Donate Yarn for a Great Cause

By Lyne Goode, Cabarrus Partnership for Children

Isn't it amazing how life throws people at you when you need them the most?

We are beginning our Cuddle Up Coat Drive this month, and I was at the Kannapolis Library dropping off a collection box. As I walked back to my car, a woman named Liz stopped me to ask about the coat donation box she had seen me carrying in. She explained that her mom, Linda, had crocheted a bag full of beautiful baby blankets and hats for children and wondered if the Partnership could use them. I took them with a heartfelt thank you and couldn't wait to return to the office with a bag full of love. As the day went on, I realized that I had Liz's name but no contact information to send a proper thank you. Amazingly enough, I received an e-mail the next morning from Linda, Liz's mom, the creator of these beautiful "yarn hugs". She explained that she would love to create more of these for the children and all she would need is a donation of yarn!

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Report: 64,000 Students Chronically Absent in NC Elementary Schools

Case Studies Show Promising Results in Reducing Chronic Absence

Raleigh, NC (September 20, 2018) – More than 64,000 of North Carolina’s youngest students were chronically absent from school during the 2015-16 school year, according to a report released today by the NC Early Childhood Foundation (NCECF). Chronic absence has been shown to impact reading proficiency at third grade, so the report analyzes absence data in North Carolina schools that have preschool, kindergarten, first, second and/or third grade classrooms. Eleven percent (11%) of children in those schools were found to be chronically absent in 2015-16. Chronic absence was defined as missing 15 days or more of the school year for this data collection, which was managed by the federal Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.

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