Miss Ruby’s Kids serves as a replication site for the ParentChild+ program. ParentChild+ is an innovative two-generation program focused on providing educational success and career opportunities to children, families, and caregivers in communities challenged by poverty, limited educational options, language barriers, geographic isolation, and housing and food insecurity. We collaborate with communities to develop strong support for families and their caregivers in communities lacking sufficient resources.

ParentChild+’s One-on-One model supports individual families with personalized home visits. Early learning specialists (ELSs), who share a community connection with families, meet one-on-one with parents and their children aged 24 to 48 months twice a week. ELSs support parents in preparing their children for academic success and strengthen families and communities through intensive, consistent, long-term home visits.

ParentChild+ emphasizes three main principles:

1. Increasing verbal and non-verbal interaction between parent and child
2. Developing and enhancing positive child behaviors
3. And promoting early literacy skills

The program’s central concept is that by promoting parent-child interaction and fostering conversation in the context of the parent-child relationship, critical emergent literacy and school readiness skills can be developed in the home. Our research has consistently demonstrated that parents who participate in the program exhibit more consistent positive interaction and affect toward their children. 

Our innovative Home-Based Child Care Provider Model works with a diverse array of caregivers, from Family, Friends, and Neighbors to group Family Child Care. It builds on the success of our One-on-One model, extending support to all the key adults caring for children before they enter school.

Our Home-Based Child Care model provides learning support that is individualized to capitalize on their talents and passions. The Early Learning Specialist builds a relationship with the provider with the aim of learning how best to support them. Throughout the 24-week program, the provider receives 48 home visits and acquires a library of:

• 12 high-quality books and educational materials selected for their multiple age groups.

• Accompanying guide sheets that support the facilitation of learning through play.

Once graduates of the ParentChild+ program enter school, they are assigned a Mentor. Mentors visit their Mentees once a week at school and provide much-needed support for them as they progress in their educational journey. Time spent together could be spent working on academics, exploring new interests, or listening and talking while getting to know each other.

All Mentors must undergo thorough background checks and various trainings to help them better support their Mentee. Mentors are invited to regular meetings and given supplies and ideas to help them create a successful experience with each visit.

To provide children with age-appropriate, culturally relevant books, Miss Ruby’s Kids operates free libraries in targeted areas of Georgetown County. Our libraries include many books, from baby board books to higher reading levels.

Our libraries are maintained weekly by volunteer Library Stewards who develop knowledge of the communities and children who visit them. With this knowledge, they can curate a book selection that fits the needs of the children who visit their libraries. Our libraries are sponsored by community businesses, churches, and personal donors who want to gift the love of reading.

We appreciate book donations. Please get in touch with us at 843-436-7200 to coordinate your donation.

Miss Ruby’s Kids is a Local Program Supporter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library puts books into the hands and hearts of children across the world. DPIL partners with local communities to provide a hand-selected, age-appropriate, high-quality book each month to registered children from birth to age five. Georgetown County residents ages birth to five are eligible to receive free books monthly in the mail.