 Your
efforts as a volunteer for young children can make a big difference for
the children and families of this community. Below are highlights of
a few volunteer opportunities available in your community.
If you are interested in
serving as a volunteer for Richmond County Partnership for Children, please
contact Martha Vance Brown at (910) 997-3773 or mvancebrown@richmondcosmartstart.org. Local child care programs
need volunteer help and donations of goods too! Contact one near
you.
As an individual, you can...
VOLUNTEER
- Share a hobby, craft, or personal collection with children.
- Read stories to children.
- Provide clerical assistance to early childhood organizations.
- Help the Health Department nurse perform health screenings on young
children.
- Teach children how to use a computer.
- Teach adults who work with young children how to use a computer.
- Be a substitute teacher for a young children's program so a teacher
can attend professional development classes.
- Help improve facilities which provide programs and services for
young children and families.
- Serve on committees or boards affecting early childhood programs and
services.
- Become a Guardian Ad Litem -- a court-appointed volunteer for an
abused/neglected child -- to help ensure that the best is done for a child
involved in a court case.
- Tutor parents of young children in adult literacy.
- Assist in a summer program for young children.
- Staff registration tables at children's fairs or events.
- Provide translation to Spanish-speaking parents and children.
- Serve as a guest speaker about early childhood development.
- Provide, prepare, and distribute snacks at children's events and
fairs.
- Provide free child care during committee meetings, community forums,
and other events.
- Become a Big Brother or Big Sister to a young child.
- Visit and hold an abandoned baby at a local hospital.
- Volunteer at a Women's Shelter for mothers with young children.
- Consider becoming a foster parent.
- Consider adopting a young child.
- Mentor young families.
MAKE AND ASSEMBLE
- Activity kits.
- Show and tell bags.
- Dramatic play costumes.
- Big pillows.
- Wooden swing sets.
- Bean bag chairs.
DONATE
- Children's books.
- Children's toys and games.
- Children's magazine subscriptions.
- Infant and toddler equipment and toys.
- Educational programs for young children.
- Professional magazine subscriptions covering child-related topics.
ADVOCATE
- Write a letter-to-the-editor about young children's issues in your
community.
- Contact local media and ask them to explore programs supporting
early childhood development.
- Find out where elected officials stand on early childhood services
and programs.
- Educate elected officials about the importance of early childhood
development.
- Ask elected officials to support programs that provide programs and
services for young children and their families.
As an organization/business, you can...
VOLUNTEER
- Repair or renovate children's playgrounds.
- Renovate facilities for young children and their families.
- Mentor young children.
- Read stories to young children.
- Adopt a local early childhood program, and offer volunteers, the use
of facilities, financial support and other resources.
- Share expertise with early childhood development and family support
programs.
- Serve on committees or boards affecting early childhood programs and
services.
CREATE & DONATE
- Build early care, education and family center facilities.
- Create areas for mothers to nurse their infants.
- Donate items that support early childhood development.
- Sponsor space for parenting, family support, health care, and early
care and education programs.
- Donate space for parenting, family support, health care, and early
care and education programs.
- Provide in-kind support, such as copying, faxing, mailing or
printing, for organizations providing programs and services for young
children.
- Provide meeting space to community groups improving programs and
services for families with young children.
- Make facilities safe and inviting for young children and their
parents.
- Provide child care to parents.
ADVOCATE & EDUCATE
- Participate in partnerships with community sectors to improve
programs and services for young children and their families.
- Initiate partnerships with community sectors to improve programs and
services for young children and their families.
- Host or sponsor community forums on early childhood topics, such as
brain development, parenting programs, quality child care, or access
to health care.
- Publish articles about the importance of the early years.
- Work with media to publicize local programs that offer parent
education, family support, early care and education, and health
services.
- Provide parenting information.
- Form family support groups.
- Sponsor or host family literacy classes.
- Inform others in your organization/business about the importance of
the first years of life.
- Provide family insurance coverage that includes prenatal and
maternity care, well child, mental health care and immunizations.
- Conduct surveys or focus groups learn about the needs of families
with young children.
- Inform the public about the importance of the early years on
advertisements, promotions and products.
- Include information about healthy early childhood development in
professional training and education programs.
- Invite local speakers to offer parenting seminars.
- Communicate concern about the importance of the early years to
policy makers.
- Collect information about local early childhood needs and resources,
family activities and initiatives.
- Publish information about local early childhood needs and resources,
family activities and initiatives.
- Promote and provide immunizations and health exams for young
children.
- Publicize the importance of the first years of life.
- Encourage families to read to their children, beginning at birth and
throughout childhood.
- Help parents gain access to resources about parenting and child
development.
- Learn more about early childhood development.
SUPPORT
- Fund public awareness efforts about the importance of early
childhood development.
- Celebrate and honor community leaders and organizations that are
making a difference for young children and their families.
- Honor and reward volunteers who provide or improve early childhood
programs and services.
- Provide long-term financial support for early childhood development
efforts.
|
Richmond
County Partnership for Children, 108 S. Randolph
Street, PO Box 1944, Rockingham, NC 28380