An Exciting Week!

This week is Georgia Pre-K week! Georgia's Pre-K program is available to ALL of Georgia's four year olds and Greenbriar's Quality-Rated program is located at Windy's Preschool.

A study done by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute found that children enrolled in the Georgia Pre-K program are more prepared for kindergarten and are able to sustain gains in math skills, language, literacy and social-emotional skills through the end of the first grade. (Source: Voices for Georgia's Children).

Early learning is ESSENTIAL to our children and our community. If you have a child who needs a quality rated early childcare program which is AFFORDABLE to all, please call us at (912) 234-3431.

ACES /ConnectionsMatter

This summer, Greenbriar was one of only eight non-profits in Georgia, and the only one in Chatham County, to be awarded a Community Transformation Grant. This Grant was awarded by the GA Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to organizations that had a vision-based, partnered approach to resolving a challenging community issue. Greenbriar's proposal was a project that could improve the mental health of the birth to five population in our area. We chose to focus on the negative impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) and ways that we could help educate and empower our community to support young children on a daily basis. THREE of our staff received "Train the Trainer" certifications from ConnectionsMatterGA this Fall which will enable them to provide community training on ACES directly to early childhood centers, parents and other caregivers in our area. They are the only certified ConnectionsMatter trainers currently in Chatham County! We are grateful to our partners at Child Care Referral and Resource Agency of Southeast Georgia (CCR & R), Coastal Georgia Indicators (CGIC), The Professional Family Child Care Alliance of Georgia (PFFCCAG) and Parent University who are helping us to bring these educational sessions to our region this year and through 2022.

Play is a Child's Laboratory

We know how important it is for children to have time to play. Playtime is also a time to learn. Studies have shown that active play is one of the ways that children learn...and it also helps them to manage feelings, such as anxiety. Play also helps to develop relationships...and when we develop relationships, we develop support systems that can help reduce anxiety or even trauma. When children play, they can not only improve their physical abilities by running on a playground (or balancing on a jungle-gym), but they can also improve their social skills, such as when they play together in a pretend tree house.

Make sure your children have plenty of time to play every day. It's also good for adults to play each day too! Set aside a a bit of time every day to play with your child...by playing jump rope or even sitting down to a board game. Remember...it's good for you!

Kiwanis Club of Skidaway Grant

Greenbriar was thrilled to be the recipient of a grant from the Kiwanis Club of Skidaway Island on Thursday, September 23, 2021. This generous grant will provide us with much needed funding for our infant center which will be part of our early childhood and early education programs. Shown above, left to right are: Anne-Marie Darsney, Greenbriar Board member; Gena P. Taylor, Executive Director, Greenbriar Children's Center and Cherie L.B. Trice, Director of Development at Greenbriar.

For more information on Greenbriar's programs, including our emergency shelter for youth ages 11-18 and our Family Preservation Program which provides FREE counseling and support services to families in need or ways that you can help us, please visit us at our website http://www.greenbriarchildrenscenter.org Thank you!

Help Children with your Gift Here