the alarming statistic that 1 in 5 children in our region arrived at kindergarten unprepared. In response, we were created to improve school readiness for children in our region.

Since 2004, we have moved the meter from 1 in 5 children not ready for school to 1 in 10, proving that our efforts and yours are paying off!

QRIS: A market-driven approach to improving the level of quality in early education programs

• 104 centers participating in the Quality Rating Improvement System (QRIS).
• 9,000 children impacted.
• 12 4-Star rated centers in our region.
• 64% of QRIS centers increased their rating by one-star and the average star rating increased from 2.4 to 3.1 following mentorship.  
• 15 Family Child Care Homes pilot QRIS.
• 90 Children impacted.

Early Childhood Teacher Scholarships - improving child outcomes through quality teachers.

• 352 scholarships awarded to early education teachers employed in QRIS programs.

Early Learning Challenge Grants - transforming our early education system.

• Four out of five communities have been awarded grant dollars and are tracking and reporting on performance-based outcomes.
• Communities are helping parents be a child's first and most important teacher by arming them with parenting resources and information, improving quality for children and providing effective preschool-kindergarten transitions.

Newborn & Family Screening & Referral - equipping and supporting parents from day one.

• Awarded a $300,000 grant in to Sentara Obici Hospital in the fall of 2011 for the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Newborn & Family Screening & Referral pilot that will improve the way all parents of newborns connect to vital resources and information.

Public Awareness - changing the way our community thinks about the early years and arming parents with tools to succeed.

• Launched public awareness campaign to inform parents about QRIS and to encourage them to ask “Is my child’s center rated?”
• 110 articles and opinion pieces published promoting the issue of early education.
• 140,000 Community Connections Resource Guides distributed to parents and community partners. 
• Over 30,000 Kindergarten Readiness Checklists distributed as a resource for parents to help their children be ready for school.
• Kindergarten Readiness Checklist Video created and distributed in Sentara hospitals, pediatricians’ offices, social services offices, and libraries.
• 3,400 Faithful Beginnings Readiness Guides distributed to 35 congregations and schools. 
• Over 300 copies of Child Care Quality Checklist downloaded in its first two months.