SPECIAL INITIATIVE: Great Expectations
Working Together so Children Thrive
Great Expectations works to ensure that children in Forsyth County enter kindergarten ready to learn and leave set for success in school and life–regardless of their race, location, or economic status.
We invest in positive educational and health outcomes for children.
We work to address the systemic impacts of poverty on our children.
Research shows that living in an economically disadvantaged neighborhood is equal to missing one year of school. In Forsyth County, 34 percent of children are experiencing poverty. Nearly half of the children entering school in Forsyth County are at risk of falling behind their peers in reading. Fewer Latinx students are reading at grade level than in other parts of North Carolina. We’re working with our community together to change this.
We work with community partners to foster equity.
We believe everyone should have access to the same education and health opportunities, regardless of their race, place, or economic status. That’s why we invest in equitable opportunities to improve educational and health outcomes for all young children and their families in Forsyth County.
Every child deserves access to quality pre-K.
We are working to improve kindergarten readiness by increasing access to universal pre-K for all children, supporting a coalition led by the Pre-K Priority. Together, we are building the capacity of community organizations and parents to impact the early childhood system so every child can succeed.
Every caregiver should be supported to succeed.
We are working to ensure informal caregivers—family, friends, and neighbors (FFN)—have access to high quality resources. Two-thirds of Forsyth County families rely on informal childcare for economic and/or cultural reasons, making this support essential for these caregivers and our communities’ children.
Every family should have access to necessary support services.
We are working to mitigate the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) caused by trauma and toxic stress. To do this, we support community partners, working to get to the root causes of ACEs. This includes addressing economic challenges and increasing family support services and access to quality programs.
Our Goals
Increase health access and support before and after babies are born.
What we know: When families have access to quality health services, it improves birth outcomes and sets children up to learn and thrive. Unfortunately, the infant mortality rate for Black children is still nearly three times higher than the mortality rate for white children in NC. Black women are almost three times as likely to die as white women, in childbirth, as white women. We also know that adverse community conditions and toxic stress contribute to a variety of negative health outcomes.
What we do: We’re working to narrow racial disparities in birth and postpartum outcomes for Medicaid and uninsured populations, and reduce the occurrences and impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and toxic stress among young children.
Increase access to quality childcare and early learning.
What we know: Early experiences and environment can have a lasting impact on brain development, setting children up for later success in school and life. However, expensive programs, long waitlists, and bias keep many children—particularly children in families with low incomes and children of color—from accessing and thriving in formal childcare.
What we do: We’re working to improve kindergarten readiness by increasing access to universal pre-K for all children. We’re also working to ensure informal caregivers—family, friends, and neighbors—have access to high-quality resources, because that’s where many children are getting their care. Throughout this effort, we’re focused on increasing equity and alignment across early childhood systems.
Help young children thrive, by helping families thrive.
What we know: To help young children in Forsyth County thrive, we have to help families thrive. Parents of young children may be among the working poor, with a job, but without enough income and resources to make ends meet. Others may be seeking employment or pursuing their education, whether in high school or beyond. To help families thrive, the Trust is promoting a two-generation approach to economic mobility.
What we do: We’re exploring ways to build the local will for economic mobility and advance opportunities for families with low incomes.
Updates and Reports
Educational Equity Through High-Quality Pre-K
A call to action from The Pre-K Priority on why investing in high-quality pre-K is a means of advancing social and racial equity in our educational system and enhancing children’s prospects for lifelong success.
Forsyth Family Voices
A community engagement initiative that trained service providers to interview parents and caregivers (largely low-income and of color) about families’ strengths and what they need to help their children succeed.
Early Childhood Service System Analysis
Conducted in partnership with Forsyth Futures, this research created a comprehensive map of services that impact early childhood development, to understand systems gaps and opportunities for alignment.
Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care Study
Surveyed parents and caregivers to learn more about informal childcare arrangements in Forsyth County, because only 34 percent of young children in the county are enrolled in licensed and regulated care.
Our Grantmaking Strategies
We leverage a variety of strategies to advance our goals, across all programs, initiatives, and bodies of work.
Activating Change With Our Values
We start by listening. Believe in communities. Engage unlikely partners. Employ a place-based approach. Believe equity is essential to everything we do. Focus on outcomes. Support scale and sustainability.
Funding Opportunities
Find out what we’re funding now.