Compassionate Champions ceremony to be held May 17

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney and First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney on Friday previewed the events occurring in May 2023 during the 5th Annual Trauma Awareness Month in the State of Delaware, hosted by the Family Services Cabinet Council (FSCC) and Trauma Matters Delaware (TMD).

In 2018, Governor Carney issued Executive Order 24 prioritizing efforts for Delaware to become a trauma informed state and incorporating Trauma Awareness Month as a key initiative.

“Trauma Awareness Month is an opportunity for all of us to engage with our community and learn how to prevent and interrupt cycles of trauma, especially for our children,” said Governor Carney. “A lot has changed since we first recognized Trauma Awareness Month in 2018 and we are grateful to recognize Trauma Awareness Month in Delaware for the fifth year, this year. We thank Trauma Matters Delaware and the many organizations, state agencies, and individuals who are working hard to make Delaware a more trauma-informed state.”

“With this kind of work, which has generational as well as short-term goals, it can be easy to focus on how far there is to go. But on this fifth anniversary of Trauma Awareness Month, it’s also worth remembering how far we’ve come, thanks to so many partners working together in our state,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “It’s an inspiring, collaborative, and essential fight for the future.”

The FSCC and TMD are highlighting a variety of events throughout May, including webinars, movie screenings, and a theme night at a Wilmington Blue Rocks game. Events begin April 25 and run throughout the month of May. A few events include:

• April 28, 2023 –Trauma Awareness theme night at the Wilmington Blue Rocks – 5:35 p.m.
• April 29, 2023– Conference on Moving From Trauma-Aware to Trauma Informed – 9 a.m. at Delaware State University’s MLK Student Center
• May 6, 2023– Film screening of Mister Rogers & Me –  Additional information will be shared on the TMD event calendar
• May 10, 2023– Conversation on “Gun Violence 101” – Online webinar
• May 17, 2023 – Compassionate Champions Award Presentation – Wilmington University’s Dover Campus

The purpose of the Compassionate Champion Award is to recognize outstanding achievement by both individuals and organizations in providing trauma-informed services. Awardees will be recognized from government, community organizations, first responders, education, health care, and other organizations. This year will include the inaugural First Chance award which will go to an outstanding youth from Delaware.

The FSCC and TMD encourage Delaware community organizations to add their own Trauma Awareness Month events to the TMD event calendar. To have events published on TMD’s Trauma Awareness Month calendar, please complete this form.

“We are excited for the fifth-annual Trauma Awareness Month to kick off. This year will include virtual and in-person events, and most importantly, a platform for information-sharing about trauma awareness,” said Erin Mitchell, Executive Director of Trauma Matters Delaware. “After living through a global pandemic, we know mental health is at the front of people’s minds. At Trauma Matters Delaware, our vision is that all people can feel safe, grow beyond adversity and thrive.”

For more information about Trauma Awareness Month events and registration, visit traumamattersdelaware.org/trauma-awareness-month.

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DOVER, Del. – On Saturday, December 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Governor John Carney and First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will host a holiday open house at Woodburn, the Governor’s Residence. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the Governor and First Lady, tour Woodburn and Hall House, view holiday decorations, and enjoy holiday treats. The event is free and open to the public.

WHAT:       Holiday open house and tours at Woodburn.

WHO:         Governor John Carney

First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney

WHEN:       Saturday, December 7, 2019

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. *Governor Carney will arrive around 12:00 p.m.

WHERE:     Woodburn

151 Kings Highway Southwest
Dover, DE 19901

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The Woodburn Holiday Open House is one of several events taking place in Dover on Saturday, December 7:

Saturday, December 7, 2019
“The First State”

9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Guided tours explore Delaware’s ratification of the U.S. Constitution and its legacy as the first state to enter the union. First Saturday in the First State program. The Old State House, 25 The Green, Dover.

Saturday, December 7, 2019
Delaware Day Awards Ceremony

10:00 a.m.

Event honors participants in the Delaware Department of State’s 18th Annual Delaware Day Fourth Grade Competition which challenges students to create displays that help illustrate and explain the U.S. Constitution and the role played by Delawareans in the writing and ratification of the nation’s founding document. Delaware Public Archives, 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Dover.

Saturday, December 7, 2019
“Holidays With Victor.”

9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Guided tours examine holiday music recorded by Victor Records accompanied by 78-rpm records played on authentic Victor Talking Machines. First Saturday in the First State program. Johnson Victrola Museum, 375 S. New St., Dover.

View more events from the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs.

Kindergarten Registration Month launched last year in partnership with First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney

DOVER, Del. – First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney and the Delaware Readiness Teams will kick off Delaware’s second statewide kindergarten registration campaign at a special event on October 18 at the Dover Public Library.

In the weeks that follow, the Delaware Readiness Teams will host over 20 events at local libraries, schools, and childcare centers around the state to encourage families and caregivers to register students for kindergarten and help guide them through the process. The events – a mix of information sessions and resources fairs – will feature the Delaware Readiness Teams’ signature Kindergarten Registration folders, family activities, and free books.

Kindergarten Registration Month launched last year in partnership with First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney.

Click here for a full list of resources and 2019 event details.

“I am proud to be a partner in Kindergarten Registration Month,” said First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney. “Parents everywhere – myself included – know that navigating the registration process can be complicated, but we’re here to help. Registering as early as possible is one way that parents can set their young ones up for success.”

“We know that starting kindergarten on time is important in helping children get off on the right track,” said Diane Frentzel, program manager for Delaware Readiness Teams. “That’s why the Delaware Readiness Teams are working diligently in communities getting the right information in the hands of families and providers.”

All three counties will host family engagement events throughout Kindergarten Registration Month this November. Families and caregivers of children who will be five years old by August 31 are encouraged to register their student for kindergarten as soon as possible.

ABOUT THE DELAWARE READINESS TEAMS

The Delaware Readiness Teams are a statewide grassroots initiative aimed at helping children from birth through age eight get ready for school and life. The teams focus on early learning, healthy children, and successful transitions, hoping every child will enter school ready and eager to learn.

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Op-ed by Tracey Quillen Carney, First Lady of Delaware
Honorary Chair, Kindergarten Registration Campaign

This month, we launched the first ever Kindergarten Registration Campaign in Delaware. And I can hear families asking exactly what I would have asked in the hectic preschool years of our kids’ lives: “You want me to think about next fall – now?”

Of course, students won’t ever be turned away from attending their feeder pattern school. But families should know that kindergarten registration is not a one-step process, and there are advantages and opportunities that come with starting early—opportunities that can help give children the best possible start to the school year. A good start to kindergarten helps set kids on a path to future success, including the all-important benchmark of grade-level reading.

So yes, speaking to my fellow parents/caregivers, now really is the best time to start planning for next fall, and our schools are eager to help. We can help each other, too, by spreading the word and encouraging all parents/caregivers of children who will be age five by August 31, 2019, to learn about and complete kindergarten registration as early as possible.

First, families need to identify your home schools, even if you plan to look into choice or charter options, and learn exactly what each school requires for registration. No one should be wary of the documents requested; schools will work with all Delaware residents in consideration of family circumstances. But recognize that you might need time to make physical exam appointments and gather materials. Each school also has a number of forms for families to complete, and it’s worth finding out early if you—or your family members, neighbors, or friends with rising K students—are going to need any help or additional information.

You also want to ask about kindergarten registration events, which are already underway at some schools and will continue into the spring. Most districts host both day and evening events—some even have “kindergarten registration weeks”—not only to offer help with forms, but also to get to know your child and your family. Early registration maximizes opportunities to build a sense of connection to the school community, with the adults who will work with your child and with other families who will be starting K along with yours.

In addition, at registration events and appointments, schools are able to share information about learning activities and opportunities that are available before the start of kindergarten—including a variety of spring/summer programs and free online materials, like those at ReadingBrightStart.org and delawarereadinessteam.com.

We have 28 districts and charters that offer kindergarten in Delaware. Each has its own schedule of registration events. Along with the Delaware Department of Education, school districts are working hard to make the registration process as easy as possible. But it just doesn’t make sense to leave registration until late spring or summer, as many families currently do. It deprives you of opportunities to help children to be ready on day one of kindergarten, and it impedes our schools’ ability to plan with precision for incoming K classes.

For families who want to explore choice/charter options, remember that you must register in your “home school” first and then complete the choice/charter process, as well. There is not an official deadline for choice requests, but keep in mind that the first lottery selections for choice spots are in early January. Again, whatever your plans, starting the registration process now just makes sense.

In a recent survey conducted by the Delaware Readiness Teams—community-based teams of early childhood specialists and early learning providers, district and school staff, teachers, parents, and neighbors—76% of parents/caregivers described the kindergarten registration process as “hard” or “extremely hard.” For those who completed the survey in Spanish, 98% said the registration process was hard or extremely hard. The sooner families learn about kindergarten registration, the more support they can get in addressing any questions.

The Delaware Readiness Teams have compiled “Get Ready for Kindergarten” packets, which have been available at special events this month and have been distributed to many libraries and pediatric/family practice offices, as well as to early childhood education providers, throughout our State. To request a packet—or to learn more in support of your family, friends, and neighbors—please email delawarereadinessteams@gmail.com.

When it comes to promoting school readiness and the future of our children—all of Delaware’s children—we are in this together. Thank you to everyone who is a part of Delaware’s Kindergarten Registration Campaign.

WILMINGTON, Del. – First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will attend four kindergarten registration events throughout the month of November to highlight the importance of supporting Delaware’s youngest learners.

Last month, the First Lady launched Delaware’s first statewide kindergarten registration campaign alongside the Delaware Readiness Teams to encourage families and caregivers to register students for kindergarten and help guide them through the process.

Governor John Carney has proclaimed November “Kindergarten Registration Month.”

All three counties will host family engagement events throughout Kindergarten Registration Month. A full list of events can be found here. Families and caregivers of children who will be 5 years old by August 31st are encouraged to register their student for kindergarten as soon as possible.

Kindergarten Registration Month Information Session at Georgetown Public Library

WHAT: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will attend a kindergarten registration information session at the Georgetown Public Library, hosted by the Delaware Readiness Teams.

WHO: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney
Delaware Readiness Teams
Community Members

WHEN: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
4 p.m.

WHERE: Georgetown Public Library
123 W Pine Street
Georgetown, DE 19947

Kindergarten Registration Month Information Session at Milford Public Library

WHAT: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will attend a kindergarten registration information session at the Milford Public Library, hosted by the Delaware Readiness Teams.

WHO: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney
Delaware Readiness Teams
Community Members

WHEN: Monday, November 19, 2018
4 p.m.

WHERE: Milford Public Library
11 S E Front Street
Milford, DE 19963

Kindergarten Registration Month Information Session at Dover Public Library

WHAT: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will attend a kindergarten registration information session at the Dover Public Library, hosted by the Delaware Readiness Teams.

WHO: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney
Delaware Readiness Teams
Community Members

WHEN: Monday, November 19, 2018
6 p.m.

WHERE: Dover Public Library
35 E Loockerman Street
Dover, DE 19901

Kindergarten Registration Month Information Session at Smyrna Public Library

WHAT: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney will attend a kindergarten registration information session at the Smyrna Public Library, hosted by the Delaware Readiness Teams.

WHO: First Lady Tracey Quillen Carney
Delaware Readiness Teams
Community Members

WHEN: Tuesday, November 20, 2018
4 p.m.

WHERE: Smyrna Public Library
107 S. Main Street
Smyrna, DE 19977