Ready for School, Ready for Life (Ready Ready) is a nonprofit backbone organization focused in Guilford County, North Carolina, working to build a connected, data-informed system of care for young children and their families. Ready Ready convenes partners across sectors, supports the implementation of evidence-based programs, and works to ensure that families receive the right supports at the right time.

A team of implementation specialists at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) is leading a six-month exploration process that will look at organizational, community, and funder conditions for the effective implementation of programs that address the needs of Guilford County's young children and families.

This work is being done as part of a new project, Implementation Support for Ready for School, Ready for Life Guilford County, which is being led by The Impact Center at FPG’s William Aldridge, PhD, Renee D’Argenzio, PhD, Jessica Reed, MS, Tamara Robertson, MPH, and Stephanie Bogdewic, PhD.

Together, they will be lifting up partner and community voices through surveys, interviews, meetings, and convenings to develop a shared understanding of strengths and opportunities within the Routes to Ready (RTR) system of care, including the role of Ready Ready as the backbone organization. Then, from that collective knowledge, the team will facilitate partners’ co-design of collective performance priorities on which to focus further supports and action plans in 2026.  

RTR is a strategic initiative to build a care network for families and children in Guilford County. It involves three provider organizations—Children’s Home Society, the Guilford County Health Department, and Generation Ed——that are implementing four early childhood programs to grow an integrated support network in Guilford County. Ready Ready serves as the connector in RTR to help align partners, data, and decisions that help ensure young children and families in Guilford County receive high-quality, coordinated support. 

The approach of The Impact Center at FPG’s support team involves hands-on, tailored support, informed by local context, that builds the capacity of organizations and systems to implement programs and strategies effectively and sustainably. It includes support for infrastructure development, implementation teaming, data use, continuous quality improvement, and system-level coordination. “The goal is not just to implement a program,” says the Impact Center at FPG’s support team, “but to build the local conditions and competencies needed for long-term success.” Aldridge adds, “We know that to achieve a goal like this, we must work in ways that span the boundaries of community, science, and governance. All partners have to share the vision and see themselves in the work that needs to happen for success.”

The Impact Center at FPG’s support team will also be supporting Ready Ready’s exploration and planning for Triple P expansion in Guilford County. “Guilford County is in a unique position to use Triple P to support multiple system partners’ goals and visions for the community,” say Reed and Robertson. “Our hope is that the community members can come together and find ways to meet the needs of children and families.” 

There is a strong case for using Triple P to meet short term, programmatic outcomes of interest for children and families that will support the goals of larger initiatives including improved maternal and child health outcomes and school readiness. When Triple P is scaled as a full system of parenting supports, population level outcomes can include decreased rates of child maltreatment, out of home placements, and child injuries. 

Implementation is a process, and the readiness of organizations and communities for implementation changes, particularly over long-term initiatives. “Many implementation partners emphasize the need for making time to critically reflect together on what is working and what is needed for effective implementation,” say Reed and Robertson. “These same partners also share that making the time to do so does not often happen.” 

Aldridge, D’Argenzio, Reed, Robertson, and Bogdewic agree that The Impact Center at FPG’s exploration work with Ready Ready demonstrates Guilford County partners’ commitment to taking the time to listen, learn from each other, and improve for the benefit of Guilford County children and families. This approach can not only strengthen the initiatives of focus but also renew the conditions for longer-term sustainability.