Down East Partnership for Children Faithful Families has helped St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church enhance its Health Ministry. We have a prayerful walking team that has been in existence for over 12 years. We have been getting health resources. DEPC has active interaction programs, Chop Chop Magazines and Retreats help reward our efforts.
One caregiver shared during a phone call after week four of Triple P Group, how thankful she was that her counselor recommended her to investigate parenting classes at Down East Partnership for Children. She had already started using some of the techniques that were presented AND she was pleased they were working with her 5-year-old daughter! She said that even the little things she has tried have made a difference in her child’s behavior. At the conclusion of the Group on graduation night, she proudly shared with us a big success. One big goal she had set for herself was to try and get her bed back. Her daughter had been sleeping in bed with the mom. After trying several Triple P strategies consistently, she was very excited to tell us that her daughter had slept in her own bed for 3 nights in a row! The whole group cheered for her and her daughter. We were so proud that she learned new strategies and incorporated them into her family in a positive way!
Another caregiver from Triple P Group shared after week five that she was very happy to report success in her goal for her son. She had set a goal for her son to independently put his dish in the sink after eating meals. She had tried several things before taking a Triple P class. After learning various strategies during the group sessions, she realized that she needed to change what she was doing instead of just expecting her son to change. So, she made herself present during the targeted meal cleanup times. She modeled what to do, she reminded him what to do and praised him when he did it. After doing these steps consistently, she observed him cleaning up his dish independently (he was looking over his shoulder to see if she was watching). She enthusiastically praised him for doing this task on his own! She was so thrilled to share on graduation night this goal being met! She stated also that it may seem like a small thing to some…it was a big success for her special needs son! We all cheered for her and her son. Three cheers for Triple P!
Holistic ministry is priority for St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Red Oak. They served as health champions for individuals and families in their local community. This vibrant 150+ year-old church brought together 3 churches consisting of participants from ages 5 to 85 years old. Connecting Faith, Family, and Community to Health, St. John implemented several health initiatives to create impactful ways to improve their physical health and promote smart eating such as the “Water Challenge” led by the Youth Ministry. Every day youth posted pictures of themselves drinking water and eating fresh fruit and vegetables. At the end of the 9-week program, participants shared their favorite homemade recipes and collectively created a healthy recipe book to distribute to the community. “It is important to share what we learn individually to build healthy communities”, says Bonita McNeil Finch, Lay Leader.
Founded in 2007, Faithful Families, Thriving Communities is a partnership between the North Carolina Division of Public Health and NC State Extension. DEPC has been facilitating this program in the twin counties since 2018. DEPC and Faithful Families recognizes that faith communities play a special role in supporting their community’s health and decreasing health disparities. They offer unique resources and perspectives to connect a community’s faith or religious traditions with messages about long-term health. St. John Missionary Baptist Church of Red Oak is the 20th church to participate in Faithful Families, Thriving Communities.
I never was a kid person. Of course I love my children but I wasn’t big on being around a lot of kids, especially kids with disabilities. This was more so of not knowing what to do and how to act around them, so I kept my distance. And then I was blessed with two children who had their own disabilities that I had no experience with. Having younger children, I became more antisocial, afraid of the world, and how they would judge my kids along with how they would judge me as a parent. I didn’t have much support and relied on my self only. I limit the times that I brought my kids around people, facilities as well as events. Finding about DEPC, not only did they provide different resources and programs that that help with raising children with disabilities but also provided resources and programs for my other children and myself. DEPC created a safe space for not only my children to create bonds with other children but also myself with other parents. They created a village that I did not know I needed. While attending the multiple classes and events that DEPC provided for the community, it open many doors for myself that I did not expect. Being consistent with DEPC I became a parent leader of Circle Of Parents, a board member as well as a member of the strategic and planning committee. I have also became a better advocate for my children along with children of my community. DEPC has changed my life for the better, and I am greatly appreciative of all the great experiences that they have brought and will bring for the upcoming year.
-Ashley Reynolds
ARPA (and overall)
FIRST OFF I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU SO MUCH TO DEPC FOR HELPING ME AND TEACHING ME AS A YOUNG PARENT INCLUDING HELPING OTHER FAMILIES AND ALSO OTHRR YOUNG MOTHERS AS MYSELF. YOU ALL DO SO MUCH TO HELP SO MANY DIFFERENT FAMILIES, INCLUDING OUR HEALTH, MENTAL, PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL, IT’S NOT EASY RAISING CHILDREN ALONE BUT WE HAVE DEPC TO THANK FOR BEING TBETE AND BEI G OUR BIGGEST AND GREAST SUPPORTER. I ALSO WANT TO SAY IT’S A HUGE BLESSING FOR TBE PROGRAM THAT’S BLESSING FAMILIES WITH 250.00 OF ITEMS THAT OUR KIDS NEED. IT’S VERY HARD FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE HAVING HARD TIMES AT THIS VERY MOMENT TO PROVIDE THEIR KIDS WITH THE THINGS TBEY NEED, SO I TRULY WANT TO SAY ALL OF THE PROGRAMS THAT HELP SINGLE FAMILIES, DIVERSITY FAMILIES, BLENDED FAMILIES, ETC AND ALL OTHER FAMILIES WHO PARTICIPATE IN AWESOME PROGRAMS THANK A BUNCH FIR ALL THE AMAZING AND INCREDIBLE, AWESOME WORK EACH ABD EVERYONE OF YOU DO, IT’S A HUGE BLESSING TO BE JOINING AND PARTICIPATING IN YOUR PROGRAM..❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
-Angelique Everette
Down East Partnership for Children is one of the jewels in our community that serves the entire family. One of my most memorable experiences was through my church participation in the Faithful Families Program. With a focus on building healthy families, this program transformed the lives of many of our parishioners. The program encouraged us to embrace healthy lifestyles through food and nutrition. As a result of the program, our church created several health policies which included providing healthy food options and water with any meals served at the church. Personally, I still use several of the recipes introduced through this program, and I look forward to our Annual Faithful Families Retreat which allows us to rekindle our connections with other Faithful Families participants.
DownEast Partnership is exactly what their name exemplifies. They are a partner with many community resources. They provide valuable services to parents, childcare providers, and the community at large. The staff is always willing to help provide time and resources to support multiple needs.
I can't say enough wonderful things about the Down East Partnership for Children! Their commitment to supporting families and children in our community is truly inspiring. The programs they offer are designed with such care and thoughtfulness, meeting the needs of every child and providing invaluable resources for parents as well. From early childhood education initiatives to family support services, they make a real difference in the lives of so many.
The team at Down East Partnership for Children is compassionate, knowledgeable, and dedicated to making our community a better place for future generations. Their events and workshops are always informative and engaging, and it's clear they are passionate about their mission.
I highly recommend supporting this incredible organization – whether you're a parent, an educator, or someone looking to make a positive impact, the Down East Partnership for Children is a fantastic resource and a true asset to our area!
Pastor Gary Lee
First Baptist Church of Middlesex
I heard about DEPC through an acquaintance at story time when I first became a mom. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only do they host fun, free Playgroups for birth-5 years, they support and empower us as parents. I have felt welcomed and encouraged by the staff and really appreciated the chance to connect with other parents in the same stage of life.
I’m so thankful I found DEPC, their services have greatly enriched our family experience.
Down East Partnership for Children is one of the jewels in our community that serves the entire family. One of my most memorable experiences was through my church participation in the Faithful Families Program. With a focus on building healthy families, this program transformed the lives of many of our parishioners. The program encouraged us to embrace healthy lifestyles through food and nutrition. As a result of the program, our church created several health policies which included providing healthy food options and water with any meals served at the church. Personally, I still use several of the recipes introduced through this program, and I look forward to our Annual Faithful Families Retreat which allows us to rekindle our connections with other Faithful Families participants.
Our family's experience with DEPC's Kaleidoscope Play Groups was phenomenal in multiple ways. To give you a little background, our daughter was born premature and with a trending-to-be-larger-than-usual cranium. Unfortunately, this caused multiple red flags to be thrown by her pediatrician and left her seemingly developmentally delayed with a need for speech, auditory, and MRI testing. I wanted to offer her the best possible scenario for whatever life brought our way and this is where DEPC held my hand. Both Debra and Lora heard the fear in our story and utilized every resource to calm my nerves. Lora worked on my daughter's intrapersonal growth during playgroup sessions by helping her facilitate budding relationships with peers and maintain attention and eye contact during play. Debra helped me complete developmental milestone check-ins and offered materials on how to further assist my daughter reach said milestones. Without their guidance, I would not have navigated the uncharted waters I had to navigate so smoothly. I'll be forever grateful for the knowledge DEPC equipped me with and the relationships with common-season families it helped me foster.
I am a retired educator after 12 years in the Public School system. I also served as a
schooLcounselor/chaplain/Minister/Substitute Teacher, member of Retired Edgecombe Nash School Personnel and active community leader in Edgecombe County and Nash counties. I have been affiliated with Down East Partnership for Children (DEPC) for many years
advocating for the needs of children and families, to launch every child as a lifelong
learner by the end of third grade. My initial relationship with DEPC was through
participation in the Community Fellows 2-year Leadership Development program which taught me more skills, knowledge and resources to build my capacity to be a resource and provide resources to meet the needs of families in the community. My involvement included but not
limited to the following: serving on a school community team, volunteer for Read Across
America, faith based host for educational forums, organized Pre-K & Kindergarten
Canvassing events, participating in various committees as a community partner at DEPC, sharing resource information on quality childcare and health care resources as well, volunteer at DEPC EXPO booths & other community events to share information are just a few of the connections over the years. DEPC is a trusted community-based organizations
that maintains many school community partnerships for the success of young children!
All four of my children have benefited from the Down East Partnership for Children. We were heavily involved in playgroups and loved them. As a parent I appreciated the things I learned and the quality time with each child.
Two of my children received scholarships for preschool. This was an amazing blessing for our family!
DEPC's playgroups are absolutely wonderful! We love the support and the program has helped me better understand the importance of playing with my child.
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I would like to share one of my favorite experiences as a learning and feeding coach during the summer of 2019 for Down East Partnership for Children. I enjoyed reviewing reading and math skills with students in grades 7-12. One lesson was on basic life skills. During this lesson, we talked about managing money, especially on how to count money. I wanted the students to be able to estimate the total cost of items that were to be purchased prior to reaching the cash register to check out.
I took students to one of the local stores in community to see how much they had paid attention in class and to see if they were able to practice skills learned in class. Each teen in the group was given $3.00 dollars to spend at the store. They could purchase healthy snacks, but they had to save 10% of their monies to put in the church offering as a part of tithes and offering. They could use calculators if need and they could also help each other out.
Students had also been taught the importance of tithes and offering in their Bible class taught by one of the deacons of the church. Because of this, they also had another challenge and that was to save 10% of the $3.00 to place in offering when we returned to church. It was remarkably interesting to see their shopping experiences and the choices they made on spending their money. Each of them returned with the required 10%. They were immensely proud of themselves, and I was too.
I have been a board member for the last 6 years and honored to be their chairwoman for the next 3! I have been a long time children's advocate for over 30 years and when I relocated to Rocky Mount 8 years ago, Down East Partnership was the first non-profit organization I called. I wanted to volunteer and to learn how I could support the education and healthy development of our children in Nash and Edgecombe counties. I have worked in many different capacities with the outstanding and committed staff on numerous programs, and can't begin to tell you how this dedicated group change lives everyday. Today's children are tomorrow's leaders and we all have a stake in making sure our children thrive and learn. The children touch my heart every day and we must launch every child as a lifelong learner.
DEPC has been a beckon light in our community.We can count on them year after year to go the extra mile to address the needs of at-risk children. Parents have become empowered by gaining appropriate parenting skills techniques. We have been able to corral students and parents to participate in early learning and fun activities utilizing our Fun Buckets. Items in the Fun Bucket equipped our students to gain the necessary, learning skills to build a firm foundation to become life long learners.
This past summer DEPC was instrumental in walking Ray of Hope in Whitakers, NC through the successful implementation of the Summer Reading and Feeding program. We served a total of 400 youth during the ten week project, hot nutritional lunches. They were also treated to reading, games and individual time of inspiration.
The parents were elated to have a safe, relaxing and motivational atmosphere as they experienced the joy and excitement of returning daily.
One of our single mothers with a set of twins and two additional children under six and one son twelve was especially grateful to have that much needed time for her children and herself. She has now obtained a job and is so proud of her accomplishment and she believes that quality time for her kids and her self care had a huge impact upon the fulfillment of her goal for full-time employment.
DEPC was there to answer all my questions, giving great support and easy access to resources which enabled Ray of Hope to make an immeasurable impact in a rural community.
Special thanks to DEPC and it's staff for going above and beyond to help during this pandemic.
As a first time mother with no family near by to ask for advice, Down East Partnership played a pivotal role in my journey of parenthood. They gave me the skill-sets to navigate how to sleep train, engage in play, deescalate tantrums, and so much more. By taking one of their 6 week courses, I not only gained these skills, but I also gained a community of other parents!
DEPC(DOWNEAST Partnership For Children)
is the best organization that touches all ages
through their programs to help young children succeed. This program is available to people who want to volunteer through
various ways like golf activities/community
leadership training/daycare training for owners/faith base programs/ ready school
programs/cooking programs/parties in the park for families and vendors and internship
programs.(personal for me I needed 120 hours internship for graduation in 1999
I attend work shops and training though Down East Partnership for my job working with child in a prekindergarten setting. Down East Partnership puts alot of effort in their training with latest information.
DownEast is not just an organization, it’s a family. They are supportive and full of so many resources. They always have something goin on for children to be a part of and they never forget about the parents. I have join in on their play dates Triple P, support groups and many other events they have held. I will continue to tell everyone what a great joy DownEast Partnership for Children has been for me.
DEPC has been so helpful and encouraging to me as I raise my daughter. They support me in parenting, education and resources, as well as connecting me to other moms.
Hearing about Down East over the years when I was younger and now that I have children I wanted to know what Down East could do for us. I signed my 5 year old up for playgroup and although we miss the zooms we enjoy making the crafts and her learning songs and reading new books. The staff is great at least the ones I’ve met so far. And since I’m homeschooling my kids they told me that they have resources there that I could use with the girls. I live DEPC
There are so many great things I can say about DEPC. An amazing and inspiring group of people that go beyond limitations to provided a much needed service in the community! This group engages the community to grow and to prosper for the betterment of all!
This nonprofit organization is the absolute best! They really care about their community and is always willing to help in anyway they can. They give out food to the needy. They have educational and fun seminars for parents to join. They have great educational and playful groups for kids to learn, while having fun.
This organization helped by allowing my newborn grandbaby to recieve a book through the mail on a regular basis!
I love that they send my granddaughter books every month that she enjoys reading and I also enjoy reading them to her.
I came across the DEPC this summer. The pandemic was in full swing, and my family was struggling with no play dates, tightening budget, and genera uncertainty. Depc fit families started giving us boxes of produce and recipes, they gave us supplies to participate in play dates virtually where I could talk to other parents, and hey helped me participate in Dolly Partons imagination library. Every time I have a problem, they try to help support me. I have no family nearby, so They have been my rock during this whole pandemic
I’ve had a great experience with you all sending my children educational learning books every month thanks a lot ....
My husband and I are currently participating in the Incredible Years program. We have enjoyed it so much in depc has been very accommodating!
Down East Partnerships offers great programs for our youth in both Nash and Edgecombe counties. These programs help build our children for the future. They also provide programs for parental support. Down East Partnership is an absolute must for our area.
DEPC is a wonderful organization. They are committed and passionate about high quality child care and education.
I am involved with DEPC and the playgroups with my now 9-month old daughter. We enjoy coming every Tuesday to play with friends along with each other. Her not being in daycare gives her a chance to get outside experience from home!
DEPC has an impressive history and track record of delivering high quality services to children in its two-county region. With strong leadership at the board and staff levels, it is poised to continue its progress and reach even more children. DEPC is an organization that is worthy of support.
I am an employee at DEPC, but before I even applied I looked all through the website to see what the partnership was all about because I had never heard of it before. When I got to the page that showed how their work impacts our community, that was it for me. I knew I had to be a part of this awesome organization. At the time (2018) over 13,000 children and their families had benefited from Down East Partnership for Children's services and that number continues to grow. I truly believe that when you can help even one child to grow up to be a healthy, happy lifelong learner, you are making a huge difference because they will grow up to teach their children the same. DEPC is a wonderful place with people who truly care about improving the lives of the children and families right here in our own community and I am thankful to be a part of it. ~B. Lambeth
In my work as a national funder, I share the work of the Down East Partnership on a regular basis and also bring leaders from other states to learn about the great work they are doing. They have done an outstanding job of setting a vision and building the community collaboration to make it happen.
Down East Partnership for Children is an outstanding nonprofit that works within its community to make sure young children have access to services they need to be healthy and ready to succeed.
When I think of young children in Nash and Edgecombe counties, I think of DEPC. DEPC continues to have an exceptional reputation not only with collaborating area agencies, but with the families and school systems it serves. DEPC in in our churches, our early care environments and our elementary schools. A questioning parent can find all they need and more inside of its building.
We have been coming to different programs at Down East Partnership for the last 2 years. I am soooo thankful for the programs that are offered. Not only for my 3 year old but for myself as well. Thanks for all you do!!
They have helped me paying for childcare and taught me tips for dealing with my children.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
It has been our pleasure to serve you. Thank you for being a part of the DEPC community.
excellent and staff. Always willing to go above and beyond.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
Thank you for your kind words. We are glad to to be here!
My children have been involved with DEPC since 2009 and I love it!
DebraJ 10/09/2018
We thank you for your involvement for the past 9 years. That is awesome!
Really enjoy the outreach programs that they offers for the community.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
Thank your for sharing your enjoyment of our outreach programs. It has been an honor to serve the families of Nash and Edgecombe for the past 25 years.
The organization has been very helpful in providing information for the families that we serve. They have also been instrumental in assisting with providing parenting classes as well as assisting with day care payments for the families that we serve. They have also been instrumental in providing Triple P training.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
Thank you for your wonderful comments. We love our work and our community!
Down East Partnership for Children, spends a lot of time, funding and effort in making sure our families receive services.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
We appreciate this comment and thank you for recognizing our hard work and effort.
The workshops s are very beneficial they cover topics on reading and healthy eating. DEPC has provided excellent support services to parents and schools . I do not think people realize children are life long learners until they began utilizing services at DEPC.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
Thanks for highlighting our work in literacy and health. We believe every child deserves the support and resources necessary to become a healthy, lifelong learner by the end of third grade.
I started as a volunteer at DEPC and very quickly became very impressed wit the many good things that this organization was doing. I am so very proud to be involved with such a fine organization.
DebraJ 10/09/2018
Thank you for volunteering your time with DEPC. It is an honor to have you and we appreciate you sharing your story!
DebraJ 10/09/2018
DEPC is glad to know our programs have been helpful to both you and your child. Thank you so much for sharing your story.